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How to Buy Bed Sheets

It’s not a good idea to pick out bed sheets based solely on color or print. Color or pattern may be the most noticeable feature, but thread count, weave and fabric type are far more important qualities to evaluate when buying bed sheets.

Thread count is the amount of thread used vertically and horizontally to create one square inch of the bed sheet’s fabric. “Single ply” sheet sets use one thread for each vertical and horizontal row. Two-ply bedding sheets create a heavier weave with the same number of rows by twisting two threads together.

Bed sheets with 200 to 400 thread counts are often soft and airy and are usually made with sateen or twill weave fabric.

Luxury bed sheets with 500 to 1,000 thread counts are denser, silkier and heavier due to the extra thread.

You can make an educated guess on how a sheet set will feel by using thread count information. However, other variables – like cotton quality, yarn size and weaving technique – can also influence texture. There are different ways to weave thread into fabric, and each way produces a different feel. Weaving techniques create:

Standard weave bed sheets – follow a one stitch over, one stitch under pattern

Sateen bed sheets– are actually a blend of natural fiber and cotton. Sateen has a silky quality thanks to its four stitches over, one stitch under pattern. These bed sheets aren’t as durable as the standard weave, but they feel softer.

Pinpoint weave bed sheets – are created with two stitches over, one stitch under and feels softer than a standard weave but not as soft as sateen

Twill weave bed sheets – recognized by a distinctive diagonal line pattern, these bed sheet sets are more resistant to wrinkles than others Fabric type plays a huge role in the texture of bed sheets. Like thread count, customers can use fabric type to make educated guesses about softness and quality based on a bed sheet’s cotton or fabric blend. Some of the more common bed sheet types are:

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