The White Company - Duvet Buying Guide

It's really important to choose appropriate bedding for the time of year and for your own personal needs. The right duvet weight and filling will keep you at the best temperature to enjoy deep and restorative sleep.

There are two main things you need to decide when buying a duvet:

Do you want a natural or non-allergenic (synthetic) filling?
Which tog rating do you want for the time of year?

Browse this guide using the arrows on each page or choose a topic from the left hand menu.

Do I need a non-allergenic filling?

If you suffer from allergies, you should choose a duvet with a non-allergenic (synthetic fibre) filling like hollowfibre or silk. Avoid natural fillings, as these contain dust allergens. Even if you don't suffer from allergies, you may prefer the feel of a synthetic-filled duvet. Or you might choose one as a lower cost duvet for a child's bed or guest bed.

Non-allergenic

There are many non-allergenic duvets on the market. It's important to choose one with a high quality filling that will stay comfortable over time. Today's premium synthetic fillings are excellent, but you should avoid cheaper versions as they'll soon become lumpy and uncomfortable.

Natural down

A natural down duvet is generally regarded as the most luxurious because the soft down inside traps air to create a duvet that's both blissfully warm and incredibly light and comfortable. Down duvets beautifully mould and drape around your body, and they draw moisture away when you're hot. Their plump appearance also means that they look fabulous on the bed.

Non-allergenic

Our premium hollowfibre duvet

100% microfibre-hollowfibre blend
Materials used are not treated with chemicals and are not known to cause allergies
240-thread-count cotton casing
Box construction keeps filling evenly distributed
Machine washable at 30 degrees in a large capacity machine
5 year guarantee
Available in 3, 7.5 and 10.5 tog
Make a winter duvet by buttoning two together - join a 3 and 7.5 tog to create a 10.5 tog duvet or join a 3 and 10 tog to create a 13.5 tog duvet

Our silk duvet

100% silk floss
300-thread-count cotton sateen casing
Naturally dust mite free
Diamond construction keeps filling evenly distributed
Rarely needs cleaning - simply freshen it up by airing outside on a sunny day
Machine washable at 30 degrees in a large capacity machine
Available in 450gsm (like 3.5 tog) and 775gsm (like 9 tog)
Make a winter duvet by buttoning two together - join a 450gsm and 775gsm to create a 1225gsm duvet, which will feel like 12.5 tog

Natural down duvets

Our goose down duvet

A combination of down and feather creates a duvet that's light and comfortable
240-thread-count cotton casing
Box construction keeps filling evenly distributed
10 year guarantee
Machine washable at 30 degrees in a large capacity machine
Available in 4.5, 9 and 13.5 tog
Make a winter duvet by buttoning two together - join a 4.5 and 9 tog to create a 13.5 tog duvet

Our superior down duvet

Large and lofty down clusters create a duvet that's blissfully light yet wonderfully warm
280-thread-count cotton jacquard casing
Box construction keeps filling evenly distributed
15 year guarantee
Machine washable at 30 degrees in a large capacity machine
Available in 4.5, 9 and 13.5 tog
Make a winter duvet by buttoning two together - join a 4.5 and 9 tog to create a 13.5 tog duvet

Our platinum down duvet

Our largest and loftiest down clusters create a duvet that's unbelievably light but warm
300-thread-count cotton jacquard casing
Box construction keeps filling evenly distributed
15 year guarantee
Machine washable at 30 degrees in a large capacity machine, though we recommend professional laundering
Available in 4.5, 9 and 13.5 tog
Make a winter duvet by buttoning two together - join a 4.5 and 9 tog to create a 13.5 tog duvet

Which tog rating do I need?

Tog ratings tell you how warm a duvet will be. The higher the tog rating, the warmer the duvet.
Tog rating is based on a duvet's ability to trap warm air. Natural duvets have better thermal properties than synthetic duvets, so they need less filling to achieve the same level of warmth.
Our duvets are made with a box construction which means they've been sewn with special squares to keep the filling evenly distributed and to stop it from slipping.
Our silk duvets can't be measured by tog rating because the fill is spun into floss, unlike down which is loose. Instead, the warmth of silk duvets is shown by weight in gsm, but we'll always give you a comparable tog value too.

Summer	Lightweight	3 or 3.5 or 4.5 tog
Spring/Autumn	Warm	7.5 or 9 tog
Winter	Toasty	10.5 or 13.5 tog

Which size duvet do I want?

Bed size*	Duvet size in inches	Duvet size in cm
Cot bed	47x55	120x140
Single	55x79	140x200
Double	79x79	200x200

Bed size*	Duvet size in inches	Duvet size in cm
King	87x89	225x220
Superking	87x102	260x220
Emperor	92x114	290x235

*Standard UK bed size. For more information see our bed & mattress size chart

If you and your partner tend to fight over the duvet, you may want a duvet that's one size larger than your bed.

What's best for children?

Babies under 12 months

Babies should be 12 months old before they sleep with a duvet, quilt or pillow. For more information, please see our Baby Sleep Safely guidelines

Children under 10 years

Professionals recommend a lighter weight tog rating for young children as their small bodies trap more air, making them much warmer than adults would be under the same duvet. A first duvet should be our lightest 3 or 4.5 tog. As a child grows, they may want a warmer 7.5 or 9 tog.

Children over 10 years

Older children may want our warmest 10.5 tog duvet, especially if their room is quite cold.

Help your child to regulate their own temperature by choosing a lower tog duvet and leaving a quilt or blanket, folded concertina style, at the bottom of the bed. That way, they can easily pull it up for extra warmth when they need it. In high summer, switch the duvet to a cool top sheet with a quilt or blanket.