Silk vs. Satin Sheets

When looking at what to cover your bed with, you are left with several options. Two of these options are Silk bedding and Satin bedding. Both hold very similar appearances, however, each one is unique in its own way.

Both of these fabrics produce a shiny effect from the materials they are woven on. However, satin is generally only shiny on one side. This is due to the way it is woven. Materials are woven together from unnatural materials, making it a synthetic cloth. Silk is pulled from the cocoon of a specific type of mulberry silkworm cocoon. These cocoons are unraveled in one very long strand and then woven together to make very beautiful fabric.

An advantage silk has to its similar partner, satin, is that it is generally much stronger. This advantage comes from the fact that it is woven from longer strands of “thread.” A longer thread means that its final product in fabric form will be able to hold itself through much more wear and tear. Satin is created from multiple types of fabric threads. These can include silk itself, cotton, polyester and other similar fabrics.

Satin is considered a much better choice for someone to use as a pillow case. This is because silk is a poor conductor of electricity. This means that it will produce a high volume of static electricity. Satin, however, is made from several different materials. Many of the materials in the final product are used to help reduce that static electricity produced by silk.

For those that use silk, you can expect a much more natural feel. Silk does not need to be woven in any specific way to create a shiny appearance. It, on its own, is naturally shiny. Silk creates this gloss by using a special kind of weave using a high number of “floats.” A higher float count will produce better shine, but a weaker product and a much less satisfying feel. Those who used silk sheets have left testimonials saying that after comparing the two, satin and silk, silk felt like it glided over their hand while satin crumpled around it.

Satin on many hands is considered a much more reasonable fabric to work with as bedding. Silk is a very difficult product to clean. Unless cleaned by a professional, it could end up very damaged or unusable. If silk is stretched any amount, it is not elastic and will stay the length it has been stretched. With satin, it can be made with threads that have a higher elastic strength, allowing you to wrap it around your bed.

The main factor for anyone arguing to buy these two fabrics is price. Because the process of making a silk sheet is a much more time consuming and strenuous process, silk sheets are much more expensive. Satin sheets, on the other hand will range on the quality of the threads used to make it. They start out at very manageable prices, but can stretch to prices as high as that of silks.