High Thread Count Egyptian Cotton Bed Sheets – Part 2

Last post we started to explore high thread count Egyptian cotton bed sheets. We learned some of technical terms that help us understand how they are made, like:

• Thread size
• Twisted thread
• Multi ply, 2 ply, 3 ply, etc.
• Single ply
• Fiber length

Let’s look a little closer now at each attribute.

Thread size is fairly straight forward. It’s simply the size of the threads used to weave a fabric. Thread can be thin or thick producing fabrics of different weights. But threads can also be twisted before weaving as a way of producing thicker fabrics with a softer hand (feel) from thinner threads.

A twisted thread is a combination of 2 or more threads that wrap around one another to form a single thread – kind of like a rope is made by wrapping several smaller ropes together to form one cord. A twisted thread is also referred to as a multi ply thread and can be 2 ply, 3 ply, etc. A multi ply thread is usually weaker than a single ply, not because the twisting makes them weaker, but because the fiber length is usually shorter than a high quality single ply thread.

Fiber length refers to the length of the individual cotton fibers that make up a single thread. Longer fibers come from better cotton and make stronger, smoother fabrics.