Know Right Thread Count of Egyptian Cotton Sheet

21 June 2010- If you have bought an Egyptian cotton sheet just for its 'so soft feel' but could not get that feel, you might not be aware of the right thread count of true Egyptian cotton fabric. Before knowing how to know the right thread count of Egyptian cotton sheet, you must first know what is thread count and also how some Egyptian cotton sheet manufactures cheat their customers regarding its thread count.

What is Thread Count?

Thread Count is the total number of vertical and horizontal threads per square inch in any woven fabric. Higher the number of threads per square inch, softer your Egyptian cotton sheet will be. Although there is always a label on Egyptian cotton sheets stating the thread count of the fabric, these can be sometimes misleading too. As is known, Egyptian cotton fabric is made from extra long staple cotton. However some of the Egyptian cotton sheet manufacturers use two-ply or multiple-ply threads (up to four ply thread) and claim that their Egyptian cotton sheets have the highest quality. Most of the time, they use cheap short fibers that are twisted together to create a longer thread. True Egyptian cotton fabric, on the contrary, is made with long yarn single-ply thread. This is the reason why some very "high thread count" Egyptian cotton sheets do not have their popular characteristic of being soft? Twisting of short threads leads to weaker weave, a rougher surface and not so durable sheets.

How to Find Right Thread Count

When buying an Egyptian Cotton sheet, the most important factor is the length of fiber from which the fabric is made. It only determines the quality and durability of the Egyptian cotton sheet that you bring home. If the sheet is made from multiple ply short fibers , its bound to be rough and prone to pilling or surface balling.

• Carefully study the information on the cotton sheet, especially what it says about ply!
• Sometimes you will see 2-ply or 4-ply written in very fine prints (some manufacturers even write this information in bold letters to give an impression that more the ply number, better will be the quality of Egyptian cotton sheet). This is your warning sign about the fabric not made probably with right Egyptian cotton fibers.
• In fact, if you buy an Egyptian cotton sheet woven of 4-ply yarns, claiming to be 1000 thread count cotton sheet, it is actually 250TC sheet (remember 4 ply means 4 short threads twisted together.)
• Always buy an Egyptian cotton sheet that has its label saying “single ply yarn.” If this also says 600 thread count cotton sheet, it is probably the right thread count.
• If you are still confused about the right thread count of the Egyptian cotton sheet you wish to buy and if possible, talk with the manufacturer or company to know about the exact fiber length. If the manufacturer is not familiar with fiber length or ply of the Egyptian cotton sheet, you can very well assume that its thread count, written on its label, is not right!

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