What thread count actually tells you about a shirt.
There is no number on a clothing tag more abused than thread count. Bedsheet brands have been at it for years; shirt brands have been catching up. So before you next buy a dress shirt on the strength of a "120s" or "200s" claim, here is what those numbers should — and should not — promise you.
Thread count, properly defined, is the count of yarns per square inch of woven cloth. The number on the label, however, is usually something quite different: it is the "yarn count" — a measure of how fine the individual yarn is. A 120s yarn is finer than an 80s; a 200s is finer still. The finer the yarn, the more of them fit into a square inch — and the lighter and silkier the resulting cloth.
Above 100s you start to feel a difference in the hand. Above 140s the cloth begins to read as luxury even before you put it on. At 200s it is almost translucent and demands care. Everything we make begins above 120s. We will tell you why on every cloth we offer.
See our cloths