Buyer beware: The truth about 1000 thread count sheets

We’ve all been to value stores and seen the promise of 1000-thread-count cotton and thought it too good to refuse, only to get the product on our beds and be underwhelmed. How can it be that 1000 thread count isn’t what it is promised to be?

Well the answer is in the name: 1000 thread. That means there are 1000 threads per 10 square centimetres, counted along two sides of a square that is 3.16cm wide and 3.16cm high, distributed across the warp (up/down) and weft (across).

Different distribution of threads creates different textural effects; the importance being that 1000 threads in total are distributed across the 10-square-centimetre area.

Why 1000 threads can feel of lesser quality is not in the number of threads but in the length of the fibres and quality of the thread.

To make a crude comparison, a thread could be as thin as a hair or as thick as a rope. If you consider that 10 square centimetres is a finite area and you can only fit so much along its perimeter, the thread thickness can be finer purely because you need to use small threads to fit them next to each other.

Just as it’s important to know what the thread is made of – for example, a polyester thread will be cheap and durable but doesn’t breathe well – understanding the origin and type of the thread is important, too. Different constructions create different hand-feel and crispness, with where the raw material is sourced from affecting the robustness, softness and silkiness.

Supima cotton, for example, is a high-quality cotton type because of its extra-long staple fibre. Using fewer and smoother threads per square inch, Supima cotton can achieve a crisp and silky hand-feel, allowing breathability of the fabric.

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Egyptian cotton, too, is a world leader in cotton fibre, the difference between the two being largely only geographical: Supima cotton comes from the south-western part of the United States, Egyptian cotton grows along the Nile River.

Flax linen is another high-quality fibre from which to make sheeting, with Belgian flax being among the highest certified fibre origins available.

To be clear, a 1000-thread-count sheet made from a high-quality, extra-long staple fibre, from the right area, with the right weave to create a beautiful hand-feel is still a great product for that luxurious five-star hotel-quality sheet, just don’t be fooled into thinking that every 1000-thread-count sheet is created equal.

Extract from HomeSpace by Darren Palmer (Murdoch Books, $39.99)