The truth about thread count

Thread count is often seen as a promise of quality – but it is misleading more often than you might think. When it comes to bed linen, less is often more. What really decides how comfortable your bed linen is, is not a number on the label but the quality of the fibre itself and the way the fabric is woven. At Marso Living we decided from the start not to follow the thread-count hype – and to choose something simpler: carefully selected materials, honestly made.

What does thread count actually mean?

Thread count tells you how many threads are woven together within one square inch (inch²) of fabric. The common assumption is: the more threads, the softer and better the fabric. That is true – but only up to a point.

Why a high thread count is not always better

Don't be impressed by bed linen with a thread count of 800 or even 1000. A higher price rarely guarantees more comfort. On the contrary: if lower-quality cotton is used, the result is an unyielding fabric that feels stiff and not very supple. On top of that, an extremely densely woven fabric has less room to breathe. It is harder to wash and dry, and the fibres are put under more strain.

Realistically, a loom can only hold a limited number of threads. Very high thread counts are therefore often achieved with additional weft threads – a trick that does not make the fabric better, it only raises the number on the label.

What really matters: the fibre

Cotton has been one of the most popular textiles for bed linen for thousands of years. It is breathable, durable and easy to care for. Egyptian cotton and Supima cotton are considered particularly high-quality varieties. Their long fibres are soft, hard-wearing and flexible. For fabrics like these, a thread count between 300 and 500 is a good guide – not a standard, but a range in which the fabric stays supple and breathable.

Our sateen bed linen is made of 100 % cotton with a thread count of 400 and is made in Portugal. It is OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 certified.

Long-staple cotton: why the fibre matters

Cotton fibres differ in length. Long-staple cotton can be spun into fine, even yarns. At a higher thread count, this creates a fabric that is dense and supple at the same time, in which the individual threads can hardly be told apart. Short-staple cotton at the same thread count produces a fabric that tends to feel stiff and unyielding. The fibre therefore often tells you more about quality than the number on the label.

Finishing matters too: neat seams and carefully finished edges stop the fabric from fraying. That way, good bed linen stays beautiful for many nights.

Percale or sateen – what is the difference?

Besides the fibre, the weave also plays a decisive role.

Percale is a weave in which the threads alternate over and under each other. This creates a flat, dense fabric that feels cool and is especially easy to care for. Sateen, on the other hand, leaves more threads exposed on the surface. This creates a softer fabric with a slight sheen.

Cotton sateen has a fine sheen and a soft hand that becomes even nicer over time. It is no coincidence that it is our best-selling product: sateen bed linen from Marso Living combines a high-quality fibre with the right weave. Whether linen or sateen suits you better is explained in our comparison Linen or sateen?

Beware of misleading labels

Mislabelling is unfortunately common in the textile industry. You could buy a bed linen set labelled "Egyptian cotton" that contains only a small share of this fibre. At Marso Living, transparency matters a great deal to us. Our bed linen is OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 certified, which means it has been tested for harmful substances. You can find out more about our materials in our fabric guide.

Our conclusion

Buy the best-quality cotton you can afford and look for a suitable thread count. For long-staple cotton, a range between 300 and 500 is a good guide. Anything above that is often just marketing.

There are few more personal decisions than choosing bed linen. At Marso Living we help you make the right one – honestly, transparently and with products we fully stand behind. Our Sateen Bedding Set combines a duvet cover with two pillowcases. With the set you save 10 % compared with buying the pieces individually.