I need new bed linens and I'm confused about thread count. Does a higher thread count indicate higher-quality sheets?
Not necessarily. Our latest tests of 23 sets of queen-size sheets reconfirmed that higher thread count doesn't guarantee better sheets. Thread count is the number of vertical and horizontal thread per square inch, and some manufacturers boost their numbers by counting plies, or the very thin yarns that make up the thread.
Among 100-percent-cotton percale sheets in our tests, some had a thread count of 400, but the highest-rated sheet had a thread count of 280.
For 100-percent-cotton sateen and twill-weave sets, the top-scoring sheet has a claimed thread count of 1,000, though some 300-thread-count sheets were better than 400- or 600-thread-count models.
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