September 01, 2021

Let's talk about Thread Count!

After years of working in the bedding industry, our founder Hannah has learned a thing or two about what components make for great bedding & has chosen to focus on three factors - the quality of the materials used, how & where our items are produced and creating the best sleep experience for our customers by only offering the highest calibre of textiles possible.

This experience in the bedding industry also uncovered some myths around what makes for excellent quality bedding, as well as a few home truths about the elusive words 'thread count'! Hannah discovered that over the years as 'hotel quality' bedding began to gain popularity, retailers and manufacturers increasingly used high thread counts as a marketing tool to lead consumers to believe that higher thread counts meant better quality. So what does Thread Count actually mean we hear you say...learn more below.

What is 'Thread Count'?

The term 'thread count' is only used when describing cotton and is simply a way of measuring the number of vertical and horizontal threads per square inch of bed linen. In reality, it’s only possible to fit a limited number of threads per square inch of fabric. The exact number of threads depends on the thickness of the yarns, but is normally around 300-400.

In order to charge higher prices and market their bedding as 'better quality', retailers asked manufacturers to produce high thread count bedding above the upper limit at which they would fit, in a square inch of fabric. This meant wrapping individual cotton yarns around each other to create plait-like threads - the bedding industry refers to this as a multi-ply yarn.

Multi-ply yarns are used to successfully produce bed sheets with a 600 thread count and higher, but this doesn't mean the sheets are softer or more durable. In fact, a single ply construction is known to create softer, longer lasting and more breathable cotton bedding.

The thread count myth has even been busted by the Business Insider!

So what factors really make for excellent quality & long-lasting bedding?

1 - Location!

After years of working in the bedding industry we have learned that where your bedding is made can be as important as how it is made. It's therefore no surprise that we chose Northern Portugal as the place for Amurelle bedlinen to be made. Portugal is home to the world's master weavers and our manufacturing partner is no exception. We've chosen to partner with a family-run fourth generation mill that holds the highest standards in all aspects of the manufacturing process, from the cotton they use to the expert techniques used to weave it.

2 - Single-ply for the win!

Single-ply yarns make for the most comfortable, breathable and durable cotton sheets and as we've learned higher thread count doesn't always mean better bedlinen. That's why we have chosen a 200 thread count sateen weave to create our super soft cloud-like Hero Cotton bed sheets that our customers know and love.

3 - No toxins, ever!

You’d be surprised how many manufacturers use bleaches and dyes to make bedding that is harmful to both the planet and humans. Amurelle bedding and all non-toxic bedding will hold the Oeko-Tex certification, which means you can rest easy knowing that your bedding has been made without the use of harmful chemicals at any stage of the manufacturing process.