What Does Tog Mean in Duvets?

Approximately one-third of our lives are spent on sleeping. Hence, it is only practical that you invest in the finest bedding, one that can make you feel warm and comfortable, to ensure that you can have a good night’s sleep.

When it comes to purchasing a duvet, quality and comfort are the two important things that matter. But sometimes you can easily get confused by unusual terms such as “tog”. While tog may not describe the quality of the duvet, it refers to the warmth of the material. Eventually, this is an important aspect that can influence the comfort of the duvet.

There are different types of duvets out there. Usually, they range from £20 to over a hundred. Be sure to know what you want before making a decision.

Tog Ratings

When choosing duvets, it is important to know if they can keep you warm, especially during the winter season. That is why you must know the tog rating of your duvet. Most often, tog ratings can be found on the duvet packaging. It refers to warmth or thermal resistance, in other words, how effectively a duvet can trap warm air so you are well insulated at night time.

What is the Best Tog Rating for You?

When choosing the perfect tog rating for your duvets, you need to understand that the higher the tog rating, the warmer the duvet. The tog rating is used for determining the warmth or thermal resistance of a particular product. It is commonly used in the UK to describe the warmth level of duvets. Usually, tog ratings can range from 1 to 15, 1 tog being the coolest and 15 togs the warmest.

How Do Tog Ratings Work?

Tog ratings are only a rough estimate of what level of warmth is more suitable for you. The fact is, tog ratings are computed based on a flat surface. However, when you lay it down on your bed, it is not a flat surface. The way the quilt hangs around you will also matter. Avoid buying cheap duvets since they are made of poor quality and come with a low tog rating. It will not give you enough warmth and will make you feel very cold, especially at night.

Which Tog Rating is Right for You?

Traditionally, we always choose our duvets based on the season. For the summer season, you can choose a 1-7 tog duvet, but the most popular choice is 4.5. This can help in preventing overheating during those long, hot summer nights. In Europe, they usually choose 10.5 tog duvets. This is a good option if you are sharing your bed with someone else since they can add to the warmth factor.

Conversely, during the winter season, the best choice would be 10.5 tog or above. Most people would choose 15 tog duvets since this is the time when the temperature is much lower. But buying numerous duvets might not be a realistic option. If you want to buy a duvet that you can use throughout the year, then a 10 tog would be a great compromise.

Nowadays, central heating is commonly used in homes and manufacturers are using advanced technology in duvets, which is why most people can now buy all-season duvets.

Types of Duvets

Summer Duvets

A lower tog rating is perfect for summer. During the summer months, the temperature tends to get higher, which means you require less insulation. If you want to reduce your sleepless nights, then choose duvets that have less than 7 togs. This can keep you cooler during those long summer nights.

Winter Duvets

The nights can get colder during the winter. Hence, it only makes sense to get a warmer duvet that can make you feel comfortable. A duvet with a 10.5 tog rating or above would be a good choice. It can provide you with more insulation.

All-season Duvets

All-season duvets are great for any climate. This can be done by using two duvets. You can buy a 4.5 tog duvet for summer and a 9 tog duvet for spring/autumn. For winter, you just need to combine them to have a 13.5 tog duvet. You just need to use the button feature and you can have a duvet for the winter. This is also beneficial to have a spare duvet if you have a house guest.

Can the Tog Rating Affect the Weight of the Duvet?

The weight of the duvet is not associated with its tog rating. Different types of materials are used in filling duvets: feathers, down, silk or synthetic. Duvets filled with feathers or down have better thermal properties compared to those which are filled with synthetic. This means that it does not require a lot of filling to obtain the desired tog rating. As a result, the duvet is much lighter.

But silk duvets are entirely different since they are measured by grams of silk per square metre (GSM) and not by tog ratings. For 2-4 tog rating, the duvet should approximately have a 250gsm filling. For 7-9 tog rating, the filling is roughly 400gsm, while 10-13 tog rating can be achieved by having a 600gsm filling.

Aside from the type of filling used in the duvet, the tog rating can also be affected by the type of fabric used for the case. Generally, larger walled pockets are used in duvets that have higher tog ratings while smaller pockets are used in lower tog duvets. This can help in reducing the risk of cold spots and improving its drape.

For superior insulation, you can opt for duvets that use premium fillings such as goose and duck down. This can effectively retain warmth while you are sleeping. High-end branded synthetics are also a better option than the cheaper synthetic alternatives since they can more effectively trap air and retain warmth.

Duvet cases should be made of natural 100% cotton since it can provide more breathability compared to cases that are made of microfibre or polyester.