For a «good old-fashioned» acrylic blanket, you choose the weight by the room, not by the season: in our range, 350 g/m² (Taped-Edge Blanket) is the weight for a heated room, 400 g/m² (Plain Blanket) is the city-hotel replacement blanket and 480 g/m² (Gold Blanket) is the one for rooms without central heating, mountain rural guesthouses and care homes in winter. It is a good starting point.
But weight is not a measure of warmth. It tells you how many grams of fabric there are per square metre; warmth depends mainly on the still air the fabric traps, and that changes with the fibre, the raising and the construction. This guide explains what weight really measures, how warmth is measured in a laboratory and when acrylic is a better choice than fleece, cotton or wool in a guest property.
What «350 g/m²» really tells you
Weight (gsm) is the mass of one square metre of blanket. It is useful for two very specific things: comparing blankets of the same family (same fibre and same construction) and working out how much each piece weighs in the laundry and in the storeroom. A 200 × 240 cm blanket has an area of 4.8 m²; at 350 g/m² that is about 1.7 kg of fabric, and at 480 g/m², about 2.3 kg. You notice that difference in every washing-machine load and on every housekeeping trolley.
What weight does not tell you is how warm a blanket is. The International Committee of the Red Cross blanket specifications sum it up like this: the thermal resistance of a blanket «no depende solo del peso o de la materia prima, sino también de la calidad de la fibra, del tipo de tejido o de punto y del perchado» [does not depend only on the weight or the raw material, but also on the quality of the fibre, the type of weave or knit and the raising]. Raising, which lifts the fibre on the surface, creates a layer of pile that traps air, and still air is the real insulator.
How warmth is measured: Rct, tog and ISO 11092
The warmth of a textile is expressed as thermal resistance, Rct, in m²·K/W. It is measured in a laboratory with a heated plate that simulates skin, under the ISO 11092 standard (adopted in Europe as EN ISO 11092, successor to the old EN 31092). The same standard also measures water-vapour resistance, that is, how much perspiration the fabric lets through.
In bedding, the tog is often used, an older unit. The equivalence given in the Red Cross specifications is simple: 1 tog equals an Rct of 0.1 m²·K/W. The same specifications give a useful reference: indoors at 20 °C, a person at rest needs total insulation of about 0.15 m²·K/W, and part of that insulation comes from the clothes they are wearing; the rest, from the bedding. That is why they classify their blankets by thermal resistance, not by weight, and separately set the thickness (ISO 5084) and the air permeability (ISO 9237), which protects against draughts.
Public buyers do not stop at weight either. The flat-linen tender specification of the Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre (Madrid, 2024) specifies its blanket by structure (plain knit raised on both sides), composition, weight, stitch density, tensile strength, dimensional stability after five washes and resistance to pilling. A small property does not need that specification sheet, but it does need the idea: two blankets of the same weight can behave differently.
Our blankets, fact by fact
These are the figures for each blanket:
| Blanket | Composition | Weight | Finish | Colours | Sizes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fleece Blanket | 100 % polyester (fleece, raised polyester) | 320 g/m² | fleece | beige, sky blue and camel | 160×220 · 180×220 · 200×240 · 220×240 cm |
| Taped-Edge Blanket | 90 % acrylic / 10 % polyester | 350 g/m² | tape sewn around the edge | beige and sky blue | 140×200 · 160×215 · 180×220 · 200×240 · 240×260 cm |
| Supreme Blanket | 70 % cotton / 30 % polyester | 380 g/m² | — | sand, chocolate and natural | 160×220 · 180×220 · 200×240 · 220×240 cm |
| Plain Blanket | 100 % acrylic | 400 g/m² | plain, no pattern or tape | beige and sky blue | 140×200 · 160×220 · 180×220 · 200×240 · 240×260 cm |
| Gold Blanket | 90 % acrylic / 10 % polyester | 480 g/m² | two-tone, one colour on each side | sky blue, beige, dark grey and light grey | 160×220 · 180×220 · 200×240 · 240×260 cm |
Among the acrylics, weight does allow a comparison, because the fibre and construction are similar: the Gold, at 480 g/m², is «the heaviest blanket in the range», and its «long-fibre acrylic traps air without the weight of wool». Between different families, on the other hand, weight is misleading: the fleece keeps you warm through the structure of the fabric, not its weight.
Which weight for each room
| Situation | Starting point | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Heated room, hotel or apartment | Taped-Edge Blanket, 350 g/m² | «the weight that keeps you warm in a heated room without overloading the laundry trolley» |
| City hotel, replacement per room | Plain Blanket, 400 g/m² | «the city-hotel replacement blanket»; replaced room by room when needed |
| No central heating, mountains, care home in winter | Gold Blanket, 480 g/m² | «the one for rooms without central heating, mountain rural guesthouses and care homes in winter» |
| Holiday apartment or hostel that washes at every changeover | Fleece Blanket, 320 g/m² | the lightest and quickest to wash; takes up half the space of an acrylic in the cupboard |
| Coast and mid-season, as the only layer | Supreme Blanket, 380 g/m² | mostly cotton: breathable and does not build up static |
Before you equip the whole building, measure. As with duvets, it pays to check the temperature of the coldest and the mildest rooms and to note how often guests ask for an extra blanket; the method is in our guide on duvet weight. If only a few rooms get cold in the early hours, there is no need to move every bed up to 480 g/m²: a heavier blanket in a well-heated room tends to end in complaints about the heat or folded at the foot of the bed.
When acrylic is a better choice than fleece, cotton or wool
Compared with wool
Wool is very warm for its weight and handles moisture well. In a classic test with blankets of equal weight, published by K. H. Umbach in the Journal of the Textile Institute (1986), the wool blanket gave more insulation and better moisture transport and absorption than a blanket made from an acrylic and cotton blend. In return, wool needs a gentle wash: with heat and agitation, its fibres tangle and the piece shrinks and mats, which is hard to control in a laundry working by volume. Seen from the other side: the acrylic of the Taped-Edge Blanket does not shrink or mat like wool.
One figure helps explain the difference in drying. The commercial moisture regain tables of the ASTM D1909 standard give acrylic 1.5 %, against 13.6 % for wool and 7.8 % for scoured cotton: acrylic holds much less water and therefore dries faster. The Plain Blanket dries faster than a wool blanket.
Compared with fleece
Fleece is 100 % polyester, with an even lower moisture regain (0.4 % in the same table). It «comes out of the washing machine almost dry and needs no ironing». It wins when the blanket is washed at every changeover and storage space is limited. Acrylic wins when you want the look and feel of the classic blanket, more body on the bed and more weight for cold rooms.
Compared with cotton
A mostly cotton blanket, such as the Supreme, keeps you warm in a different way: it breathes, does not build up static and can be used as the only layer in mid-season. It is the option for mild climates; for real cold, a heavier acrylic performs better.
Single colour, two-tone or taped edge
The finish changes presentation and maintenance more than warmth:
- Plain: no pattern or tape. It is the easiest to replace piece by piece, because there is no edging or colour combination to match.
- Taped edge: on the Taped-Edge Blanket, the tape sewn all around the edge is what stops the edge fraying with the cycles. Check the tape at every wash: it is the first thing that gives away a blanket at the end of its working life.
- Two-tone: the Gold has one colour on each side, which «lets you turn the blanket over to suit the room's decor».
On colour: a coloured blanket over white sheets is the usual combination in hospitality, because the colour goes on the piece that is not washed after every checkout. We explain this in white or coloured bed linen. Choose one shade per room type and always replace it with the same one.
Size: how a blanket is tucked in
With a flat sheet, the blanket goes on top of the flat sheet and is tucked under the mattress along the sides and at the foot. To choose the size, add to the mattress width twice its depth plus whatever you want to tuck in on each side; to the length, add the mattress depth at the foot and the tuck-in. Compare the result with the sizes on the product sheet. If you work with duvet covers, the blanket is a spare layer and can be slightly smaller. Our comparison of duvet cover vs flat sheet helps you decide which system suits you.
Washing and storage
Our acrylic blankets are suitable for professional laundering; follow the instructions on the product label. Do not bleach them. The Plain Blanket and the Gold Blanket are washed at 30 °C maximum. The Taped-Edge Blanket dries without a tumble dryer, line-dried. For any other instruction, follow the product label.
As general guidance on the fibre, acrylic is sensitive to high heat: professional ironing guides, such as Miele Professional's, recommend a very low temperature for acrylic fibres, because they tend to shrink with heat. Avoid hot programmes and do not wash blankets of different colours together for their first few washes.
Before you store blankets out of season, make sure they are completely dry, and store them clean, folded and protected from dust in a ventilated place. For seasonal properties, our guide to textiles for campsites and glamping explains how to organise winter storage.
Frequently asked questions
Does a higher weight always mean more warmth?
Only between blankets of the same family. Between a 350 g/m² acrylic and a 480 g/m² one with the same construction, the 480 is warmer. Between an acrylic and a fleece, weight does not allow a comparison: warmth depends on the air the fabric traps, which is measured as thermal resistance under ISO 11092.
350 or 400 g/m² for a heated hotel?
Both work. The 350 g/m² Taped-Edge Blanket is the weight for a heated room; the 400 g/m² Plain Blanket is the city-hotel replacement blanket. Choose by finish (taped or plain) and by how much each load weighs in your laundry.
Can they go in the tumble dryer?
The care instructions for our acrylic blankets say nothing about tumble drying, and the Taped-Edge Blanket dries without a tumble dryer, line-dried. Follow the product label.
How many blankets do I need per bed?
If the blanket goes on the bed, count one per bed plus a spare to cover washes and stains. If it is kept as a spare in the wardrobe, one per room or per floor, depending on how often guests ask for one. For a complete example, see the linen stock for a 20-guest rural house.
In short
Weight compares blankets of the same family and tells you how much each load weighs; real warmth depends on the air the fabric traps. For heated rooms, 350 or 400 g/m² acrylic; for cold rooms, 480 g/m²; for washing at every changeover, fleece; for mid-season, cotton. You can compare all the options in our blankets collection or see the details of the Taped-Edge Blanket and the Gold Blanket.
Sources
- Blanket, synthetic: general information and specifications (Emergency Items Catalogue) — International Committee of the Red Cross / IFRC, 2016
- Comparative thermophysiological tests on blankets made from wool and acrylic-fibre–cotton blends — K. H. Umbach, Journal of the Textile Institute, 77(3), 1986
- ASTM D1909 – Standard Tables of Commercial Moisture Regains and Commercial Allowances for Textile Fibers — ASTM International, 2013
- Pliego de prescripciones técnicas particulares para la adquisición de ropa plana para el Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre (Exp. 2024-0-49) — Comunidad de Madrid, 2024
- Guide to flatwork ironing — Miele Professional, 2023