Percale cotton sheets: what you need to know

Cotton sheets are generally made using one of two types of weave, percale or sateen. If you are researching which sheets could be best for you, read our guide on percale bed sheets first.

1. What is percale?
2. What is percale cotton?
3. What does percale feel like?
4. What are the benefits of percale bed sheets?
5. What thread count should I choose for percale sheets?
6. Accreditations to insist on
7. How to care for your percale bedding
8. Percale cotton sheet FAQs

 

What is percale?

Percale is a type of cotton weave. Percale sheets are made using a plain weaving technique with one thread over and one thread under, in a basic criss-cross pattern. This produces a tight and uniform texture with a smooth, flat finish. An alternative weave to percale is sateen.

 

What is percale cotton?

Percale bedding is generally made from cotton, so percale cotton is cotton crafted with a percale weave. When choosing cotton bedding always choose a long-staple cotton, such as Egyptian cotton to ensure it is the best quality and highly durable. We only use genuine Egyptian cotton for our sheets.

 

 

What does percale feel like?

Percale bedding tends to have a crispness and is cooler to the touch than other fabric weaves.

 

What are the benefits of percale bed sheets?

Durability

Percale sheets are durable and long lasting.

Breathable and hypoallergenic

As with sateen, percale sheets are breathable making them perfect for using all year round. High-quality percale sheets made from cotton are also naturally hypoallergenic, so they are a great choice if you have allergies or sensitive skin.

  

What thread count should I choose for percale sheets?

Pick percale sheets with 200 to 600 thread count to get the right balance of softness and durability. Any lower and the sheets may feel thin. Any higher and the sheets will be too stiff and won’t have the comfortable drape which you want when sleeping.

 

Accreditations to insist on

Check to make sure that your bedding is Oeko-Tex certified. If your sheets are made from Egyptian cotton make sure that they also come with the authentic Egyptian Cotton mark.

How to care for your percale bedding

Always check the care label on your percale bed sheet. Most cotton sheets should be machine washed at 30° or 40° once a week using non-bio detergent. Then either line dried or tumble dried, at low heat if stated on the care label.

 

Percale cotton sheets FAQs:

Do percale sheets wrinkle easily? Percale sheets are more prone to wrinkle than sateen sheets due to the plain weave. Our tip: remove your sheets from your tumble dryer as soon as the cycle is finished and put them on your bed straight away to reduce wrinkles. How long do percale sheets last? With proper care, high-quality percale sheets will last for many years.  Percale vs. sateen sheets Percale sheets are made with a plain weave giving the fabric a matte finish and a crisp and flat feel. Sateen sheets are crafted with a more complex satin weave resulting in a slightly lustrous appearance and a silkier, more drapey feel.  Percale or sateen sheets, which is best? Percale sheets and sateen sheets are both high quality cotton fabric weaves. Neither weave is better than the other, it depends which one you like more.