So the right thread count for you will depend on your particular tastes; if you're looking for an indulgent hotel feel, go for a higher number. Looking for sheets with a reasonable thread count (200-600 for most styles) will typically produce the best results. Be sure to modify your expectations somewhat depending on the material used. Keep in mind that certain materials are not measured using thread count. Some notable ones include:

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." 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.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. Sateen sheets, meanwhile, offer a silker, glossier appearance, although for this you may forfeit some of the light airiness associated with percale. The finer weaving of sateen means a thread count in the region of 300 to 600 is ideal for this refined fabric.

Similarly, the cosy flannel sheets that tend to hit shelves around Christmas are measured in grams per square meter (GSM). If you’re looking to bundle up warm, a 170+ GSM sheet will serve you very well indeed, though more lightweight options are available.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. 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. 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.

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). Microfiber: Measured in grams per square meter (GSM). Look for microfiber sheets in the 90-120 GSM range. 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."

We recently tested a 1,400 thread count cotton/polyester sheet set that uses one of these techniques and (not surprisingly) it wasn't a top performer. Polyester does have its own selling points – it’s stronger, more wrinkle-resistant and less expensive than cotton – but it certainly doesn’t feel as luxurious as a natural fiber. Quality, comfortable sheets can be found with thread counts ranging from 200 to 800 and beyond. There’s no magic number that is the perfect thread count. That being said, there are generally acceptable ranges for various kinds of quality sheets. 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 you see counts above 300 for percale or 600 for sateen, that sometimes means the manufacturers are using ply—the number of single threads twisted together in yarn—to artificially inflate the thread count, namely counting two-ply yarns as two yarns instead of one. That means a 500-thread-count sheet made with two-ply yarns might be advertised as 1,000 thread count. Single-ply yarn is more pliable and lends itself to softer fabrics than those containing multiple plies of yarn. As Maher told us, “This is a marketing effort.” She added that manufacturers raise the number to capture customers’ attention, since people tend to perceive a higher-thread-count sheet as better. In 2005 the Federal Trade Commission issued an opinion (PDF), but not a firm set of rules or guidelines, advising against this practice. But our experts noted that although many manufacturers have stopped, they do still see it happening. 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. It is true that a sheet set with a thread count of 400 will usually feel better than a comparable set with a thread count of 200. However, that’s assuming that the quality of yarns used, the craftsmanship, and the weave are all the same for both sheet sets. 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.

Better Sleep for a Better You.

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? 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.