Better Homes And Gardens Percale Sheets

The 6 Best Percale Sheets of 2021

Get the look and feel of crisp hotel sheets

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The Spruce / Chloe Jeong

If you love the feel of crisp, cool sheets, percale might be perfect for you. Featuring closely woven, lightweight fabric, the best percale sheets are smooth and luxurious, so you can enjoy hotel-quality comfort in your very own bed each night. Each of these options is made from breathable 100 percent cotton with a percale weave—and you'll find organic and Egyptian cotton picks, too.

Below, we've tested and researched the best percale sheets to help you choose the best set.

Our Top Picks

This sheet set comes from a highly-regarded brand, and it's extremely high-quality and worth the price.

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This luxurious set is made from long-staple Egyptian cotton, which is regarded as the best.

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These Italian-milled percale sheets have a luxurious 500 thread count.

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These 100 percent cotton sheets wick moisture away and keep you cool all night.

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These 100 percent organic cotton sheets come in chic muted colors.

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Hotel-quality sheets made from long-staple Egyptian cotton.

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This set comes with a fitted sheet that boasts an impressive 22-inch pocket.

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Brooklinen Classic Core Sheet Set

What We Like

Soft texture
Breathable and regulates temperature
Great return policy

What We Don't Like

Limited edition colors and patterns sell out fast

There's a lot to love about the Brooklinen Classic Core Sheet Set, which is made from 100 percent long-staple cotton. This set of percale sheets comes with a flat sheet, fitted sheet, and two pillowcases, and you can choose from a variety of neutral colors or simple patterns in all standard bed sizes.

The percale weave features a 270 thread count for a cool, crisp feel that's perfect for those who get hot during the night. Plus, the fitted sheet, which has a 15-inch pocket, includes labels on the long and short sides to help you make the bed more quickly, and the pillowcases feature envelope closures to ensure your pillows stay put.

The Brooklinen Classic Core Sheet Set is extremely high quality and worth the price. And while you'll want to sleep on them year-round, the sheets are ideal for summer because they stay cool through the night.

Expert Buying Tip

"Consumers should look for an OEKO-TEX® certification because our labels mean that the products have been independently tested and verified for high product safety. OEKO-TEX® stays up to date on scientific, health and technical information, updates its criteria annually, monitors for regulatory compliance and uses the strictest standards and methods to test and verify claims."—Ben Mead, Managing director of Hohenstein Institute America

Parachute Percale Venice Set

Quality

5 /5
Texture

5 /5
Durability

5 /5
Breathability

5 /5
Value

5 /5

What We Like

Softens after each wash
Top sheet is optional
Good color selection

What We Don't Like

Wrinkles after washing

Want to sleep in a lap of luxury every night? Then you need the high-end Parachute Percale Venice Set. This set comes with a fitted sheet, two pillowcases, and a duvet cover, and you can choose to add on a flat sheet if you want.

The Parachute Percale Venice Set is available in all the standard sizes, and there are six neutral color options, such as sand, blush pink, and light gray. The percale fabric is made from 100 percent long-staple Egyptian cotton—widely regarded as the best cotton available—and the duvet cover features twill ties in each corner. With all that in mind, it's pretty easy to justify splurging on these luxury sheets.

What Testers Say

"Like all of the best percale sheets, this set also has a crisp and cool feel—and that's not just marketing speak. These sheets actually feel cool to the touch, and they stay crisp and clean after multiple nights of sleep."— tephanie Vermillion, Product Tester

Snowe Percale Sheet Set

Quality

5 /5
Texture

5 /5
Durability

5 /5
Breathability

3 /5
Value

5 /5

What We Like

Barely-there feel
Generously sized
Timeless color options

What We Don't Like

Expensive
Wrinkles easily
Warmer than other options

If you're after hotel-quality sheets, the Snowe Percale Sheet Set may be the bedding of your dreams. The sheets are made from Italian-milled 100 percent long-staple cotton with a 500 thread count, and they feel lightweight, crisp, and luxurious.

With each set, you get a flat sheet, fitted sheet, and two pillowcases, and the fitted sheet is generously sized to fit even the deepest mattresses. These percale sheets come in five muted colors, including classic white, slate blue, and ash gray, and all sizes except for twin.

What Testers Say

"Though Snowe's sheets are lightweight, they hold heat very well. That could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on whether you sleep hot or cold. For us, things got a little sweaty in the middle of the night, even though the thermostat was set at only 62 degrees."—Lindsay Boyers, Product Tester

pima-cotton-sheets

Quality

5 /5
Texture

5 /5
Durability

5 /5
Breathability

3 /5
Value

5 /5

What We Like

Comfortable right out of the package
Doesn't pop off mattress corners
Good range of color options

What We Don't Like

Fitted sheet runs large
Wrinkles easily

Inexpensive percale sheets are often made from a cotton-polyester blend, which can make them less breathable. If you're looking for 100 percent cotton sheets that will wick moisture away and keep you cool all night, your best option may be the 280-Thread-Count Pima Cotton Percale Sheet Set from L.L.Bean.

This sheet set comes with a flat sheet, a fitted sheet with a 15-inch pocket, and two pillowcases, and you can choose from a variety of colors. The fabric is made from 100 percent long-staple cotton, providing a smooth feel and long-lasting durability. These are great sheets for a great price—breathable, soft, comfortable, and durable.

What Testers Say

"The pima cotton is soft and smooth to the touch. The sheets hugged our bodies perfectly and slid comfortably when we tossed and turned, without bunching or wrapping around us. After a few washes, there was no pilling or roughness to the fabric."—Lindsay Boyers, Product Tester

Boll & Branch Percale Hemmed Sheet Set

What We Like

Wide range of sizes
No-fuss washing

What We Don't Like

Expensive
Wrinkles easily

Many varieties of cotton are treated with pesticides and other chemicals during growth and manufacturing. If you strive to keep chemicals out of your home, you'll definitely prefer a set of organic cotton sheets, such as the Boll & Branch Percale Hemmed Sheet Set.

The 100 percent organic cotton sheets are GOTS, OEKO-TEX, and Fair Trade certified, so they've met rigorous standards during the harvesting and manufacturing process. The sheets have a cool and super-smooth percale weave, and they come in muted shades like shore blue, pewter, and ivory, along with crisp, classic white. There's also a chic striped design for those who prefer a pattern.

What Testers Say

"These sheets are impressively soft, and we attribute it to the high-quality cotton and signature weave...Generic cotton sheets often pill easily and are scratchy, but these sheets are comfortable and durable. They don't pill because they're completely made out of long-staple cotton."—Rebekah Joan, Product Tester

Expert Buying Tip

"Percale is a plain weave which gives it a crisp, smooth feel and helps it feel cool to the touch. The crispness of percale allows for more airflow around your body, helping you stay cool throughout the night." —Whitney Thornburg, Design Director, Coyuchi

Grande Hotel Flat Sheet

What We Like

Each piece can be ordered a la carte
Elegant embroidered stitching
Softness improves with each wash

What We Don't Like

Wrinkles easily

The Sferra Grande Hotel sheets feel crisp without being scratchy—which is a common complaint of some inferior percale sheet sets. Instead, these breathable Egyptian cotton sheets have a soft hand that only improves with washing. Be forewarned, however, that these sheets are prone to wrinkling and may need to be ironed if you want to achieve an ultra-crisp look.

Available with a simple yet elegant double row of satin stitching around the cuff of the flat sheet, this Egyptian sheet set adds a classy touch to your bedroom and is a great choice for quality sheeting. Each piece is available a la carte, allowing you to build your ultimate bedding set from standard selections like a flat sheet, fitted sheet, and pillowcases.

Royal Hotel Abripedic Crispy Percale Sheets

What We Like

Crisp and cool feel
Extra-deep fitted sheet
Lots of color options

What We Don't Like

Wrinkles easily
No Twin or Full sizes

Certain mattresses, especially those with a pillowtop, can be quite thick, making it challenging to find sheets that will fit properly. If you have a deep mattress, your best option for percale sheets may be the Abripedic Crispy Percale Sheets, which boast an impressive 22-inch pocket on the fitted sheet.

This set comes with a flat sheet, fitted sheet, and two pillowcases, and you can choose from nine colors and queen or king sizes. The sheets are made from 100 percent cotton woven into a 300 thread count percale fabric for a crisp, breathable feel.

Final Verdict

Overall, our top choice is the Brooklinen Classic Core Sheet Set because the high-quality sheets are crisp, cool, and cozy soft, and they're available in chic colors and patterns. For an extra-luxurious option, we love the Parachute Percale Venice Set, which is made from 100 percent long-staple Egyptian cotton and available in classic solid colors.

The Spruce / Lindsay Boyers

Thread count

Thread count simply means the number of threads, both vertical and horizontal, in a square inch of fabric. Percale is a tightly woven fabric, so thread counts for percale sheets tend to be on the higher end, ranging from around 250 to 500. As a rule of thumb, it is true that a higher thread count signifies a softer sheet, but keep in mind that percale sheets with a super high thread count will be less breathable than those on the lower end of the range.

Type of cotton

Percale sheets should always feel cool and crisp, but the type of cotton they're made from can have an impact on how breathable they are, as well as how affordable they are. Premium percale sheets are made from 100 percent organic long-staple cotton. Sheets made from long-staple cotton will fray less, feel softer, and even wrinkle less. They also will be more expensive, but you can rest assured they'll last longer.

Certifications

There are two main certifications to look out for when shopping for percale sheets: OEKO-TEX and GOTS. OEKO-TEX certification means that sheets meet the strict environmental, social, and health standards established by a global team of scientists and independent testing facilities. If sheets are OEKO-TEX certified, you can be sure they were responsibly manufactured and are free of harmful chemicals. GOTS stands for Global Organic Textile Standard. While some sheets may be labeled as "organic", that may just mean they were made with a certain percentage of organically-grown cotton. GOTS is the certification to look for if you're interested in buying sheets made with 100 percent organic cotton, and without the use of harmful chemicals or dyes.

FAQ

What is percale?

Percale is a type of weave with a plain criss-cross (one thread over, one thread under) weave that results in a breathable, crisp fabric. In general, percale sheets have a stiffer, almost linen-like feel than cotton sateen or microfiber sheets, and they stay cool to the touch even during the hottest months of the year.
When buying percale sheets, does thread count matter?

In many cases, thread count can be a good indicator of the quality of percale sheets, but don't rely on it alone. Percale sheets are designed to be breathable, so even thread counts as low as 200 are acceptable. It's equally important to consider the type of cotton percale sheets are made from. Seek out percale sheets that specify they're made with long-staple cotton for superior softness and durability.
How do I wash percale sheets?

You should always check the tags for specific care instructions, but in general percale sheets can be washed in either cold or warm water without the use of fabric softeners or chlorine bleach, as these products can weaken cotton fibers over time. Percale cotton sheets should always be dried on a low heat setting and removed immediately after the cycle. Fold them, or smooth them out over your bed as soon as possible to help prevent wrinkles.

The Spruce / Stephanie Vermillion

This article was edited and researched by Cristina Sanza, a lifestyle writer specializing in home products and organization hacks. To keep our product picks current, she reads customer reviews, third-party articles, and brand websites. She owns and loves the Snowe Percale Sheet Set, which is soft, crisp, and breathable. To make this list, she considered each style's wrinkle-resistance and cost, as well as a person's temperature needs.

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