Think of your favourite button-down shirt: crisp, timeless, maybe slightly wrinkled in a way that just works. It doesn’t try too hard, and it always feels like the right choice. That’s more or less what percale sheets bring to a bedroom. Cool and comfortable with a bit of structure—an unfussy classic.
Like a good shirt, percale sheets land somewhere between effort and ease. They’re breathable and light, with that cool-to-the-touch feel that’s more reminiscent of hotel bedding than anything you’d expect to actually own. And while linen has had a well-documented run—washed, rumpled, romantic—it might be time for a shift. Percale isn’t new, but it feels ready for its renaissance.
The Best Percale Sheets, According To marie claire:
- Best Design: Bonny
- Best Colours: Bed Threads
- Best Essentials: In Bed
- Best For Luxe Basics: Sheridan
- Best For Bundles: Brooklinen
So, what is percale, really? Technically, it’s a type of weave—one-over, one-under—that gives the fabric its smooth finish and signature crispness. Not shiny or silky, but matte and tailored, in the best possible way. It delivers big on that freshly laundered feeling—clean, cool, and perfectly crisp.
Thankfully, when it comes to percale, you don’t need to fixate on thread count. Higher numbers aren’t always better.
What actually matters is the quality of the cotton. Long-staple varieties—like Egyptian or Pima—create stronger, smoother yarns that wear in, not out. They soften over time without losing the structure that made you fall in love with them in the first place.
Ahead, a roundup of the best percale sheets to bring that crisp, hotel-bed feeling home. No room key required.
Best For: Easy bed making
Bonny’s bedding is all about solving the little sleep annoyances you didn’t know you could fix—starting with their game-changing Sheet Belt, a stretchy band that keeps your sheets neatly bundled and your linen cupboard chaos-free. But the real star? Their fitted sheet, boldly billed as “the best ever made.”
Crafted from 200 thread count GOTS-certified organic long-staple cotton, it’s crisp, breathable, and built to last. Innovative corner pulls with labels make bed-making so effortless you’ll actually look forward to it. Add in deep-fitting doona covers with corner ties that banish midnight bunching, and pillowcases with extra-deep envelope slips.
Sizes: Single through to Extra Deep King. Standard, king and European pillowcases | Colours: Blueberry, bonny clay, bright white, butter yellow, cloud white, holiday blue, pink salt, raspberry. | Material: 200 thread count GOTS-certified 100% organic cotton percale. | Key Features: Bundles and separates available. Labelled corner pulls, included sheet belt, doona corner ties and extra-deep envelop pillowcases.
Best For: Trending colourways
Bed Threads’ organic cotton percale is the crisp white shirt of the bedding world—structured, breathable, and always in style. Woven from GOTS-certified organic cotton, these sheets deliver that hotel-suite smoothness without the guilt, thanks to zero harmful chemicals and a commitment to sustainability.
The percale weave brings a clean, matte finish and just the right amount of softness from night one, while its durability means it holds up to real life—frequent washes, hot nights, and everything in between.
Sizes: Single through to super king. Standard, king and euro pillowcases | Colours: Berry, butterscotch, vanilla, crisp white, apple, mass, aegean, espresso. | Material: GOTS certified 200 thread count organic cotton. | Key Features: Sheet marker for no-fuss bed making. OEKO-TEX certified.
Best For: Bedding essentials
In Bed’s percale bedding is a quiet kind of luxury—the kind rooted in care, craft, and considered choices. Made in Europe from GOTS-certified organic long-staple cotton, their 300 thread count percale is everything you want in a sheet: crisp, breathable, and reminiscent of a hotel stay you wished never ended.
As a 100% female-owned, independently run brand, they bring intention to every thread—working only with fully traceable, natural materials that are gentle on both skin and environment.
Sizes: Single through to king. Standard, king and euro pillowcases | Colours: Blue stripe, milk, pure white, cloud, valla blue and marshmallow. | Material: GOTS-certified organic, long-staple, 300 thread count cotton percale. | Key Features: Light, breathable and crisp— reminiscent of your favourite hotel sheets. 2-year guarantee.
Best For: Luxurious basics
An iconic household name, Sheridan has been making beds in Australia for over 50 years. With an endless assortment of classic and on-trend colours, prints, and patterns, you’re sure to find something to suit your space.
But, if you’re in the market for a seriously luxurious upgrade—like the kind you’d find at a five-star hotel—you can’t go past the brand’s iconic, recently re-imagined cotton collection.
Sizes: Cot through to super king. standard, king and european pillowcases. | Colours: Various colours, prints and patterns available. Materials: Cotton, Belgian flax linen, cotton twill, cotton sateen, cotton chambray, TENCEL Lyocell fibre & cotton blend, cotton percale. | Key Features: Designed in Australia. Sheets available in a multi-depth fit design.
Best For: Bedding bundles
Brooklinen’s Classic Percale sheets are talked about often online—and with good reason. Cool, crisp, and refreshingly unfussy, they’ve earned their cult status by delivering exactly what hot sleepers crave: that clean, just-laundered feel that lasts night after night.
Think of them as the bedding equivalent of your favourite button-down shirt—breathable, matte, and effortlessly put-together. These are percale sheets that don’t overpromise.
Sizes: Single through to cali king. Standard and king. | Colours: Available in over 30 colourways and prints. | Material: 100% long-staple OEKO-TEX certified 270 thread count cotton. | Key Features: No sweat bed-making with “Long” and “Short” side tags on fitted sheets. Made in India.
Best For: Heritage styling
Rebecca Udall’s percale bedding is what happens when heritage craftsmanship meets obsessive attention to detail. Woven in Portugal and Italy by family-owned mills, these sheets are made from extra-long staple Supima cotton—a fibre known for its softness, strength, and breathability.
The 600 thread count percale weave brings that crisp, cool finish beloved by hot sleepers, while delicate touches like ladderstitch embroidery and scalloped edges elevate them far beyond the everyday.
Sizes: Single through to king. Standard, king and european pillowcases. | Colours: Various colours and prints available. | Material: 600 thread count 100% extra long staple Italian woven cotton. | Key Features: Hand embroidered. Made from super smooth but crisp percale.
Best For: Fashion-forward designs
Tekla’s percale bedding isn’t just about how it feels (though yes, it feels great); it’s about how it’s made—and why that matters. Crafted from 100% organic cotton, Tekla’s sheets are the product of a supply chain that’s unusually transparent.
No synthetic chemicals, no shortcuts—just long-staple cotton grown in healthy soil and woven with care. The result is a crisp, cool percale that feels minimalist in the best way, bringing just the right amount of fashion-forward design into the bedroom.
Sizes: Single through to king. Standard, king and european pillowcases. Universal sizes also available. | Colours: Various colours available in both solids and stripes. | Material: 200 thread count GOTS certified 100% organic cotton. | Key Features: Corner slits and ties for easily attaching a duvet. Made in Portugal.
Best For: The whole family
If you’re after percale that does exactly what it promises—clean, crisp, effortless—Adairs’ Fresh range is the quiet overachiever you’ve been sleeping on.
Woven from pure cotton in a percale finish, these sheets are smooth against the skin, but with just enough crunch to remind you they’re freshly laundered. They stay crisp, stay cool, and most importantly, make your bed feel like somewhere you want to be.
Sizes: Single through to split king. Standard, king and euroean pillowcases | Colours: White, lotus, stem, cloud grey, sand, coal, natural, pink, fresh green. | Material: 100% cotton OEKO-TEX certified 300 thread count percale weave. | Key Features: Easy care finish. Wide elastic on fitted sheet for a snug fit. 20cm pillowcase closure and invisible zip closure on european pillowcases.
Best For: Colour play
The textile house co-founded by Rukaiya Daud and Kate Fowler has quietly carved out a place at the top of the bedding food chain, blending great design with the kind of colour sensibility usually reserved for galleries.
Their 300 thread count percale—GOTS and Fairtrade certified, no less—is woven from long-staple organic cotton sourced from over 15,000 small-scale farmers across India. It’s cool, crisp, and matte in that impossibly elegant way, like slipping between the sheets of a boutique hotel you never want to leave.
Sizes: Cot through to king. Standard, king and european pillowcases | Colours: Various mono, bicolour and contrast edge colourways.| Material: 300 thread count, 100% organic, GOTS and fairtrade certified cotton percale. | Key Features: Ethically made from 100% organic GOTS and Fairtrade certified cotton sourced from a collective of 15,000 small farmers from the Maharashtra region of India.
Percale sheets are a type of cotton sheet woven using a one-over-one-under pattern, creating a crisp, breathable fabric. They typically have a matte finish and are known for their cool feel, making them ideal for hot sleepers or warm climates.
Percale sheets have a crisp, matte finish and a cool feel, while sateen sheets have a silky texture and slight sheen due to their four-over-one-under weave. Sateen tends to be heavier and warmer, whereas percale is lighter and cooler.
Yes, percale sheets are excellent for hot sleepers. The lightweight weave allows for maximum airflow and breathability, helping to regulate body temperature and prevent overheating during the night.
Yes, high-quality percale sheets tend to get softer with each wash. While they start off crisp, they become more comfortable and smooth over time without losing their signature breathability.
A thread count between 200 and 400 is ideal for percale sheets. Higher isn’t always better—too high a thread count can reduce breathability, which defeats the purpose of percale’s cool, crisp design.
Yes, percale sheets are prone to wrinkling due to their crisp weave and natural fibres. However, many people appreciate this relaxed look. Some brands offer wrinkle-resistant treatments or cotton blends if you prefer a smoother appearance.
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