Silk: Measured in momme. Momme is a measure of weight that looks for the number of pounds in a piece of silk that is 45 inches by 100 yards. Look for silk sheets around the 17-22 momme range. Thread count is used as a rough indicator of the softness and feel of a fabric. It’s also used heavily in marketing to imply that a specific product is of a higher quality than competing sheets. While this is all true to a certain extent, thread count is far from the only consideration when it comes to the overall quality of a set of sheets. When it comes to thread count,” Tannen said, “most people forget that the quality of threads is far more important than the quantity." Andrés Modak, co-CEO and co-founder of Snowe, noted, “Luxury sheets aren't simply the result of a high number; first you need the highest quality yarns, expertly woven.” Of course, remember that thread count is not an end-all, be-all measurement. The quality of the yarns, the manufacturer’s production process, the weave type, and many other factors all contribute to the performance of a set of bed sheets. If the sheets aren't 100% cotton with single-ply weaves, chances are thread counts are either misleading or irrelevant. Here's why thread count doesn't matter for other materials:

When people talk about thread count, they’re talking about the number of horizontal and vertical threads woven into a singular square inch of material. Essentially, it’s how densely the fabric is populated with thread. A lower thread count means there are fewer threads, a higher thread count means the bed linen is rich with individual threads. Preethi Gopinath, director of the Textiles MFA program at Parsons and one of the writers of our cotton sheets guide, and Shannon Maher, chairperson and assistant professor of the Home Products Development department at the Fashion Institute of Technology, both weighed in on the best thread counts for each weave: Jersey: Jersey is a type of knit that often uses cotton, but not always. The weight may vary somewhat depending on the material used. Many jersey cotton sheets are around 150 GSM. At a minimum, look for sheets with an advertised thread count of 200. Anything lower than likely won’t feel as soft, and may result in a less comfortable sleeping experience.Other constructions include flannel for winter and jersey-knit sheets, which feel more like a T-shirt. Though it comes down to personal preference, our testers tend to prefer the smooth feel of sateen. Flannel: Measured in GSM. Durable, heavyweight flannel sheets are in the 170+ GSM range. Lighter flannel sheets will be less durable, but lighter and more breathable. Linen: 80-140. Thread count is less of a useful indicator for linen sheets and rarely listed. Avoid higher thread counts for linen sheets. Our panel of 33 testers rated them exactly the same in a blind comparison for softness and feel. The durability scores were also similar in our Lab tests; the only noticeable difference was the 1,000 thread count version looked slightly less wrinkled coming out of the dryer. What’s the best thread count for sheets? Plain weave has the warp (vertical) and weft (horizontal) threads evenly alternating. In satin weave the weft threads “float” over several warp threads (usually four) at a time, resulting in smoother and more lustrous fabric.

Gopinath and Maher agreed that good-quality sateen sheets ranged from 300 to 600 thread count. The number could creep higher, but this would create a very heavy sheet. When it comes to quality, this where a brand can and will inflate their figures. If they weave two strands of yarn together into a two-ply construction, then in essence, they can double the count. Now imagine that they’re using three-ply thread. The supposed amount of threads would then triple. There’s a misconception that, when it comes to thread count, bigger is necessarily better. That’s not always the case. Thread count offers a broad indication of quality, but there’s a big element of subjectivity to selecting your bed sheets. To understand this, let's define thread count. This number refers to how many threads there are in a square inch of the fabric. The higher the number, the more tightly woven the material is. The type of fabric and its weave makes a difference in the best thread count. Percale is also known as “plain weave” with a simple one over, one under pattern, so average-quality percale sheets may be around 180-200 thread count. By contrast, a sateen weave has a more tightly woven pattern, so average-quality sateen sheets will be closer to 250-300.The longer fibres certainly help give this bedding longevity, which is a real plus. "The key attributes to look for are that the bedding you choose is made from natural fibres that supports breathability and allows for air circulation next to the skin," Farah continues. "That will support you to have the most comfortable night’s sleep." Even the print on sheets can indicate something about the quality of the fabric. Maher and Gopinath both told us that printed sheets were typically produced on lower-thread-count percale cotton to keep costs down. When manufacturers invest in a higher thread count for sheets, they don’t want to cover up that texture. “You want that to be the selling point,” Gopinath said. Print is “a cheap way of applying pattern,” Gopinath told us, an alternative to actually weaving a design into the fabric, like with a damask or jacquard. Polyester or blends: Unlike cotton, polyester fibers are manufactured in a factory and can be produced to be super thin, meaning polyester and cotton/polyester blends can have thread counts in the thousands. In fact, manufacturers are coming up with techniques to use thin polyester yarns with the sole purpose of increasing the thread count claim. You'd assume that a higher count is better, but that's not strictly true. Linen bedding, for example, has a typical thread count of around 200, but that's what makes it so breathable and gives it that lovely texture.

For soft, breathable bedding, cotton is the go-to choice for most. But did you know that thread count isn't the only factor when it comes to quality? In fact, the thread itself is also important — and Egyptian cotton bedding is widely regarded as some of the best. When it comes to thread count, most people forget that the quality of threads is far more important than the quantity." —Missy Tannen, co-founder of Boll & Branch

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Percale is less silky, though more breathable, creating a matte cotton that’s great for everyday use. Experts recommend a thread count in the region of 200-400, and advise against exceeding a 500 thread count. For this kind of breathable design and non-shiny appearance, it’s simply not necessary. Judging from our testing experience, we think those ranges are pretty spot-on. In our cotton sheets guide, our favorite percale set ( L.L.Bean’s 280-Thread-Count Pima Cotton Percale Sheet Set) has a 280 thread count. Both of our top sateen recommendations (the JCPenney Home 400 TC Wrinkle Guard Sheet Set from JCPenney and Cuddledown's 400 Thread Count Cotton Sateen Bedding) are 400 thread count—which, incidentally, Maher noted was her ideal number for sateen. Fiber content. 100% cotton is the most popular, and there are premium (i.e. “long-staple”) cottons, like Egyptian and Pima, that make the fabric even softer and more durable. Just keep in mind that these sheets may be more expensive, and there have been instances where brands mislabel regular cotton sheets as Egyptian. When it comes to quality, the weave of bed linens is arguably more important than the thread count itself. The two most common types of weave are percale, which uses a relatively straightforward ‘plain weave’ (one thread is woven over another thread) and secondly, sateen (where four threads are woven over one thread). Again, it depends. "There are several factors that play into what makes a great quality cotton," says Farah. "Egyptian cotton is technically regarded as a more superior yarn, so it could be classed as a more superior product, but there are a number of factors that play into what makes a quality bed linen."