Bedding and Throws: How to Choose

What the bedding and throws section covers

This section covers everything on a bed except the pillows and the mattress itself. Sheets and pillowcases. Comforters, duvet covers, quilts, coverlets and bedspreads. Throw blankets and wearable blankets. Weighted blankets and heated blankets. Mattress toppers, pads and protectors. Each type has a page with a table, and this page explains how to choose between them and how those tables read.

My rule for bedding fits on a label-maker strip: size first, fabric second, warmth third, care tag always. (The strip is real. It's on the inside of the archive door.)

Start with your mattress size and depth

Every piece of bed bedding is sized to a mattress, and US labels say which one. The Better Sleep Council lists the standard sizes: Twin 38 x 75 inches, Twin XL 38 x 80, Full 53 x 75, Queen 60 x 80, King 76 x 80 and California King 72 x 84. Mattresses vary a little by maker, so a tape measure beats a chart.

Depth is the measurement most people skip. It decides whether a fitted sheet stays on. A fitted sheet's pocket depth needs to be at least as deep as your mattress, topper included. Add a topper later and your old sheets may start popping off at the corners, usually at midnight and always on the corner by the wall. See deep pocket sheets if your mattress is a tall one.

For comforters, duvets, quilts and blankets, the finished size on the label is the number to check. The bedding size guide takes your mattress measurements and tells you the smallest size that covers it, and it checks any label size you type in.

Fabric and weave matter more than thread count

This is my one opinion on this page, and you can check it on any label. Thread count is a number, not a promise. It's the count of threads in a square inch of fabric, and it says nothing about the fiber or how the threads are woven.

In a 2002 letter, FTC staff said a thread count claim needs a reasonable basis, and that they would give great weight to consensus test methods such as an ASTM procedure. The trade group that asked was worried about sellers counting each strand of a twisted yarn as a separate thread to inflate the number. So read the fiber and weave first.

• Percale. A plain cotton weave. Crisp and matte.
• Sateen. A cotton weave that feels smooth, with a slight sheen.
• Linen. Made from flax, with a textured feel.
• Microfiber. A fine polyester fabric. Thread count on microfiber appears only as stated by the seller.
• Flannel. Brushed fabric with a fuzzy surface, made for cold rooms.
• Jersey. Knit like a T-shirt, so it stretches.
• Cotton and Egyptian cotton. The fiber name, not the weave. Check which weave it comes in.

One more word to read slowly: bamboo. The FTC says a product can be called bamboo only if it's made directly from bamboo fiber. Rayon made from bamboo must say rayon. Expect to see "rayon made from bamboo" on many bamboo sheets labels. Our guide to sheet thread count goes deeper on all of this, and bed sheets is the place to compare.

Warmth comes in layers

The top of a bed is a stack, and each layer does a different job. Knowing the names saves a lot of returns.

• Comforters. One filled piece with its own outer fabric. Comforter sets add shams and sometimes sheets.
• Duvet covers. A removable cover for a filled insert. Wash the cover, not the insert.
• Quilts. Thinner layers stitched together. Warm enough alone in some rooms, a middle layer in others.
• Coverlets. Light, thin and usually decorative, often sized not to reach the floor.
• Bedspreads. A single layer long enough to cover the bed down to the floor.
• Mattress toppers and mattress pads. Under the sheet, not on top of you.

If the difference between a quilt, a coverlet and a comforter still feels like a trick question, see quilt vs coverlet vs comforter, or what is a duvet cover. And when it's time to wrestle one on, there's how to put on a duvet cover.

Fill matters for warmth, and the label has to say what it is. Under the federal Textile Act, a filling used for warmth must be disclosed, often in sections like "Covering" and "Filling". Comforter tables show the fill and the maker's own warmth or season word when the maker gives one. There's no national warmth scale, so "all-season" means whatever that maker means by it.

Throws are sized to you, not the bed

A throw blanket doesn't have to fit a mattress, so it doesn't come in bed sizes. Pick it by what it covers: a couch seat, your lap and feet, or the foot of a bed. Then compare that with the finished size on the label. Throw tables show size and fabric first, because those are the two things you'll notice.

Fabric names do most of the sorting. Fleece and sherpa, a fleece that looks like sheep's wool. Faux fur, knit and chunky knit. Wool, cotton, waffle and muslin for lighter layers. Wearable blankets add sleeves or a hood.

Throws earn their keep because you can add one or drop one without remaking the bed. At the hotel, the spare blanket on the closet shelf got more use than the room's thermostat, and nobody ever had to call the front desk about it. A couple of throws in different weights, one light and one heavy, covers more nights than one big blanket sold as "warm". (I keep mine folded in thirds on the back of the sofa. Dev keeps his in a pile he calls "accessible storage".)

Weighted blankets follow the maker's weight guidance

A weighted blanket is a blanket filled with small beads or pellets for even pressure. The weight you choose should follow the maker's guidance for the sleeper's body weight. Makers don't all use the same rule. Many suggest about 10% of body weight, but check this maker's chart. If the maker gives no guidance, our table says "Not stated by the maker", and I'd choose the lighter option.

Weighted blankets near children are a serious subject, so plainly. The American Academy of Pediatrics says weighted blankets, sleepers and swaddles should never be used on or near a baby. For older children, we list kids' weighted blankets only when the maker states an age and weight range. A child should be able to take the blanket off without help. The weighted blanket weight calculator works through the math for adults, and the table on each page shows the fill material only when the maker confirms it.

Heated blankets: safety features before softness

For a heated blanket, heated throw or heated mattress pad, read the safety fields before anything else. Auto shut-off turns the blanket off after a set time. A UL or ETL listing means an independent lab has listed the product for electrical safety. Our tables always show both fields, and print "Not stated by the maker" when the maker doesn't give them.

The CPSC's home safety checklist has plain advice for electric blankets. Don't fold, cover or tuck one in while it's on, because trapped heat can overheat it or start a fire. Don't let anything sit on top while it's running, not other blankets and not a sleeping pet. Let the edges hang freely over the sides and foot of the bed. Check the cord and the blanket for cracked wiring or dark, charred or frayed spots, and stop using it if you find any. The CPSC also posts recalls of heated blankets and throws, so it's worth searching its recall list by brand or model.

Toppers, pads and protectors change your measurements

A mattress topper is a removable layer on top of the mattress. A mattress pad is a thinner protective layer. A mattress protector is a cover meant to keep spills out. All three add depth, so measure again before you buy fitted sheets.

Foam toppers often carry a CertiPUR-US claim. That program certifies the foam inside a product: made without formaldehyde, mercury, lead and other heavy metals, with low VOC emissions under 0.5 parts per million. It covers the foam, not the cover or the whole product. Our tables show it only when the maker states it for that model, and the same goes for "cooling", which needs the maker to say how: a fabric, a gel or a phase-change material.

Read the care tag before the price tag

The care tag is the most honest thing a blanket will ever tell you. If a comforter or weighted blanket can't go in a home washer, that's a cost you pay every season. If the tag says "dry clean only", count the trips to the cleaner before you count the colors.

Federal textile labeling covers bedding, so sheets, blankets, comforters, quilts and pillowcases must name their fibers, country of origin and the maker or its registered number. Care instructions are a different story. The FTC's Care Labeling Rule is written for clothing and fabric sold for making clothes, so on bedding the care instructions come from the maker. Our tables show the maker's care instructions when they're stated, and nothing when they aren't.

OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 is the other label you'll see. It means the textile, down to the thread and the buttons, was tested for harmful substances. Certificates run one year, and you can check one by entering its number in the OEKO-TEX Label Check. We show it only when the maker states it.

How to read the bedding tables on this site

• Fields appear only when the maker states them. Size, fabric, weave, pocket depth, fill and weight come from the maker first, then the listing.
• Sizes are product sizes. Package dimensions are never shown as the size of the blanket.
• Safety fields always show. Weight guidance and child age on weighted blankets, auto shut-off, UL or ETL and warnings on heated ones. A blank becomes "Not stated by the maker".
• No prices. Every row has a "Check price" button instead, because prices change too often to print.

For a quick start, try the best throw blankets, best weighted blankets or best heated blankets lists. Each one states the rule it was built on.

Size, fabric, warmth, tag. Tuck it in.