Selecting the Highest Quality Sheets

To understand what creates the world’s most luxurious linens, you must consider more than just thread count, which is a measure of the number of yarns woven into onesquare inch of fabric.

The quality of a sheet is determined by other key components as well:  quality of the fiber finishing, and construction.

Thread Count
Thread count is a numerical indication, and it is defined by us as "determined by counting all of the threads woven into a square inch of fabric regardless of the number of ply yarns used".

If a single ply yarn is used in both the warp and weft, the single ply should be counted as one yarn. If a 2 ply or multi-ply yarn in the warp or weft (as is done to achieve the finest fabric, using the finest, longest staple yarn possible)   the manufacturer should count both or each ply yarn in that square inch rather than count a two ply twisted yarn as just one yarn.

Traditionally, thread count has been given in inches, however there has been an industry shift to a 10 square centimeter area rather than one inch of fabric. This is important to know because now a thread count can appear higher – for example, a 144 thread count can now be represented as 180 because the total area where the threads are being counted has been reduced.  

A good rule to follow: An extremely high thread count sheet at a very low price is most likely too good to be true. Check the fiber quality, yarn size, finishing and construction to give you the best insight on the overall quality.

Yarn quality
The highest quality cotton is referred to as long staple cotton, where the staple indicates the length of the cotton fiber. A longer fiber creates stronger and finer yarns. Pima and Egyptian cotton are typically the longest of the long staple cottons.

Egyptian cotton that is grown on the banks of the Nile River in Egypt in designated areas (called Giza lots)  are of extremely high quality. (Not all Egyptian cotton is long staple, so read the labels and product descriptions carefully).

Pima cotton was developed in the Southwestern United States and cultivated by the Pima Indians. US  cotton growers  discovered its properties and wanted to create a Western equivalent to Egyptian cotton, resulting in an extra-long staple fiber cotton that is more lustrous than other American cotton types.

The quality of the yarn is attributed of the length of the staple  because long-staple cotton can be spun into a smoother, stronger, much finer yarn making  possible to weave more threads per square area into the fabric, resulting in a higher thread count.

Finishing
The finishing process is a very important step in determining the final appearance including texture, color and softness. The highest quality sheets are made under highly secretive finishing processes, many of them in plants located in Italy and Switzerland. Italian manufacturers have continued to innovate to keep their leadership positions in yarn dying, finishing and construction processes.

Construction 
Because high thread count is not necessarily an indication of high quality, some manufacturers are now  focusing on "Single Ply" as a selling point .  Single-ply sheets (sheets in which single threads are used to weave the material) top out at a thread count of about 500; any higher is more realistically a double-ply or triple-ply sheet (in which two to three threads were wrapped together to make a thicker strand). This can be more durable than single-ply, but it's also a heavier sheet and may not feel as good.