The 7 Best Linen Sheets for a Cool, Comfortable Sleep (2025)

You’ll often see terms like “Belgian linen” and “European linen” used to describe different linens. Some of these are in the name, others aren’t – Pottery Barn’s sheets are called Belgian linen, while The Citizenry’s sheets say they’re French linen but are sustainably made in Portugal. So what does it all mean? Which is better?

Europe has a long history of flax cultivation and linen manufacturing. It is a favorite source, especially Belgium and France, which is why some papers will mention these countries specifically. but According to the World Linen websiteThere is not much difference between European countries, it is mostly a marketing tactic. You will likely be perfectly happy with any European source of linen, and there are European linen certifications that can be obtained to confirm its provenance.

However, having Europe in the name does not necessarily mean it was made there. After flax is grown, it must be processed, spun, and woven into sheets, which may or may not happen in Europe. Some companies use the term “Belgian linen” or “European linen” to indicate that the linen is from that region, but was not processed there. Some companies make laminates in other European countries, such as The Citizenry’s Portuguese-made laminates, while other makers may produce outside Europe, such as Quince, which processes its laminates in China and India.

Another term you may see when shopping for linen is something like “woven to 160gsm.” This describes the weight of the fabric. (“GSM” stands for grams per square meter). It’s similar to silk, which is also described by weight rather than thread count to give you a more accurate idea of ​​how heavy the sheets are. The general rule of thumb for linen is that less than 150gsm is light, between 150 and 300gsm is medium, and anything over 300gsm is heavy.

Weight is also something that shouldn’t change when it comes to linen: it will get softer over time, but it won’t get lighter. If you have a preference for a certain weight of sheets, you can see if these details are included to know exactly what you are purchasing.