Percale vs sateen sheets: weave, feel, warmth and care

Percale sheets are crisp, matte and breathable, with a cool, light feel often compared to a freshly pressed shirt. Sateen sheets are smoother and silkier, with a soft sheen, and tend to feel a little warmer and heavier. Both are usually made from cotton: the difference is the weave, not the fibre.

Percale vs sateen at a glance

What is the difference in weave?

Percale is a plain weave, the simplest structure in weaving. Each crosswise thread passes over one lengthwise thread and under the next, in a tight, balanced grid. That grid gives percale its matte surface and crisp handle, and leaves tiny gaps for air to move through.

Sateen uses a satin weave, where threads float over several others before passing under one. A common pattern is four over, one under. Those long floats sit on the surface, which is why sateen feels smooth and reflects light. The name refers to the weave: cotton sateen is not the same as satin, which is usually made from silk or polyester.

How do they feel?

Percale feels cool and crisp the first time you get into bed, the feel many people associate with hotel bedding. It softens with washing but keeps a light, airy hand. Sateen feels smooth and soft from the first night and has more drape, so it settles over you rather than sitting slightly away from the body.

Which is warmer?

Sateen usually feels warmer. Its denser surface and closer drape hold a little more warmth next to the skin, while the open grid of percale lets heat and moisture move through more easily. If you often feel hot at night, percale is the more common choice. Our guide on how to sleep cooler covers bedding for warm sleepers in more detail.

Care and wrinkles

• Percale creases easily. Take it out of the dryer promptly and smooth or fold it while warm, or iron it if you like a pressed finish.
• Sateen wrinkles less but can lose some of its sheen with very hot washes and harsh detergents. Wash at moderate temperatures and avoid over drying.
• Both do well with mild detergent, no bleach unless the label allows it, and a gentle tumble or line dry.

Which do hotels use?

Percale comes up most often in our hotel data. In our review of pillows at 42 hotels, 35 of the 37 stated pillow shell fabrics were cotton, and percale was the most commonly named weave. That review covered pillow shells rather than sheets, but the reasons carry over: percale is durable, breathable and copes well with frequent laundering, and its crisp feel is what many people picture when they think of a hotel bed.

Does thread count matter for percale and sateen?

Each weave has its own typical range. Percale is commonly around 200 to 400, and sateen often runs higher because its construction packs threads more closely. A higher number does not automatically mean a better sheet, as fibre quality and finishing matter more. See does thread count matter for how counts are calculated and sometimes inflated.

How to choose

1. Choose percale if you sleep warm, like a crisp feel, or want a classic hotel style bed.
2. Choose sateen if you prefer a smooth, soft surface, a little sheen and fewer wrinkles.
3. Not sure? Try one set of each, or use percale in summer and sateen in winter.

Whichever you pick, our guide on how to make your bed like a hotel shows how to put it to use.