Weighted Blankets

A weighted blanket is weight you can take off

A weighted blanket spreads extra weight evenly over your body. Most are built from rows of small sewn pockets filled with beads, so the weight can't all slide to one end. Others are knitted from thick, heavy yarn with no beads at all. Both are sold by total weight, such as 15 lb or 20 lb, and by size.

The point of the design is even, steady pressure that the sleeper controls. That last part matters. A weighted blanket is only right for someone who can push it off easily on their own.

Some listings describe their blankets with words about calm or sleep. The table can show that wording, but only as the maker's own words, in quotes. A blanket is a blanket. It isn't a treatment for anything, and nothing on this page says it is.

What to look at in the table

The table comes from makers' listings and the makers' own pages. Two rows always show, even when they're empty: the maker's body-weight guidance and the maker's age guidance. "Not stated by the maker" means neither the listing nor the maker's page gives it.

Blanket weight comes from the maker, not the box

The blanket weight is the total weight of the blanket, taken from the size name or the maker's chart. Each weight is usually a separate option of the same model. We don't use a store's "item weight" field for this. Those fields sometimes list a shipping weight or the wrong unit, so a 15 lb blanket can show up as 15 ounces.

Body-weight guidance is the maker's rule, as written

Here's the rule. Many makers suggest about 10% of body weight — check this maker's chart. Some add a pound to that. Some use a different percentage. Some give weight bands instead. The table copies each maker's guidance as written, because there isn't one rule that all makers agree on.

My one opinion on this page: when the maker gives no body-weight guidance, choose the lighter option. You can check the reason in the table itself. A maker who doesn't publish a chart hasn't told you what the blanket is meant for, and lighter is easier to lift off and easier to wash.

The weighted blanket weight tool shows the same thing: maker guidance, labeled as maker guidance.

Age guidance and child warnings

The age row shows the maker's minimum age and child weight range, word for word. Store fields that just say "youth" don't count. A second row shows the maker's child safety warning, such as an age limit or a line saying the child must be able to remove the blanket. Both rows say "Not stated by the maker" when the maker doesn't publish it.

Fill: glass beads, plastic pellets or no beads

The fill is what makes the weight. Listings name glass beads, micro glass beads, ceramic beads or plastic pellets. Knitted blankets have no beads; the heavy yarn is the weight. We show the fill only when the maker confirms it. Listings sometimes say "glass beads" in one place and "polyester" in another, and we don't pick a side for them.

Small pockets keep beads from drifting. If a listing shows close-up photos of the stitching, look at how small the squares are.

Size, cover and care

Size is the maker's size name with the inch dimensions next to it. The cover row shows the outer fabric as stated: minky, cotton, bamboo, sherpa and so on. The removable cover row shows whether the blanket comes with a duvet-style cover or has corner loops for one. The care row shows the maker's care text. US labeling rules require fiber content on blankets, listed by generic fiber name and percent by weight, so the label is where you find out what the cover is actually made of.

Cooling, only as the maker explains it

Some weighted blankets are sold as cooling. The table shows that only when the maker says how: a cooling fabric, bamboo viscose, gel or a similar named material. A "cooling" tag on a store page doesn't count. These have their own page: cooling weighted blankets.

Sizes: the top of the mattress, or a little more

Weighted blanket sizes don't follow bed sizes the way comforters do. Labels you'll see include 36 x 48 inches for kids or laps, 40 x 60, 48 x 72 for a twin, 60 x 80 for a queen and 80 x 87 for a king, plus others.

A queen mattress is 60 x 80 inches, according to the Better Sleep Council. So a weighted blanket labeled 60 x 80 covers the top of a queen and doesn't hang over the sides. That keeps the weight on the sleeper instead of pulling toward the floor. If you share the bed, think about whether one blanket on two people is what you want, or two smaller ones.

US labeling rules say blankets must state their finished length and width on the package. Use that number, not the photo. If you want to see how a finished size sits on your mattress, the bedding size guide has a label check.

Weight and size work together

A 15 lb weighted blanket and a 20 lb one are the two weights people search for most, and the same model often comes in both. The number on the label is the total weight. The size decides how that weight is spread.

Here's the arithmetic, no chart needed. Take the same 15 lb blanket in two sizes. On a 48 x 72-inch twin, the weight sits on about 3,456 square inches. On a 60 x 80-inch queen, it sits on 4,800. Same 15 lb, less weight on each square inch of the bigger one. When a maker's chart lists a weight and a size together, read it as a pair.

A few practical points before you choose between two weights:

• Lifting. You'll pull it up, push it off and shake it out every day. Heavier is harder.
• Making the bed. A heavy blanket doesn't drape like a comforter. It lies flat and stays where you put it.
• Washing. Every extra pound is heavier again when wet.
• Sharing. Two sleepers with different body weights may fit two different charts. Two smaller blankets solve that.

None of this replaces the maker's chart. It's just what to think about once the chart has given you an answer.

Sewn pockets, knitted or cooling?

• Sewn pockets with beads. The classic build. A grid of squares holds the beads. Often paired with a removable cover.
• Knitted, no beads. Chunky yarn does the work. The open knit has visible gaps between the stitches. See knitted weighted blankets.
• Cooling. A pocket blanket with a cover the maker describes as cooling, and how. See cooling weighted blankets.
• Kids' sizes. Smaller and lighter, and only listed where the maker states an age and weight range. See kids' weighted blankets.

How to wash a weighted blanket

First, read the care tag. Weighted blankets are the hardest thing in the archive to wash, because they're heavy dry and heavier wet.

Here's how I read a listing for care:

1. Look for a removable cover. If there is one, the cover is the part you'll wash most. The inner blanket often has separate instructions.
2. Read the inner blanket's care line. Some say machine wash, some say hand wash, some say spot clean. The table shows what the maker states.
3. Check your machines. A heavy blanket can be too much for a small home washer or dryer. If the maker says to use a large-capacity machine, believe them.
4. Dry it flat or as directed. Beads and wet fabric take a while to dry. Follow the maker's drying line.

Housekeeping rule: if the care tag says spot clean only, buy the cover too. A blanket you can't wash is a blanket you'll stop using. (The bottom shelf of the archive has its own label: "Heavy. Lift with your knees.")

Safety: the reasons behind the standard line

The template adds the standard weighted blanket line at the end of the page. Here's the reasoning, plainly.

Never on a baby. The American Academy of Pediatrics tells parents not to use weighted blankets, sleepers, swaddles or other weighted objects on or near a baby. Its safe-sleep advice covers babies up to 1 year of age.

Young children only with the maker's stated age and weight. We list kids' blankets only where the maker states an age and weight range, and the table shows the maker's own words.

The sleeper must be able to remove it alone. That's the test for anyone using one, at any age.

Follow the maker's chart. Weight guidance differs by brand. The chart that came with the blanket is the one that applies.

Who should skip a weighted blanket

• A baby's crib or sleep space. Not ever.
• Anyone who can't easily push it off without help. The design depends on it.
• People who sleep hot and can't find a cooling build the maker explains. A heavy blanket is still a blanket on top of you.
• Anyone hoping it will fix a health problem. It's bedding. Talk to your doctor about the problem.
• A household without a washer that can handle the weight, and no removable cover. You'll be paying for that every season.

If you want warmth without the weight, throw blankets and comforters are simpler. If you want warmth with a plug, read heated blankets first.

Brands and related pages

The brands in the table link to their own pages, and the brand catalog lists every bedding brand we cover. Every brand is treated the same, and the table's order follows the data.

• Best weighted blankets — adult blankets whose maker publishes body-weight guidance and states the weight
• Weighted blankets for sleep — chosen by stated specs, with maker wording in quotes only
• Kids' weighted blankets, knitted and cooling
• Bedding & Throws, the whole section