What does Thread Count mean?
Trådtäthet är ett verkligt mått, men fiberkvalitet och vävning avgör hur ett underlakan faktiskt känns och och slits, mycket mer än siffran på etiketten.
Short answer: thread count is the number of threads woven into one square inch of fabric, horizontal and vertical combined. It matters, but far less than marketing suggests: past a certain point, fibre quality and weave do more for how a sheet feels than the number on the label.
What the number actually measures
Thread count adds up every thread in a square inch of fabric, both the lengthwise (warp) and widthwise (weft) threads together. A 300 thread count percale, for instance, has roughly 150 threads running each way.
Why higher isn't always better
Once thread count passes around 400, most of the increase comes from multi-ply yarns: two or three thin threads twisted together and counted as multiple threads, rather than genuinely finer weaving. It inflates the number on the label without improving how the fabric actually feels or breathes. A tightly woven 300 thread count sheet made from good, long-staple cotton will usually outperform a loosely woven 800 thread count sheet made from short-staple fibres.
What matters more than the number
Fibre length is the bigger factor. Long-staple cottons like Supima produce smoother, stronger, less pilling-prone yarns regardless of thread count, which is why a 300-count percale from a good fibre can feel better than a 600-count sheet from a lesser one. Weave matters too: percale (one thread over, one under) reads crisp and cool, while sateen (four over, one under) reads smoother and warmer, at the same thread count.
As a rough guide, 300 to 400 suits a crisp percale and 400 to 600 suits a smooth sateen. Anything advertised above 800 is worth a second look at the fibre itself. Our Supima sateen runs 430, and our Classic cotton and TENCEL™ lyocell percales both run 300, all woven in Portugal.