Egyptian Cotton

Thread count is universally perceived as a measure of fabric quality. Department stores frequently carry thread counts in the 100-200 thread count ranges and often advertise anything 300 thread count or greater as “luxury.” So what about those specialty shops or websites that advertise really high thread counts… sometimes as high as 1200! Are they for real or is it just marketing hype?

Thread count is simply defined as the number of threads per inch of fabric. The human eye has a difficult time quantifying anything smaller than 150 parts per inch so you can’t tell the difference between 300 thread count sheets  and 600 thread count sheets by looking at the fabric. You also can’t tell the difference by the feel, at least when the fabric is new.

If you can’t tell the difference by look or feel… does it matter? Yes it does.

Take a close look at the photo above. The salmon colored fabric on the left is a low thread count fabric made from short staple cotton. Note the air gaps between the fibers and note the fuzzy loose strands… those are fibers breaking away from the fabric. They will probably fall off the next time the fabric is washed and end up as lint in the dryer.

The winter white fabric to the right is obviously different. It is high thread count Egyptian Cotton fabric. There are only a few small loose fibers and they are probably firmly attached due to their length. The fabric on the right will outlast the fabric on the left and may actually end up being more economical in the long run.