The best flannel sheets we tested:
Best flannel sheets: Garnet Hill Hemstitched Supima Flannel Bedding
Best heavyweight flannel sheets: L.L.Bean Ultra-Soft Comfort Flannel Sheet Set
For those living in colder climates, in homes with a chillier average room temp in winter, there’s good news: It’s flannel sheet season.
Flannel is constructed from cotton and machine-made fibers, and is brushed on one or both sides, which gives it its soft, cozy feel. That brushed surface is what lets flannel trap air and retain your body heat while still remaining breathable — and that’s what makes it a popular bedding material, specifically in winter. Like linen, flannel is intended to be absorbent and help wick away moisture, so in theory, well-made flannel should not cause sweaty sleeping. So, while they’re generally warmer to sleep in than basic cotton sheets, their softness and moisture-wicking properties does lend them to year-round use.
One user note about flannel sheets: Similar to linen sheets, washing flannel does create significant lint buildup in the dryer, particularly after the first wash. This reduces with subsequent washes, in our experience. And because of the brushed-on-both-sides nature of good-quality flannel sheets, consumers can expect some pilling — a shedding of the residual fibers — especially in the first few uses of the sheets.
We tested 7 sets of top-rated flannel sheets in a range of prices. After weeks of testing, these two proved to be the best:
Luxurious without feeling overly thick or too weighty, Garnet Hill offers a delectably comfortable flannel sheet at a mid- to high-end price for queen size (which we tested). These flannels come in a wide variety of colors and sizes, and you can be confident you’re getting a quality product that’ll last for years to come.
If you’re sleeping in really cold weather and you want to feel positively bundled, then L.L.Bean makes a weighty flannel sheet for you — and at a competitive price for the level of craftsmanship.
Best flannel sheets: Garnet Hill Hemstitched Supima Flannel Bedding
$89 for queen at Garnet Hill
From straight out of the packaging through to waking up on a chilly morning, Garnet Hill’s Hemstitched Supima Flannel sheets proved to be our best overall during testing. Garnet Hill’s sheets offered a warm, restful night of sleep without us feeling overheated, which was the result with some of the other sets.
Garnet Hill’s flannel sheets are crafted in a family-run mill in Portugal from 100% American-grown Supima, or superior pima, which is a first-rate type of cotton grown in the US that has an extra-long staple fiber that promises increased strength, softness and color retention. Supima is combed to remove impurities and brushed multiple times for extra softness. It’s then treated with a “velvet” finishing process that seals the color and richness of the fabric, ensures the quality of the drape and reduces any pilling. And indeed, the Supima cotton here translates into a luxurious softness and smoothness without feeling overly fuzzy or clingy.
The design of Garnet Hill’s flannel sheets is simple and pretty, with a stitched hem at the top of the flat sheet and on the pillowcases. They’re available in nine tasteful colors, including some nontraditional options like Soft Sage and Rose Beige. With a 60-inch-by-80-inch flat sheet in the queen set, these felt roomier than some of the other sets. The fitted sheets are elasticized for a better fit.
We didn’t personally experience any pilling after washing this set, and they continued to feel extra soft to the touch after the first few washes, perhaps even more than right out of the packaging. While we can’t say with certainty that Garnet Hill would last years longer than the other sets we tested, they felt of substantial quality and durability, like bedding we would happily take out of storage at the first sign of a crisp autumn chill.
What sent these to the top of our list, in addition to their comfort and high-end feel, was their variety: You can buy individual fitted and flat sheets and pillowcases for ease of replacement, and in a generous five sizes. And bonus: You can even get them monogrammed (which makes a sweet gift).
The price was on the steeper side for flannel sheets, but that price tag delivers a high-end, well-made, satisfying product.
Best heavyweight flannel sheets: L.L.Bean Ultrasoft Comfort Flannel Sheet Set
$139 for queen at L.L.Bean
Perhaps unsurprisingly, our favorite flannel sheet in the toastiness department came from winter-wear go-to L.L.Bean. At the unboxing of this set, our first impression was, well, the name fits: These are, in fact, ultra soft and they do exude comfort. The L.L.Bean Ultra-Soft Comfort Flannel Sheet Set feels higher end, thanks to woven-in-Portugal brushed cotton and an L.L.Bean-exclusive process that removes surface fibers to create a velvetlike finish.
These flannel sheets feel even softer and more comfortable after going through the washer and dryer, and we saw no pilling or fading. They’re a snugger fit than our other winner, and they seemed to fit the bed slightly better after the first washing and drying. They’re also available in nine colors and five sizes — a good amount of variety.
These are warmer than some of the other sets, which is why we picked them as our best for cold winter nights. (They’re not as warm, we found, as L.L.Bean’s Premium Supimas, which we also tested, but they’re also not as expensive.) These felt like a midweight flannel, which translates to perfectly comfortable on a warmish early fall evening but cozy enough to want to linger in bed with a hot cup of tea on a chilly winter morning.
How we tested
We tested all these sets of flannel sheets in queen size and based on two primary criteria: quality and variety.
We unwrapped each set and snuggled right into them to record initial impressions. We made notes, prepared a bed with the sheets, slept on them straight out of the packaging, washed and dried them in the dryer and reapplied them to the same bed and slept on them again — multiple times. (Note: As with the linen sheets we tested, all the sets of flannel sheets created a lot of dryer lint during the first drying cycle — like a “stop the dryer cycle and scoop out the lint partway through” amount of lint.)
We noted how they felt to touch, against the face and the body, as well as when tossing and turning, sleeping and waking up, and how they felt after laundering and reusing. We took note of which sets felt warm and cozy, which felt sturdy or maybe too heavy and which may have prompted any noticeable body temperature issues.
Quality and feel
- Initial feel: How do they feel right out of the box: Are they soft? Are they thick or about average? Do they feel high-quality or less so? We opened each set of sheets asking the following questions: How do they feel in your hands? Is this a product you’d want to put on your bed and against your skin?
- Sleep feel: How do they feel to sleep on? We made notes on each set of sheets as to whether they were soft (or too soft), fuzzy, cozy, heavy, high-quality, and ultimately, how they promoted a night of sleep.
- How they feel after washing: We evaluated if the sheets softened a great deal after washing and drying, and the wrinkle factor. (Note: The wrinkle factor was medium to high for most of them after being dried without ironing.)
- Durability after sleeping and washing/drying: We assessed if each set felt durable after multiple washing and drying cycles, and if the sheets began to pill, fade or get worn in any way.
- Fit on bed: We made a bed with each set of sheets multiple times, assessing how well they fit and noting if they were tight or loose. We noted if the fitted sheet was marked with which end is top or bottom, if there was enough width and length on the flat sheet to tuck under the mattress and if the bed-making process was laborious at all.
Options
- Number of sizes: We evaluated how many different size options there were for each sheet set. Nearly all included at least full, queen and king, and some even offered twin, California king or other specialized sizes.
- Colors: We noted how many colors each sheet set was available in; some were available in only two, while others were available in upward of 10.
- Availability of individual replacements: We assessed if you can buy individual sheets and pillowcases for each set for those consumers who need replacements, want to mix and match colors or styles or simply do not want or need a flat sheet, for example.
Other flannel sheets we tested
Boll & Branch Flannel Sheet Set
$299 for queen at Boll & Branch
Luxury bedding maker Boll & Branch also turns out a lovely flannel set from fair trade organic cotton that is GOTS certified and OEKO-TEX certified to standard 100. Boll & Branch prides itself on sourcing from ethical factories with fair wages and environments. Its flannels are also made in Portugal and are brushed and sheared for a more velvety finish. The quality of these sheets was noticeable to the touch, and they were sturdy and warm, without overheating, at least in colder temperatures. On warmer nights we found these to be a little too heavy, though, and for the higher price, there were other sets we enjoyed just as much as these. They’re a wider fit like many we tested, though not noticeably so. They come in seven different sizes — twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, California king and split king — but only three colors are available and you can’t purchase replacements.
L.L.Bean Premium Supima Flannel Sheet Collection
$219 for queen at L.L.Bean
On the higher end of both quality and price of the sheets we tested fell L.L.Bean’s Premium Supima Flannel Sheet Collection. These felt thicker than most of the sets and sumptuous to the touch, with a pretty stitched hem at the top of the flat sheet and pillowcases. This set was exceedingly cozy, but in warmer weather, perhaps too warm. We imagined these would be perfect for a cold night in a cabin in the Northeast. And if that is your reality and you get these, they’re likely to last for years to come. These sheets were wider and roomier than a lot of the other sets. They’re available in six colors and three sizes — full, queen and king — but you can order separate full- and king-size pillowcases.
Mellanni 100% Cotton Flannel Sheet Set
$70 $51 for queen at Amazon
A solid choice in the budget category is the Mellanni 100% Cotton Flannel Sheet Set. The main descriptor we noted in evaluating the Mellanni sheet set was “fuzzy” — imagine sleeping with a child’s teddy bear enveloping you. They started out very soft, and after a washing and drying, they got even softer. These were narrower than a lot of the sets we tested, and we would have liked a little more length to tuck on the sides, but they offer a lot of variety, with five sizes — twin, full, queen, king and California king — and eight colors, at an attractive price.
The Company Store Legends Hotel Velvet Flannel Sheet Set
$179 for queen at The Company Store
A reasonably-priced option that also offered a restful night of sleep were The Company Store Legends Hotel Velvet Flannels Sheets. They were soft, snuggly, comfortable and warm, and woven in Portugal from 100% combed cotton. But they felt slightly less luxe to the touch and flimsier than some of the more expensive brands we tested. These sheets fit our bed perfectly and the top end of the fitted sheet is conveniently labeled. They’re available in five sizes — twin, twin XL, full, queen and king — come in 12 colors and can be monogrammed.
Threshold Flannel Sheet Set
$35 for queen at Target
The Threshold Flannel Sheet Set is the least expensive set we tested. For this price range, these sheets are solid and satisfying, but the quality doesn’t feel as high as the other sets. These were the only set that came in a cute bag with a Velcro closure, though, which is a nice touch. They come in four sizes — twin, full, queen and king — and five colors and patterns; however, we noted that the pattern is printed only on the top side of the flat sheet and fitted sheet, and the patterned side is softer and snugglier than the non-patterned side. Overall, these are a warmer sleeper but suitably comfortable, particularly for the price. If this is the price range you seek and you don’t need your sheets to last for decades to come, then we do recommend these.