What makes a good Winter down duvet?
Medium to Large Boxes
The size of the ‘boxes’ which make up a down duvet is a good visual indicator of its relative warmth. The more filling within one of these quilted squares (down chambers), the more efficient the insulation it provides. Therefore Winter duvets will generally have fewer boxes than summer duvets. The boxes will in turn be much larger. As a standard, a 135 cm x 200 cm Winter duvet will have either 48 boxes arranged in an 6 x 8 grid, or 24 in a 4 x 6 grid. Remember that fill power is the ultimate measure of insulation. Expressed in CUIN, the higher the fill power, the more efficient a duvet is at trapping warmth with the least volume of filling required.
Ventilation
Ventilation refers to the air permeability of a down duvet. Winter duvets are sewn with baffles of 3 to 4 cm in length, which allows the down to expand to its maximum capacity and prevents air from escaping through the seams.
Tog Rating
We use tog rating as an easy-to-understand measurement of insulation. A higher tog means that a duvet is suitable for colder environments. A tog rating of 12.0 indicates a warm, Winter duvet. More information can be found on our page about the tog system.
Down Quality
European Standard EN 12934 regulates the categorisation and naming of the filling material in bedding based on the proportion of new down and the types of poultry used. Only down fillings of Class 1 may bear the quality rating “new”. All products on Downduvet.co.uk are filled with the best, Class 1 filling.
Anti-allergy
Experience shows that duvets with ticking of Ne 30 or higher are suitable for use by people with dust mite allergies. Premium down comforters have high-quality covers ranging from Ne 40 to Ne 155. On this website, you can see the Ne of each duvet under its product details. Additional protection is provided by duvets with the NOMITE label, which we recommend for allergy sufferers.