Percale
Percale vs Sateen: Which Cotton Sheet Weave to Choose
Same cotton, different weave, very different bed. Percale is crisp and cool; sateen is smooth and warm. Most people already know which they prefer once it is put that way.
Side by side.
Tap either one to check today’s price.
Sateen
Line by line.
Brooklinen Luxe Sateen Sheet Set Hotel-Quality Luxury - Queen, White has the edge on 2 of 9 lines, Brooklinen Percale 4-Pc Sheet Set for Hot Sleepers, Luxury - Queen, White on 1, 1 even.
| Feature | Brooklinen Percale 4-Pc Sheet Set for Hot Sleepers, Luxury - Queen, White | Brooklinen Luxe Sateen Sheet Set Hotel-Quality Luxury - Queen, White |
|---|---|---|
| Weave | Plain weave, one over one under | Satin weave, typically four over one under |
| Feel | Crisp, matte, like a pressed shirt | Smooth, soft, slight sheen |
| Warmth | Cooler and more breathable | Warmer, with a heavier drape |
| Best for | Warm sleepers and hot climates | Cool sleepers and cold rooms |
| Soft on the first night | Crisp at first, softens with washing | Soft from the start (the edge) |
| Durability | Tight plain weave washes well (the edge) | Surface floats more prone to fraying and pilling |
| Wrinkles | Wrinkles readily | Drapes and wrinkles less (the edge) |
| Thread count (these sets) | 270 | 480 |
| Queen price (these sets)Even | About $199 | About $209 |
The verdict
Which to buy.
Choose percale if you sleep warm, live somewhere hot or like a crisp, matte sheet that wears well. Choose sateen if you sleep cool or want a smooth, soft bed with a slight sheen from the first night, and accept that it wears a little sooner.
The sheets worth the money.The sheets for hot sleepers.The bath sheet, and when it beats a bath towel.
Percale and sateen are not fibers. They are two ways of weaving cotton. Percale is a plain weave: each thread goes over one and under one, which makes a tight, matte cloth with no gloss. Sateen is a satin weave: each thread floats over several before going under one, usually four over and one under, which puts more yarn on the surface and gives the cloth its smoothness and slight sheen.
To compare the weaves rather than the brands, the two sheets set side by side here come from the same maker. Brooklinen's Classic Percale and Luxe Sateen are both 100% long staple cotton, both certified to OEKO-TEX Standard 100, and within about $10 of each other for a queen. What you feel between them is the weave.
If you run warm, or like the feel of a pressed cotton shirt, you want percale. If you run cold, or want the bed to feel soft and smooth the first night, you want sateen. Two further sets below show what each weave looks like at a higher price.
How we chose
- Weave. How the threads are interlaced, and what that does to feel, sheen and airflow.
- Warmth. Which weave sleeps cooler, and for whom that matters.
- Wear and care. How each weave holds up to washing, and how much it wrinkles.
APercale
Brooklinen Percale 4-Pc Sheet Set for Hot Sleepers, Luxury - Queen, White
A plain, sound long staple percale: crisp, cool and matte.
- Keeps for
- Several years of weekly washing
- Weave
- Percale, 270 thread count
- Fiber
- 100% long staple cotton
- Certification
- OEKO-TEX Standard 100
- Pieces
- Flat, fitted, 2 pillowcases
Brooklinen's Classic Percale is 100% long staple cotton in a 270 thread count plain weave, certified to OEKO-TEX Standard 100. The queen set is a flat sheet, a fitted sheet and two pillowcases. Brooklinen describes it as crisp and cool, with a matte finish, and suggests it for anyone who runs warm.
The thread count is modest for a reason. A plain weave is already dense, and percale in the 200s breathes well. Pushing the count much higher mostly makes it heavier and warmer, which undoes the point of choosing percale.
It will feel crisp, even a little rough, when new, and it softens over months of washing. It also wrinkles readily. Skip it if you want a smooth bed on the first night.
The catch. Crisp and a little rough when new, and it wrinkles more than sateen.
Where to buy
AmazonCheck price →BSateen
Brooklinen Luxe Sateen Sheet Set Hotel-Quality Luxury - Queen, White
A smooth, low-sheen 480 thread count sateen, soft from the first night.
- Made in
- Portugal (per Brooklinen's site)
- Keeps for
- Several years; sateen shows wear sooner than percale
- Weave
- Sateen, 480 thread count
- Fiber
- 100% long staple cotton
- Certification
- OEKO-TEX Standard 100
- Fitted sheet
- Up to 16 in deep
- Pieces
- Flat, fitted, 2 pillowcases
Luxe Sateen is Brooklinen's best seller: the same long staple cotton as the percale, woven as a 480 thread count sateen and certified to OEKO-TEX Standard 100. Brooklinen says the current version is made in Portugal. It feels smooth and soft, with a slight sheen and a heavier drape.
The higher thread count is typical of sateen, not a sign that it is better cloth. Satin weaves pack more yarn into the surface, and the count rises with it. That extra surface yarn is also why sateen feels warmer and why it drapes and wrinkles less.
The floats that make it smooth are its weakness: they catch and abrade more readily than a tight plain weave. Wash cold, dry low and skip fabric softener. Skip it if you sleep hot.
The catch. Warmer than percale, and the surface pills and wears sooner.
Where to buy
AmazonCheck price →Also 01A finer percale
Coyuchi Refined Organic Percale Sheet Set, 100% GOTS Certified
Organic long staple percale from a Northern California maker, crisp and cool with a deep pocket.
- Keeps for
- Years; long staple percale softens rather than pills
- Weave
- Percale
- Fiber
- Long staple organic cotton, GOTS certified
- 15 in
- Set
- Fitted, flat, 2 standard pillowcases
Coyuchi's Refined Percale is 100% long staple organic cotton, certified to GOTS, in a plain percale weave. The queen set is a fitted sheet with a 15 inch pocket, a flat sheet and two standard pillowcases.
It is what percale looks like one step up: the same crisp, matte, breathable cloth, in organic cotton that Coyuchi says softens further over time.
Skip it if you sleep cold, or if you expect a $278 sheet to feel soft on the first night. Percale does not, at any price.
The catch. Wrinkles like any percale, and the 15 inch pocket is shallower than most.
Where to buy
AmazonCheck price →Also 02A finer sateen
H by Frette Sateen Classic Sheet Set (Queen)
Frette's hotel line in all-white sateen: the classic grand hotel bed.
- Keeps for
- Years, with gentle washing
- Weave
- Sateen
- Set
- Fitted, top sheet, 2 standard pillowcases
- Color
- All white
- Maker
- Frette, hotel linen
H by Frette is the Frette line made for hotels, and the listing names The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis and The Peninsula among its hotel customers. The Sateen Classic set is all-white sateen with a soft, slightly glossy hand.
It is what sateen looks like one step up: smooth, warm and quiet on the bed. The queen set is a fitted sheet, a top sheet and two standard pillowcases.
Skip it if you sleep hot. Wash it cool and skip fabric softener to keep the surface from pilling.
The catch. The most expensive set here, and still subject to sateen's wear.
Where to buy
AmazonCheck price →More head to heads.
How to tell them apart in the shop
Hold the cloth to the light and run a hand over it. Percale is matte and feels faintly textured, like a good shirt. Sateen has a soft sheen and feels slippery. Rub it between finger and thumb; sateen slides, percale grips.
Thread count across weaves
Do not compare a percale's thread count with a sateen's. Percale is dense by construction and is at its best in the 200s to 300s. Sateen commonly runs higher because of how the weave packs yarn on the surface. Compare within a weave, and put fiber quality ahead of the number.
Care for each
Percale takes an iron well and looks best pulled from the dryer promptly or line dried. Sateen prefers cold water, a low dryer and no softener, which shortens the life of its surface.
Frequently asked questions
Is percale or sateen better?
Neither is better; they suit different sleepers. Percale is cooler, crisper and more durable. Sateen is smoother, softer and warmer.
Which is better for hot sleepers?
Percale. Its plain weave breathes better and it has a cool, crisp hand.
Does sateen pill?
More readily than percale. The long surface floats that make it smooth also fray and abrade sooner. Cold washes, low heat and no fabric softener help.
Why does sateen have a higher thread count?
The satin weave packs more yarn into the surface. A 480 thread count sateen is not a better sheet than a 270 thread count percale, only a different one.
Is sateen the same as satin?
They share the same weave structure, but sateen is woven from spun yarn such as cotton, while traditional satin uses filament yarn such as silk or polyester.
Sources
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