Down Pillows

What a down pillow is

A down pillow is filled with down: the light, fluffy clusters that grow under the outer feathers of ducks and geese. Down has no quill. That's why it squashes softly and springs back. Many down pillows are a blend of down and feathers, which adds some firmness and lowers the share of down.

This list keeps bed pillows that the maker sells as down or as a down-and-feather blend. Down-alternative pillows, filled with polyester fiber made to feel like down, aren't here. They're on our down alternative pillow page. Pillows that are mostly feathers are on the feather pillow page.

Down, feather or down alternative: the labels

Labels mix these up more than any other pillow word. A title can say "goose down" while the fill row lists feathers and polyester. A bullet can say "100% down" next to a fill that's down alternative. So we read the fill from the maker's description and the fill field, not from the title.

• Down. Clusters with no quill. Soft, light, lofty.
• Feather. Has a quill. Flatter, firmer, heavier for the same volume.
• Down and feather. A blend. The ratio, when stated, says how much of each.
• Down alternative. Polyester fiber. Not down at all, whatever the title says.

How to read the table

Each field shows only when the maker or listing states it. A dash means it wasn't stated. Fields marked "as stated" are copied from the maker, not worked out by us.

Fill: down, feather or a blend

Fill tells you which group the pillow belongs to. Down, feather, or down and feather. If the listing names goose or duck, that's shown as stated.

Down and feather ratio, as stated

The ratio is the maker's own wording, for example a share of down and a share of feather. We copy it word for word. We never work it out from "goose down" in a title. More down usually means softer and lighter; more feather usually means firmer and flatter. The ratio is the most honest number on a down pillow label when the maker gives it.

Fill power, only from the maker

Fill power is a measure of down quality. In the US test described by IDFL, a testing lab for down, one ounce of down is conditioned with moisture and heat, placed in a cylinder and compressed under a weight. The volume that's left is the fill power. Better down holds more volume per ounce, so the number is higher.

Most pillow listings don't give fill power at all. The table shows it only when the maker states it, from the maker's page. Fill power describes the down, not the pillow. A high fill power with very little down can still make a flat pillow.

Responsible Down Standard, as stated

The Responsible Down Standard, or RDS, is a voluntary certification about how ducks and geese in the down supply chain are treated, with a chain of custody that tracks certified material from farm to product. IDFL, one of its certification bodies, explains that a final product may be labeled RDS certified only if its down and feathers are fully certified. The table shows RDS only when the maker states it for that pillow.

Loft and firmness

Loft is how tall the pillow is, in inches, when the maker states it. Firmness is the maker's word, such as soft, medium or firm. Down pillows often come in more than one firmness, and makers usually get there by changing the amount of fill or the blend.

Size, dimensions and pack count

Size is the bed-pillow size the maker names: standard, queen or king. Dimensions are in inches as stated. Pack count says whether you get one pillow or a set. Our pages on standard, queen and king pillows cover the size names.

Cover fabric, sleep position and care

Cover fabric is the shell, usually cotton. A tight weave keeps down inside and feather quills from poking through, so the shell matters more here than on a foam pillow. Sleep position is the maker's own advice for which sleepers the pillow suits. Care gives the washing instructions.

Claims, as stated

Hypoallergenic, cooling, OEKO-TEX and other certifications show only when the maker states them for that pillow. "Cooling" counts only when the maker explains how. OEKO-TEX is a textile testing label for the fabric.

Reading a goose down pillow listing, top to bottom

Here's how I'd read a listing that says "goose down pillow" in the title. It takes two minutes, and it's the same order every time.

1. Skip the title. It tells you what the seller hopes you'll search for.
2. Find the fill. In the maker's description or the fill row. Down, feather, a blend, or polyester. If it says polyester or down alternative, it's not a down pillow, whatever the title says.
3. Find the ratio. A share of down and a share of feather, in the maker's words. No ratio, no guessing.
4. Look for fill power. Rare on pillows. If it's there, it's from the maker's page or it doesn't count.
5. Check the shell. Cotton and a tight weave, as stated, keep the fill in.
6. Look for RDS and other labels. Only as stated, for that exact pillow.
7. Read the care tag. Machine wash, dry clean or spot clean. That's a cost you pay every season.

That's the order the table follows too. When a field is empty, it's because the maker didn't say, not because we forgot to look. (I have a shelf in the archive for things nobody stated. It's the fullest shelf.)

Pick by sleep position, then by fill

Here's the rule: buy a pillow for your sleep position first and your fill second. Down is a fill, not a height. A down pillow can be flat or tall, soft or firm, depending on how much is inside.

• Side sleepers. Usually a taller, firmer pillow to fill the gap between ear and shoulder. Look for a higher stated loft, or a firm or medium firmness.
• Back sleepers. Usually a medium height.
• Stomach sleepers. Usually the flattest and softest. A soft down pillow with low loft is a common choice. Our thin pillow page covers the low ones.
• Not sure. Start with medium, or try our pillow quiz.

Our sleeping positions guide explains why height changes by position.

The kinds of down pillow

All-down pillows

The softest and lightest kind. They squash easily and need fluffing. Good when you want a pillow that shapes around your head.

Down-and-feather blends

The most common kind. Feathers add body and firmness. Read the ratio to see which way the blend leans.

Chambered or pillow-in-a-pillow designs

Some pillows put a firmer core, often feathers, inside an outer layer of down. Others sew separate chambers so the fill stays spread out. The maker's description says which. This helps a soft pillow keep some height.

Goose or duck

Listings name the bird as the maker states it. The bird alone doesn't tell you loft, blend or fill power. Compare those fields instead.

Fluffing, flattening and living with down

Down moves. That's the charm and the chore. A down pillow flattens overnight and comes back when you fluff it. At turn-down I fluffed every pillow by squeezing it from both ends toward the middle, then giving it a shake. Dev punches his. Both work; mine is quieter.

A few things to know before you buy:

• Fluffing is daily. If you'd rather never think about your pillow, foam or latex holds its shape without help.
• Quills can poke. Feather blends sometimes push a quill through the shell. A tighter shell and a pillow protector help.
• Smell at first. New down can have a faint smell. Airing it out usually helps; follow the maker's notes.
• Sound. Some shells rustle. The cover fabric field tells you what the shell is.

Care: wash it right or don't wash it

Read the care tag before the price tag. Down is washable more often than people think, and ruined more often than it should be.

• Use a protector. A zippered pillow protector keeps the pillow cleaner and means fewer washes.
• Washer. If the tag allows it, the cycle, detergent and load the tag gives. Many tags say gentle.
• Rinse well. If the tag or the washer offers an extra rinse, use it.
• Dry all the way. On the heat the tag gives, until there are no damp clumps inside.
• Dry clean only? Then it's dry clean only. Housekeeping rule: the tag outranks any guide.

Our guide to washing pillows walks through the steps.

Who can skip a down pillow

• You know feathers bother you. A down alternative or hypoallergenic pillow is the place to start, and your doctor is the person to ask.
• You don't want to fluff. Down needs it daily.
• You need a firm, fixed shape. Foam, latex or buckwheat holds a shape that down won't.
• You'd rather not use animal products. Then down isn't for you, RDS or not.

Related pages

• Pillows: the whole section
• Feather pillows, down alternative pillows and hotel pillows
• Best down pillows: a shorter list with its own pick rule
• Down comforters: the same fill on the bed
• How to wash pillows