Thread Counts & Face Masks

I have learned a lot about thread counts and breathability this year while making, sharing and selling 750 + face masks. My masks are made out of high quality quilting cottons and cotton lawns with thread counts ranging from 120 - 260.

I have tested masks with higher thread counts, including a beautiful 600 thread count organic cotton, but we have found that they lack breathability.  This not only makes them uncomfortable to wear but causes the air to flow in and out of the side of the masks rather than through the fabric reducing effectiveness. 

A Run Down on Thread Counts

  • Most quilting cottons (prints and solids): 120-180 
  • Cotton Lawn: 200 - 260
  • Kona Cotton: 120 
  • Robert Kaufman Brand Poplin: 200
  • Most Cotton Poplins: 200-220 

Rather than increasing the thread count of your mask fabric above 300, I recommend using an interfacing or a filter that has been made and/or tested specifically for masks. I like using Heat n Bond's "Sew-in Interfacing Light Midweight Non-Woven."