Weaves · Percale and sateen
Percale or sateen?
The same cotton can make two completely different sets of bed linen. What decides it is how the threads interlace.
Percale and sateen are often sold side by side, made from the same cotton and with similar thread counts. The difference is not in the fibre but in the weave – the rule by which the warp (vertical threads) and the weft (horizontal threads) interlace.
Percale: one over, one under
Percale is woven in plain weave. Each weft thread passes alternately over one warp thread and under the next; in the following row it does exactly the opposite. It is the simplest weave there is, and also the one with the most interlacing points.
Every property of percale follows from this: the threads are tightly held, the fabric is matt (light is reflected from many short lengths of thread in different directions), crisp to the touch and cool to sleep in. Dense plain weave resists abrasion and pilling. It does, however, crease more visibly.
Sateen: long floats
Cotton sateen uses satin weave. In the most common five-end satin, the thread floats over four crossing threads and under one. The interlacing points move along by two threads in every row, so they are scattered and do not form a diagonal as they do in twill.
One thread direction therefore dominates the face of the fabric, in long, smooth stretches. Light reflects from them more evenly – the fabric has a soft sheen and is fluid and silky from the first use. Under a duvet, sateen usually feels slightly warmer than percale. The price of that smoothness is sensitivity: the long floats snag and abrade more easily and, with a weaker fibre, pill sooner.
Comparison
| Percale | Sateen | |
|---|---|---|
| Weave | plain, 1/1 | satin (e.g. 4/1) |
| Surface | matt | soft sheen |
| Feel | crisp, fresh | smooth, fluid |
| For sleeping | cooler | slightly warmer |
| Creasing | more pronounced | less visible |
| Abrasion resistance | higher | lower (long floats) |
How to choose
If you sleep hot, like the feel of a "hotel" freshly pressed bed and don't mind creases, go for percale. If softness from day one and a subtle sheen matter to you, and you treat your bed linen gently, sateen will suit you.
For both, the fibre affects quality more than the weave does. Sateen made from short fibre quickly loses its sheen and starts to pill; percale made from long-staple cotton softens with washing and lasts for years.
Weaves in this article
Fabric passport
Egyptian cotton
Gossypium barbadense
- Origin
- Egypt, mainly the Nile Delta
- Fibre
- Long-staple and extra-long-staple cotton (Giza varieties)
- Type
- natural plant fibre
- Feel
- Smooth and fine, with a subtle lustre when spun into a fine yarn
- Breathability
- High – the cellulose fibre absorbs moisture and breathes well
- Durability
- High – long fibres make a yarn that is both fine and strong
- Best for
- Bed linen, shirts, towels
- Care
- Usually machine washable; depends on the weave, finish and dye – follow the label
Relative tendencies how we rate
An Egyptian origin does not by itself guarantee extra-long staple: Egypt also grows long-staple varieties. What matters is the variety, the yarn and the weave.
Compared
| Property | Egyptian cotton | Regular cotton | Lyocell | Bamboo viscose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Softness | 5/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 |
| Breathability | 4/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 |
| Warmth | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 |
| Drying speed | 2/5 | 2/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 |
| Durability | 4/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 |
| Easy care | 4/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 |
| Tendency to crease | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 |
Care
- Percale creases easily after washing – iron it while slightly damp or stretch it straight onto the bed.
- Wash sateen inside out and more gently; the long floating threads are more easily snagged and pulled if handled roughly.
- Sateen's sheen dulls slightly over time – that is a property of the weave, not a defect.
The label on the individual product always takes precedence.
Sources
This article describes generally known technical principles of weaving that need no specific source. How we correct errors is explained on the Corrections page.
Last checked . First published 12 October 2026. Editorial policy · Report an error