That fiber length also plays a role in how long your sheets will last, and how soon they’ll start to pill. “Thread count aside, fiber length is a crucial factor in durability,” says Akshay Bahl, CEO of Delara Home. “Long-staple cotton, like Egyptian, Pima, or Supima cotton, creates stronger, softer, and longer-lasting sheets with fewer exposed fiber ends, reducing pilling over time. In contrast, short-staple cotton tends to break down faster, leading to rougher textures and less durability.”
Temperature Check
Photograph: Nena Farrell
I could tell you all day about how long-staple, lower thread count bed sheets will probably be softer and last longer. These factors can take some time for you to see, especially if you’re purchasing something like linen that will soften over time. But you’ll likely notice one thing right away if you purchase high thread count sheets: heat retention.
As Rhodes mentioned, it’s a pretty straightforward concept. “Fewer yarns means the sheet is lighter weight, providing a cooler sleep experience,” she says. More thread means less room for heat to escape, leading more heat to be trapped within the sheet and around your body.
Thread count isn’t the only aspect that affects heat retention when it comes to sheets. Style of weave can make the arrangement of those threads, no matter the count, vary with how much heat and air can escape. Cotton, for example, has two popular weave styles—percale, which is a one-over-one thread style, and sateen, which is a three (sometimes four!)-over-one thread style to make it feel silky. Sateen is usually the hotter sheet when comparing cotton styles (unless you’re adding flannel to the mix) due to that weave. Material plays a big role, too. Linen retails less heat than cotton, for example, so heavier linen sheets can still be more breathable than a heavy sateen sheet.
Is there a best thread count at all, you might wonder? You’ll hear different advice based on different opinions and what kind of fabric you’re shopping for. When it comes to testing and rating cotton and bamboo sheets, I’ve consistently preferred thread counts between 200 and 400, with a 300 thread count usually being my sweet spot, especially for cooling sheets. My best advice, though, is to read our reviews of different sheet styles, like linen and bamboo, to get a better idea of how warm and soft each sheet set is to see what works for you.
However, there’s definitely a worst number. “Anything beyond 800+ is often marketing driven and may involve multi-ply threads rather than higher-quality single-ply fibers,” says Bahl.
