Types of Blankets: Throw, Weighted, Cooling or Heated?

There are four main types of blanket to choose from. A throw, plush or knit, is for warmth and texture on the sofa. A weighted blanket adds pressure and is sized to your body weight. Cooling designs suit hot sleepers, while heated blankets make their own warmth for cold rooms.

Which type of blanket do you need?

Start with where the blanket will live and what you want it to do.

Many homes end up with more than one: a washable throw on the sofa, and a heavier or heated blanket on the bed.

Size is the other split. A throw is sized for one person on a sofa or chair, not for a mattress. Bearaby’s knitted weighted throws, for example, run from 40 by 64 inches to 48 by 72 inches. For two people on a sofa, see our guide to oversized throw blankets; for a lap in a chair, our guide to small throw blankets. A bed blanket is bought by mattress size instead, and for an electric blanket our heated blanket sizes guide lists what fits each bed.

Plush throws: the warmest unheated choice

Plush throws are the most common kind, and most are synthetic. Sherpa and fleece are usually polyester, most faux fur is acrylic or polyester, and what makes them warm is loft: a deep, springy pile holds still air. Polartec, which says it invented the first synthetic polar fleece in 1981, sells its fleece on “warmth without weight.”

The tradeoff is care. Heat and fabric softener mat plush pile, so these throws do best on a cold, gentle wash. Our sherpa vs fleece vs faux fur comparison sets the three side by side, and our throw blanket buying guide covers sizes and washing for every common fabric.

Knit and wool throws

Knitted throws trade some loft for texture and airflow. Cotton knits are usually machine washable. Wool is warmer for its weight but fussier: Faribault Mill, a Minnesota wool mill, recommends dry cleaning or a hand wash in cold water with a wool detergent, and warns that even a machine’s gentle cycle can make the fibers interlock.

A chunky knit draped over a chair is also one of the simplest ways to make a room look warmer. Our wool and knit throws guide covers how wool handles warmth and moisture and how to wash each kind.

Weighted blankets for a heavy, calming feel

A weighted blanket is heavy by design, with the weight spread evenly across the body. Most use glass beads or plastic pellets sewn into small pockets. Others, like Bearaby’s knitted range, get all their weight from thick hand-knit yarn and use no fill.

Makers suggest a blanket of about 10 percent of your body weight, and adult sizes usually run from 10 to 25 pounds. Bearaby adds that a weighted blanket should fit your body rather than your mattress, which is why many are smaller than a regular comforter. Our weighted blanket weight guide explains the 10 percent rule, what the research tested and who should skip one.

Cooling weighted blankets

Weighted blankets can sleep warm, because more mass holds more heat. The Sleep Foundation says the cooler designs use breathable cover fabrics such as cotton, bamboo-derived rayon or Tencel, glass bead fill rather than plastic pellets, or an open knit that lets air through. It also suggests hot sleepers may prefer a slightly lighter blanket.

“Cooling” is the maker’s own description rather than a tested standard, so the fiber label matters more than the product name. Our guide to cooling weighted blankets explains how to read those labels and compares fabrics and fills.

Heated throws and electric blankets

A heated blanket has wiring inside and a plug-in controller, so it warms you rather than just holding in your own heat. Sunbeam’s heated bedding manual says its throws switch off automatically after 3 hours and its full-size blankets after 10. Electrical Safety First, a UK charity, says to replace any electric blanket more than ten years old, or sooner if it is scorched or shows bare wires.

Heated bedding has its own section on this site. Start with heated blankets, throws and warmers to compare heated throws with electric blankets and mattress pads, and read are heated throws and electric blankets safe? before buying one.

Blankets on the bed: sheets and layers

A blanket on the bed works as part of a set of layers. In winter, flannel sheets under a throw or comforter add warmth you can feel the moment you get in. In summer, light cotton sheets and a cooler blanket keep heat from building up. A throw folded across the foot of the bed gives you an extra layer to pull up on cold nights without changing the whole bed.

For a room that feels warm as well as looks it, see how to make a room feel cozy, and pair a sofa throw with cushions from our throw pillow guide.

Best throw blanketsEvery common throw fabric compared on warmth and care.

Cooling weighted blanketsThe fabrics and fills that sleep cooler.

What weight of weighted blanket?The 10 percent rule, a weight chart and who should not use one.

Sherpa, fleece or faux furThe three plush fabrics compared on loft and washing.