BED SHEET THREAD COUNT

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 by twisting two threads together with the same number of rows.

Bed sheets with 200 to 400 thread counts are 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 - will also influence texture.

BED SHEET WEAVES
There are different methods to weave thread into fabric, each one producing a different feel. Following are weaving techniques:

Standard weave - a simple one stitch over, one stitch under pattern.

Sateen - a blend of natural fiber and cotton with a silky quality thanks to a four stitches over, one stitch under pattern. These bed sheets aren't as durable as a standard weave, but they feel softer.

Pinpoint weave - created with a two stitches over, one stitch under weave. A softer feel than a standard weave, but not as soft as sateen.

Twill weave - recognized by a distinctive woven diagonal line pattern, these bed sheets are more resistant to wrinkles than others.

BED SHEET FABRIC
Fabric type plays a huge role in the texture of bed sheets. Like thread count, fabric type is used 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:

Combed cotton - smooth and soft because shorter fibers and impurities are manually combed and removed.

Egyptian cotton - considered the world's highest-quality bedding fabric, Egyptian cotton only grows along the Nile River and enjoys a long growing season, so the extra-long fibers are super-strong and absorbent.

Flannel - a warm cotton blend that's measured by ounces of fabric per square yard instead of thread count. A good flannel quality is four ounces or more.

Percale - a soft, combed fabric with a close weave and a wrinkle resistant quality.

Pima cotton - made from soft quality cotton grown in the American Southwest, Pima cotton is related to Egyptian cotton and is trademarked as Supima ^® cotton. Usually has an average thread count of 200 to 300.