Unsure which bed sheets
to buy? Jersey knit sheets may be the (affordable) answer to your dreams: A bedding staple for kids and college students, the best jersey sheets are great for grown-ups too. Known for its softness and stretchiness — think of your favorite well-worn tee — this bedding is ultra-comfortable, plus it can handle regular washing and won't shimmy off your mattress.
As a senior writer at Yahoo who regularly reviews affordable and luxury sheets
, I put eight top-rated jersey sheet sets to the ultimate challenge. I assessed them for look and feel, doused them with water to test their moisture-wicking capabilities, and put them through several laundry cycles to gauge any color fading or shrinking. I made (and unmade) my bed more times in one month than I typically do over the course of a year! My picks for the best jersey sheets have held up since I first tested them last year, but I'll be testing more soon to see how fresh sets compare.
In this story
Best jersey sheets for 2026
Kristin Granero/Yahoo
Material:GOTS-certified organic cotton | Sizes:Twin/Twin XL, Full, Queen, King | Max mattress depth:Up to 14" | Colors:White, Heathered Gray, Heathered Navy and five more | Care instructions:Machine wash warm, tumble dry medium
Pottery Barn's teen-focused offshoot is stocked with tons of sophisticated finds any adult would be proud to use in their home, but at a slightly easier-to-digest price point. These jersey sheets are no exception. They felt the softest and smoothest of any I tested — before and after washing — with that quintessentially cozy "worn tee" feel that makes jersey so appealing.
Making my bed was a cinch: The light wrinkles in the top sheet smoothed out easily, and the deep pockets of the fitted sheet hugged my 12-inch-thick mattress securely, staying put for three nights of sound sleep. Because they're a knitted fabric, these sheets felt warmer on my skin than cotton percale, but despite testing them in summer, I didn't find myself sweating.
The sheets retained not just their softness, but their color (I ordered the Heathered Charcoal) and most of their size after going through two rounds of laundry. (The pillowcase shrank about 1/3 inch lengthwise, the second-least of any I evaluated.)
In my "spill test," I dripped water onto a section of the flat sheet to see how fast the moisture absorbed and spread (the faster, the better indicator of moisture-wicking abilities). These sheets didn't perform especially well (the water beaded up), but the upside is that it may be easier to swipe up any spills before they have a chance to settle.
- Peak coziness
- Made from GOTS-certified organic cotton
- Minimal wrinkles, and they were easy to smooth out
- Hardly shrank after machine washing and drying
- Didn't perform well in our moisture-wicking test
- While they come in eight colors/patterns, they're limited to a cool palette
Kristin Granero/Yahoo
Material:Oeko-Tex-certified cotton/polyester blend | Sizes:Twin XL, Full, Queen, King | Max mattress depth:Up to 12" | Colors:Arctic White, Gray Heather, Sea Turtle Green and 18 more | Care instructions:Machine wash warm, tumble dry low
If you're looking for a good set of jersey sheets on a budget, Walmart's Mainstays collection offers a great value. The sheets have a similar style to my other top picks and feature a 3-inch hem along the top of the top sheet. They felt slightly warm to the touch, but were much cooler with the air conditioning on. They’re almost as soft and just as stretchy as pricier sets.
Making my bed wasn’t a big to-do: The fitted sheet was easy to get over and around my mattress, remaining secure throughout my sleep test. I was able to effortlessly stretch and smooth out any wrinkles in the top sheet.
After washing and drying, these sheets retained their texture (read: no pilling) and color saturation, with very little shrinkage (only 1 inch lengthwise for the pillowcase). I tested them in Sea Turtle Green, but the cotton-polyester material comes in over 20 patterns and shades.
While the sheets were large and deep enough to fit my king-size, 12-inch mattress, the pockets are on the shallower side and therefore, may not be ideal for thicker mattresses. (See Amazon Basics' Cotton Jersey Sheets in "others we tested" for a budget-friendly set with a little more depth).
- Soft and smooth
- Oeko-Tex-certified
- Budget-friendly
- Comes in 21 patterns and colors
- Some colors are low in or out of stock
- Not moisture-wicking
Kristin Granero/Yahoo
Material:Oeko-Tex-certified cotton jersey | Sizes:Twin, Full, Queen, King | Max mattress depth:Up to 17" | Colors:Heathered Gray, Heathered Green, Brown and six more | Care instructions:Machine wash warm, tumble dry low
Threshold's jersey sheets resemble those from Pottery Barn Teen, with a 3-inch hem along the top. In initial assessments, they felt slightly cooler and had a similar stretchiness. I'd rank them in second place for softness.
Like the other sheets on this list, I put them through two wash and dry cycles, and they came out looking as good as when they went in, with no signs of pilling or color fading. (I tested the Heathered Green, but Target Threshold’s jersey sheets come in eight other hues, ranging from warm neutrals and earth tones to cool grays and blues.)
The fitted sheet has 17-inch pockets — the deepest of any I evaluated — offering more than enough wiggle room to fit over, around and well under my 12-inch-thick mattress. The sheet didn’t budge over the course of three nights, despite my usual tossing and turning. Each morning, I woke up feeling cozy, dry and refreshed.
Like my top Pottery Barn Teen pick (and honestly, all the heathered jersey knit sheet sets I reviewed), these sheets don't appear to be especially moisture-wicking. And they did OK, but not great, when it came to shrinking, with the test pillowcase losing about 2.5 inches in length from washing and drying.
- Soft and smooth
- Oeko-Tex-certified
- Fitted sheet has deep pockets
- Beautiful color range
- Pillowcase shrank in testing
- Not moisture-wicking
Kristin Granero/Yahoo
Material:Oeko-Tex-certified cotton jersey | Sizes:Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King | Max mattress depth:Up to 16" | Colors:White, Moss, Heather Gray and five more | Care instructions:Machine wash cool, tumble dry low or hang to dry
Quince's jersey sheets are unique from those above in that they look more like a traditional, solid cotton tee than a heathered jersey. They also felt a tinge cooler to the touch.
They have a similar quality to the sheets I tried from Bare Home , Venice Home and The Company Store (read more about these in "others we tested"). But to me, Quince's sheets felt slightly softer — plus they were stretchier, which made it easier to smooth out the light wrinkles that resulted from shipping.
I opted for the Moss shade (can you tell I have a soft spot for the color green?) and it stayed saturated post-washing and drying. My test pillowcase only shrank half an inch in length, the least of any I evaluated. Getting the fitted sheet's 16-inch-deep pockets onto my mattress was a breeze, and the sheet didn't budge while I slept.
As for why I categorized Quince's sheets as best for hot sleepers? They're really thirsty! Water absorbed quickly — in less than 11 seconds — and spread farther than most other sheets in my "spill test."
The stitching around the sides and bottom of the top sheet is also very close to the edge, though I didn't notice any signs of loose threads or unraveling. There are no patterned options, but I appreciate the extra four colors now available since I originally wrote this guide.
- Softer and stretchier than many others we tested
- Oeko-Tex-certified
- Moisture-wicking
- Hardly shrank after washing and drying
- Wrinkles more than our other top picks
Factors to consider when choosing jersey sheets
Jersey is typically made from cotton or a cotton blend. But don't get caught up looking for a high thread count : It's not a good indicator of quality when it comes to jersey. Instead, keep these factors in mind.
-
Fitted sheet pocket depth:Because jersey sheets are stretchy, they're easy to fit on most beds, but it pays to make sure the fitted sheet has enough depth to comfortably hug your mattress. According to the Sleep Foundation , a standard mattress measures 10-12 inches thick, with a thick/deep mattress 12-14 inches. If yours is on the cusp, I'd recommend going with a higher maximum pocket depth to account for any shrinking in the washer and dryer, and for tucking the fitted sheet under the mattress.
-
Certifications:These can help you identify bed sheets from reputable organizations that are manufactured with better practices. A few biggies:
-
Oeko-Tex-certified sheets have been tested against a list of over 1,000 harmful substances.
-
GOTS-certified sheets are fully organic and meet the Global Organic Textile Standard's environmental regulations regarding discharges and emissions.
-
Fair Trade-certified sheets come from companies that fulfill a Trade Standard for a more responsible, sustainable way of operating.
-
-
Price:Jersey sheets tend to fall on the more affordable end of bedding. In my experience, microfiber tends to cost less or around the same as jersey, with linen, rayon and high-thread-count cotton costing more (silk is often the most expensive). Whether sheets are made of organic materials and/or have been awarded certifications like those above can also affect prices.
How we tested jersey sheets
Because we tested these sheets at home, using our own washers and dryers and sleeping on them in our own beds, we wanted to get a professional take on how best to gauge quality, durability and more without the benefit of professional equipment or a lab. We consulted three fabric experts: Kim Romine, a fabric care scientist at P&G ; Liz Eggert, a senior textile scientist at P&G Fabric Care ; and Meredith McQuerry, associate professor and director of the ThermaNOLE Comfort Lab and Textile Testing Laboratory at Florida State University . To rank on this list, the sheets had to excel in the following:
-
First impressions:I carefully surveyed each set of jersey sheets upon arrival, taking note of design elements, softness and coolness, as well as excessive wrinkling, loose threads, snags and any other imperfections. I also measured the pillowcases from each set, placing one aside as a control for post-laundry assessments.
-
Spill test:I used a dropper to apply the same amount of water to a sheet from each set to gauge how well it might handle the occasional spill or moisture. The quicker the water absorbs and spreads, the better the indicator of moisture-wicking.
-
Laundry test:I put each set of jersey sheets through one cycle in the washer and dryer after opening it, and then again after my sleep test, following the label's care instructions. I then reassessed them for any signs of wear, as well as shrinking or color fading.
-
Sleep test:I made my bed with each set to confirm its various pieces easily and securely fit my king-sized pillows and 12-inch-deep, king-sized mattress. I slept on the sheets for three nights straight to see how well they stayed put, jotting down any additional notes regarding coziness and breathability.
Other jersey sheets we tested
Bare Home Organic Cotton Jersey Sheet Set : These sheets are made of GOTS-certified organic cotton, which was soft and slightly cool to the touch (like a regular cotton tee). I had no issues getting the 16-inch-deep fitted sheet on and around my mattress, and it stayed put. The sheet is moisture-wicking and didn’t show any color fading from washing and drying. That said, the pillowcase shrank significantly, and I found Quince jersey sheets to be slightly softer, with a tad more stretch.
Venice Home 100% Cotton Jersey Sheets : Made of Oeko-Tex-certified cotton jersey, these sheets come in six colors and have a similar look and feel to the ones from Bare Home. While I was making my bed, the 16-inch-deep fitted sheet popped off once but didn't budge after I repositioned it. I slept comfortably, and the sheets demonstrated good moisture-wicking abilities. But they also shrunk more than my top picks.
The Company Store Classic Jersey Knit Sheet Set : The sheets in this set are made of cotton jersey and are available in 12 colors. They were comparable to Bare Home and Venice Home in terms of mattress fit, appearance, feel and moisture-wicking capabilities. The test pillowcase shrank less than Bare Home and Venice Home (2.5" lengthwise), but still more than Quince, and this set comes at a higher price.
Amazon Basics Cotton Jersey Sheet Set : Amazon Basics' jersey sheets looked and performed, at least in my "spill test," similar to Pottery Barn Teen and Walmart — and tied with Target Threshold in the middle for coziness. I gave Walmart the win for our budget pick because it offers more colors, with Oeko-Tex certification. (Amazon's sheets also shrank a bit more, though, as with all of the sheets I tested, they still fit.)
Jersey sheet FAQs
What are jersey sheets?
Jersey sheets are characterized by their softness, similar to what you'd expect from your favorite relaxed tee. Because they're knitted, they're also referred to as jersey knit sheets, and they're typically stretchier than other fabrics. I've also found them easier to smooth out, or at least not as prone to deep creases.
What jersey fabric is the best?
Our top picks include jersey sheets made entirely of cotton or a cotton blend, incorporating a synthetic fabric such as polyester. Both of these fabrications performed well in my array of tests, and are some of the most popular fabrics to choose from when it comes to jersey sheets.
Are jersey sheets warm, hot or cool?
If you're looking for cooling sheets , you may want to skip jersey, as it tends to feel warmer to the touch than non-knitted fabrics like cotton , rayon and linen . Jersey sheets are not as hot or heavy as flannel sheets, making them a good alternative for hot sleepers in cold months. Otherwise, I've found that jersey sheets take on a similar temperature to the rest of the environment (i.e., they feel much cooler with air conditioning on).
How do you care for jersey sheets?
Most jersey sheets are low-maintenance — again, just like your favorite tee. All of the jersey sheets I tested are machine-washable, and many brands recommend tumble drying them on low heat. Using a mild laundry detergent (avoiding bleach) and cold or warm water can help preserve, or at least prolong, the lifespan of the sheets in terms of shrinking and color fading.
Meet our experts
-
Liz Eggert, senior textile scientist, P&G Fabric Care
-
Meredith McQuerry , associate professor and director, ThermaNOLE Comfort Lab and Textile Testing Laboratory, Florida State University
-
Kim Romine, fabric care scientist, P&G
Update, Feb. 23, 2026: We checked prices and availability for all products. Our No. 1 pick for the best jersey sheets remains unchanged
We received complimentary samples of some products and purchased others ourselves, but we reviewed all products using the same objective and unbiased criteria.
