Do expensive sheets actually last longer?

Thread count is the number sheet marketing loves because it is easy to inflate: count each strand of a two-ply yarn twice and 400 becomes 800. What actually predicts how a sheet ages is the fiber (long-staple cotton and linen outlast short-staple cotton and polyester blends), the weave (percale is crisp and durable; sateen is silky and pills sooner) and the finish (heavy chemical softening feels wonderful on day one and washes out).

In our own beds, the pattern has held for years: a plain long-staple percale from a mid-priced maker looks the same after two years as it did new. A very soft, very expensive sateen set pilled within months. Linen gets better with every wash and wrinkles from the moment you make the bed.

Our conclusion is not that expensive sheets are bad. It is that fiber and weave predict durability, and price predicts marketing. Buy percale or linen, look for a stated fiber length, and treat any thread count above 400 as a number designed for you rather than for the sheet.