What is sateen cotton? A brief introduction

What is cotton sateen?

Cotton sateen is 100% cotton (or occasionally a cotton blend) woven in a sateen weave, where the weft yarns float over several warp yarns. The result is a smooth, soft surface with a gentle sheen. It is popular for bedding, linings and dressmaking, and you can browse our cotton sateen fabrics to see the range.

Most cotton is plain-woven, so cotton sateen looks quite different from ordinary cotton, even though the fibre is the same. It is woven in a similar way to traditional satin fabrics: both use long floats of yarn on the face to create a smooth surface.

Typically, regular cotton fabrics are woven with the "plain weave" method, where each yarn goes over one and under one. In a sateen weave, each weft yarn floats over four (or more) warp yarns and then under one, so the face of the fabric is mostly weft yarn. That makes sateen weft-faced, while satin is usually warp-faced.

This "sateen weave" gives sateen cotton its distinctive, smooth and elegant appearance. Typical cotton, by comparison, is less shiny and less uniform.

Sateen vs satin: what is the difference?

The two names sound alike and the weaves are related, but the fabrics are not the same. Sateen is usually weft-faced and made from spun (staple) cotton, so it feels softer and has a matt-to-soft sheen. Satin is usually warp-faced and made from filament fibres such as silk, polyester or acetate, which gives it a high gloss and a more slippery handle.

In practice, choose sateen when you want a soft, breathable natural fibre with a little lustre, and satin when you want real shine for eveningwear or bridal work. For more on the fibres used in satin, see our guide to what satin is made of.

What is cotton sateen fabric used for?

Sateen cotton is great for making anything that looks luxurious and is meant to be handled elegantly. This goes for higher-end home decor items, clothing and crafts.

What can you make with sateen cotton?

Sateen cotton is very soft, and so is popularly used to make:

• bed linens and sheets
• quilting
• nightgowns
• pyjamas
• cushion covers
• curtain linings
• tablecloths
• napkins
• dresses, skirts, blouses and shirts
• scarves

Due to its high-quality appearance and smoothness, some crafters also use sateen cotton to make bags, pouches and other small accessories.

This luxury-brushed cotton sateen fabric has a beautiful floral pattern, making it ideal for dressmaking.

What is cotton sateen fabric like?

It feels soft, smooth, silky and cool to the touch at first, then a little warmer and cosier than crisp cotton once you are in it. It has a soft, lustrous appearance and flows beautifully, bending and moving easily between the fingers. These are just some of the reasons that make it a sought-after fabric.

Cotton sateen vs percale vs poplin

For bedding, the real choice is usually between sateen and percale. Both can be 100% cotton; the difference is the weave. Percale and cotton poplin are both plain weaves, so they feel crisper and have little or no shine.

Feature	Cotton sateen	Percale	Poplin
Weave	Sateen, 4-over-1	Plain, tight	Plain, with a fine rib
Feel	Smooth, silky, slightly heavier	Crisp, cool, matt	Crisp, light, slightly ribbed
Sheen	Soft lustre	None	Low
Warmth	Feels a little warmer	Coolest	Cool
Creasing	Creases less	Creases more	Creases
Durability	Floats can snag and pill	Very hard-wearing	Hard-wearing
Best for	Bedding for people who like smooth and cosy, linings, dresses	Bedding for hot sleepers	Shirts, dresses, quilting

The short verdict: pick sateen if you want sheets that feel smooth, cool to the touch and lustrous, and percale if you run hot and like a crisp, matt finish. For the warmest winter bedding, brushed cotton is the warm, fuzzy option: its surface is raised to trap air, while sateen stays sleek.

Properties of cotton sateen: advantages, disadvantages and characteristics

Some of the advantages and disadvantages here depend on the way the cotton sateen in question has been manufactured. For example, heightened dye absorbency tends to be more of a positive if the fabric has been mercerised. Likewise, it will only have the disadvantage of chemicals involved in manufacturing if it has gone through this process.

The quality of the cotton fibre also matters. Longer, finer staple fibres generally make a softer, smoother yarn with more lustre, so two sateens with the same weave can feel quite different in the hand.

Advantages	Disadvantages
Durable	More susceptible to ripping or snagging (compared to other cotton weaves)
Drapes beautifully	Traps heat
Creases less than plain-weave cotton	Chemicals involved in manufacturing (if mercerised)
Holds colour well, especially when mercerised	A little less breathable than percale or poplin
Heightened dye absorbency	Usually costs more than plain-weave cotton
Easy to clean	Sheen can look shaded if pieces are cut in different directions
Feels warm and cosy	Frays more readily than tightly woven cotton, so seams need finishing

Different types of sateen cotton

Different types of sateen cotton include:

• Regular sateen cotton: cotton woven in a sateen weave, distinguishing it from regular plain-weave cotton fabric.
• Organic: made from organically grown cotton, which is the more eco-friendly option in production, but apart from that identical to regular sateen cotton.
• Mercerised: sateen cotton that has been treated chemically to improve its lustre, strength and dye uptake.
• Egyptian cotton sateen: Egyptian cotton is known for its long staple fibres, so it is regarded as more luxurious and of a higher quality. Quality still varies, and "Egyptian cotton" labels are not always reliable.
• Supima cotton sateen: Supima is a trademark for American-grown pima cotton, an extra-long-staple cotton. The fibre lengths of this type of cotton are longer than those of everyday cotton.
• Pima cotton sateen: pima is an extra-long-staple cotton, used for top-end sateen with an extra focus on softness and quality.
• Sea Island cotton sateen: a very rare and expensive type of cotton known for its exceptionally fine and long fibres, giving it a silky, breathable and elegant finish.

Sateen cotton has an elegant, lustrous appearance and is commonly used for lining garments, and also in bedding and clothing.

Does thread count matter for sateen bedding?

Thread count is the number of threads (warp plus weft) in one square inch of fabric. Sateen bedding is often sold with high thread counts, and a higher count can mean a denser, smoother sheet.

But the number is only part of the story. Fibre quality, the yarn and the weave matter as much as the count. Very high counts can rely on multi-ply yarns, where several thin strands are twisted together and each strand is counted, so the figure goes up without the sheet getting any better. A sateen made from good long-staple cotton at a moderate count will often feel nicer than a high-count sheet made from short fibres. Handle the fabric, or order a swatch, rather than buying on the number alone.

How to sew cotton sateen

Cotton sateen is a stable woven fabric and sews easily, but the floats and the sheen need a little care:

• Pre-wash it. Cotton shrinks, so wash and dry the fabric the way you will wash the finished item before you cut.
• Cut everything the same way up. The sheen changes with direction, so use a "with nap" layout and lay every pattern piece with its top pointing the same way.
• Use a sharp needle. A sharp or microtex needle in size 70/10 to 80/12 pierces the weave cleanly, with a stitch length of about 2.5mm.
• Pin within the seam allowance. Pins and clips can snag the floats, so keep them where the marks will not show, or use pattern weights.
• Press on the reverse. Pressing on the face can leave shiny patches, so press from the wrong side or use a pressing cloth.
• Finish your seams. Sateen frays, so overlock, zigzag or use French seams on pillowcases and sheets.

How to wash and care for cotton sateen

• Wash at 30 to 40°C, and turn dark colours inside out to protect the sheen and limit fading.
• Tumble dry on low or line dry, and remove promptly to limit creasing.
• Iron on the reverse while the fabric is still slightly damp for the smoothest finish.

Always check the care label or product listing too, as finishes and blends vary.

How much cotton sateen do you need?

These are typical amounts for common projects. Prices are worked examples at indicative rates of £1 and £3 a metre, not a live price, so check the listing for the current price, the fabric width and any pattern repeat before you order.

Project	Typical metreage	Worked price example
Pair of pillowcases (standard 50 x 75cm)	About 1.5 to 1.8m on 150cm-wide fabric, depending on the flap and how you lay the pieces	At £1/m, £1.50 to £1.80; at £3/m, £4.50 to £5.40
Single duvet cover	About 4.2m on 150cm-wide fabric, or about 2.8m on sheeting 210cm wide or more	4.2m: £4.20 at £1/m, £12.60 at £3/m
A-line skirt	About 1.2m	At £1/m, £1.20; at £3/m, £3.60
Simple dress	About 2.5m	At £1/m, £2.50; at £3/m, £7.50
Curtain lining	Curtain drop plus hems, times the number of widths (for example, a 2.3m drop plus 20cm hems across two widths is 5m)	5m: £5 at £1/m, £15 at £3/m

For bedding, wide sheeting fabric can save you a seam down the middle of a duvet cover or sheet, so compare widths before you buy.

Similar, alternative fabrics to cotton sateen

Satin fabrics share a closely related float weave, but in shinier filament fibres, so they are the place to look if you want more gloss than cotton sateen gives.

However, if you aren't looking for a sateen weave but still want a fabric with some of its other qualities, then you might want to check out:

• brocade fabrics, for a woven-in pattern with a raised, luxurious feel on cushions and occasionwear
• crepe fabrics, for a fluid drape in dresses and blouses without the sheen
• organza fabrics, for a sheer, crisp overlay on special-occasion pieces
• polycotton fabrics, for a cheaper, easy-care sheet that creases less in the wash
• taffeta fabrics, for a crisp, rustling finish with more structure
• silk fabrics, for a true natural lustre and a lighter, more luxurious handle

The full range of fabrics that we sell can be viewed in all fabrics.

Is cotton sateen eco-friendly?

Yes, in the sense that cotton is a natural, biodegradable fibre. This is especially true if it is 100% organic cotton, as non-organic cotton will usually be grown with pesticides and synthetic fertilisers.

But really its eco-friendliness depends on whether the production practices and treatments are themselves environmentally friendly. Dyeing, finishing and water management of sateen cotton, if done with care for the environment, will reduce the fabric's ecological impact.

Cotton sateen is also sometimes (not always) treated chemically to make it look better and to enhance its qualities. This chemical process is known as mercerisation, and if the process is properly managed, this will reduce its environmental impact.

If in doubt, check for labels such as "organic" or "environmentally friendly" when choosing cotton sateen, to get the most eco-friendly type available.

Frequently asked questions

What is Egyptian cotton sateen?

Egyptian sateen cotton is similar to regular sateen cotton but it is regarded as more luxurious and of a higher quality.

Long-staple Egyptian cotton spins into a fine, smooth yarn, which gives a smooth, lustrous sateen. Mercerisation, a treatment that adds strength and shine, can be applied to any cotton sateen, Egyptian or not, so check the product description if it matters to you.

What is the difference between cotton and cotton sateen?

The main difference is in the way the cotton yarns are woven. They are woven very differently in cotton sateen, and this is why it looks so different from ordinary plain-woven cotton.

Both types of material can be 100% cotton, but cotton sateen is woven using a float technique closely related to the one found in traditional satin cloths.

What is 100% cotton sateen?

100% cotton sateen is still the same material as cotton. But it is woven in a different way that gives it a silky feel. It feels a little warmer and cosier against the skin, which suits people who want to feel snug.

On the other hand, plain-woven cotton such as percale is more breathable, has a crisper feel, and is better for people who want to feel cooler.

Is cotton sateen natural?

Yes, when it is made from 100% cotton. Cotton is a natural plant fibre, and the sateen part only describes the weave, not the material. Some sateens are blended with polyester or elastane for easy care or stretch, so check the fibre content on the listing if you want a fully natural fabric.

Is sateen the same as satin?

No. The weaves are closely related, but sateen is usually made from spun cotton and has a softer, lower sheen, while satin is usually made from filament fibres such as silk or polyester and is glossier and more slippery. See the sateen vs satin section above for the full comparison.

Is sateen or percale better for bed sheets?

It depends on how you sleep. Sateen feels smooth, silky and cool to the touch, with a soft lustre, and creases less. Percale is crisp, matt and the coolest of the two, and it is very hard-wearing. If you like a sleek, cosy sheet, choose sateen; if you run hot or prefer a crisp hotel feel, choose percale.

Is cotton sateen good for hot sleepers?

It can work, because cotton is breathable, but it is not the coolest choice. The denser sateen weave holds a little more warmth than a plain weave, so very hot sleepers usually prefer percale or a lightweight cotton. If you love the smooth feel of sateen, choose a lighter-weight sheet and wash it at a moderate temperature.

Does cotton sateen pill?

It can. The long floats on the surface are more exposed than the yarns in a tight plain weave, so they can snag and pill with friction. Longer-staple cotton pills less. To keep sateen looking smooth, wash it inside out, avoid overloading the machine, keep it away from rough fabrics and Velcro, and dry on a low heat.

A brief history of cotton sateen

Satin and sateen-type weaves are centuries old; the lustrous finish many people now associate with cotton sateen came later. John Mercer, a textile chemist from Lancashire, found that treating cotton with caustic soda made it stronger and better at taking dye. After experiments from 1844, he patented this process, now called mercerisation, in 1850.

Mercer's technique was later improved by Horace Lowe, another English textile chemist, around 1890. Lowe treated the cotton while it was held under tension, which stopped it shrinking and gave it a silky lustre. That lustre is what you often see on mercerised cotton sateen today.