Using Thread Count for Shopping Bed Sheets

By Margaretta Smith


Anyone looking for the best sheets these days is going to be bombarded using the term thread count. When asking most sales people, they're going to help you to buy sheets while using the highest count in order obtain the best quality sheets. It can be considered that the more expensive the thread count the finer the pad, because the higher count produces a tighter weave, creating a softer, smoother and stronger sheet.

Thread counts can range from only 80 so when high as 1000! This is a way of measuring the coarseness or quality of fabric, often referred to as TPI (threads per inch). Standard cotton counts are about 150, while good quality sheets start at 180. Based on Consumer Reports any count above 400 will probably only offer a higher sale price. In case you know that a thread count is made up of the amount of horizontal and vertical threads a single square inch of fabric. You may ask yourself, just how do they get 1000 threads running vertically and horizontally a single square inch? Good question.

Sometimes we can be fooled as some manufacturers will insert two-ply cotton or multiples together and give them a higher count. Some manufacturers will count each fiber that makes up a thread. Which means one single thread could have three plies twisted together. While one manufacturer counts this as one thread another may count it as three, thus skewing the actual count of threads. What this means to you is a 300 count is now a 600 count. That is why a 300 count can sometimes feel superior to a 600 thread count. Even though the FTC has ruled that they should only be counted as one thread this is not being enforced. So to answer your question how can manufacturers claim to have thread counts as high as 1000, the short answer is you can't according to Consumer Reports.

Manufacturers have a very product, plus they are using thread count like a marketing tool. They desire us to believe which the bigger the count the more effective the products' sheets. This can present a difficulty in case your manufacturer uses an inferior cotton thread which has a high thread count. A lot of people begin to see the high rely on the package and think these are getting a quality sheet when actually these are paying a better price on an inferior product. They will have bought a sheet set utilizing a higher quality thread, with a lower count for less money and return home that has a superior product. A thread count of 200 good quality fibers can feel better and be an improved quality sheet than one, which incorporates a 400 count using low quality twisted threads.

When searching for sheets always compare goods that have a similar quality of cotton with the same thread count. You'll want to look at a label for that percentage of cotton plus the type of cotton used. Cotton quality is usually as important or even more important in determining the quality of a sheet. Now when researching sheets you will have a better idea of excellent customer service so you will never be fooled by packaging.




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