Why Those 600 Thread Count Sheets You Bought Were So Awful

In the early nineties, the Italian sheeting companies began to use thread count to describe and promote their sheets. The Italian design aesthetic is legendary, and their sheeting has amazing quality and texture. They also break the bank at upwards of $700-$1500 per set. 

You’re not getting the whole story

Around this time, someone responsible for developing the advertising message to sell mass-market sheeting, decided to use thread count as a marketing tool here in the US. They were obviously aware that the thread count was important, but they likely didn’t know the whole story and promoted an incomplete and misleading message.

This unsuspecting (I’m being charitable here) marketing director started a trend that has become confusing and exasperating to say the least. While the thread count is important, it is only one ingredient in the recipe.

Beautiful sheeting has a detailed specification list. At San Francisco Linens, our manufacturing spec sheet for the mill is two pages single-spaced. At each stage, extreme care is taken to assure that these precise details are followed. 

All the ingredients must be there

The essential elements for creating sheeting are fiber source, weaving techniques, specialized finishes, and sewing. As an example, you can increase thread count all you want—and I’ve seen sheets marketed at major department stores touting even 1,000 thread count—but if the fiber itself is not high quality, and important details are missed, the sheet will feel no softer (and possibly worse!) than a much lower thread count sheet.