Last Modified 11 September 2023 |
First Added 01 April 2020
Duvet Togs - A Guide for the Season
If you ask us, there are few things as important as a full night’s sleep when it comes to living the good life. Getting plentiful rest has been proven to improve mental and physical wellbeing across the board, which means ensuring you’re equipped with everything you need to get a great night’s rest is essential.
One of the best places to start when setting yourself up for a good night’s sleep is the duvet – and that means getting a good grasp of the duvet tog rating system. Join us as we share a guide to duvet buying for every season.
What is a tog rating?
To put it simply, a duvet tog is the rating system used to indicate the ability of a duvet to retain its heat through thermal insulation.
The scale runs from 1 tog up to 15 tog, with 1 tog being the coolest and lightest rating, whilst 15 tog is the warmest and cosiest. Each duvet has its own tog rating, indicating how well it traps hot air between the filling layers and in turn, how warm or cool it will keep you through the night.
A duvet that has a tog of 10.5, for example, is the ideal choice for those frosty mornings and bitter winds of winter, letting you curl up in absolute comfort during the deep midwinter nights. A 4.5 tog duvet, by contrast, makes for an excellent cover for the gentle heat of those long summer evenings with its lightweight construction. If you want to strike that sweet spot between seasons, then an 8 tog duvet works a treat for the gentle warmth of spring and brisk mornings of autumn.
It's important to remember that a high tog rating doesn't necessarily make the duvet thicker or heavier - different tog ratings can depend on a variety of different factors, one of the most important of which is the filling. Let's explore that in more detail...
How does duvet filling make a difference?
Duvets are traditionally filled with either natural or synthetic fibres, both of which can result in different tog ratings.
Natural duvets are exceptionally luxurious, offering a lavish level of comfort and softness which, in turn, comes with a higher price point. Natural duvets tend to be filled with feathers from different parts of a bird, such as down (the feathers from a bird’s chest area) or regular feathers, taken from other parts of the bird. For more information on this distinction, read our full guide to the difference between feather and down.
Natural duvets are often able to preserve more heat than their synthetic counterparts simply because feathers are naturally designed to trap air for insulation. Other natural duvets include materials such as sustainably sourced wool, which has exceptional temperature regulating properties to keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
Synthetic duvets are a lower cost alternative, and a wonderful choice for those who might be allergic to natural fillings. Additionally, these non-allergenic duvets are generally lighter than natural duvets. They are most commonly filled with microfibre, but may also contain hollowfibre. Microfibre fillings are extra fine, which is closer to natural down, maintaining the same levels of warmth with a far lighter weight.
What tog duvet should I buy?
At Feather & Black, we’ve got three duvet tog ratings to choose from: 4.5 tog, 8 tog and 10.5 tog. Plus, all our natural duvets are complete with convenient cotton ties, so you can combine multiple weights to get your desired tog rating.
It’s worth experimenting with a variety of weights to get an idea for how warm you like your bed to be. It can also be a good idea to invest in different duvets for the changing seasons, or consider combining duvets for the ultimate comfort. All our stores have duvet feeler samples to help you find your perfect match.
Duvet togs at a glance
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Tog rating |
Which season is it for? |
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4.5 tog |
Perfect for the hazy summer months, 4.5 tog duvets are lightweight and breathable when the temperature soars. These thinner duvets can be combined with higher tog duvets to create an all-season solution for your bedroom. All of our duvets are available in a lightweight 4.5 tog finish.
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8 tog |
The ideal in-between for spring and autumn when the weather is changeable, an 8 tog duvet is a great all-round solution. Whether it’s a warm spring evening or chilly autumn morning, you’re sure to be comfortable and cosy. For an 8 tog duvet, shop our Luxury British Wool Duvet, which can also be combined with its summer weight version for supreme cosiness.
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10.5 tog |
The ultimate cuddle companion for cold winter nights, a 10.5 tog duvet is oh-so comforting in the depths of December. These thicker weight duvets can also be combined with many of our lighter duvets to perfectly suit your comfort needs. You’ll find plenty of cosy 10.5 tog duvet options in our full bedding range.
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Whatever your bedding needs, we’ve got you covered with our comprehensive range of duvets with three different tog ratings. For more information on our bedding collection, read our full bedding guide.