What is Thread Count?

What is Thread Count Anyway?

Basically thread count is how many threads there are per square inch.

So if your sheets say 200 thread count, it means there are 200 interlocking threads every square inch. Sheets always use more thread count than shirts or clothing. A typical shirt is 60 x 60 thread count, or 120 thread count. The 60 x 60 means there are 60 threads going horziontally and 60 threads going vertically to form a sturdy construction. A typical flat sheet will have 120 x 80 thread count to make up the 200 thread count.

Generally speaking the more threads the better quality or softer the sheets. But a lot of overseas vendors are now splitting one thread and making it two, so your 400 thread count sheets may actually only be a 200 thread count. And if they use cheap cotton, the more thread count isn't always your saving grace. But for the most part, going by thread count is a fine way to pick the quality of your hawaiian sheets.

Below is the techinal definition of thread count:

Thread count is a measure of the coarseness or fineness of Hawaiian print fabric. It is measured by counting the number of threads contained in one square inch of fabric, including both the length (warp) and width (weft) threads. It is used especially in regard to cotton linens such as surfer bed sheets.

Thread count is a simple measure of fabric quality, so that "standard" cotton thread counts are around 150 while good-quality sheets start at 180 and a count of 200 or higher is considered percale. Extremely high thread counts (typically over 500) tend to be misleading as they usually use 'plied' yarns. i.e. one yarn that is made by twisting together multiple finer threads. For marketing purposes, a fabric with 250 yarns in both the vertical and horizontal direction could have the component threads counted to a 1000 thread count although "according to the National Textile Association, accepted industry practice is to count each thread as one, even threads spun as two- or three-ply yarn.

The Federal Trade Commission agrees and recently issued a warning that consumers 'could be deceived or misled' by inflated thread counts."

Dean Miller's beach bedding has never miss-lead or tried to deceive any of its consumers, and has always clearly stated that our cotton percale surf sheets are 200 thread count.