Duvet Togs Made Easy: Guide for Every Season

Follow our duvet tog guide to work out the right duvet tog rating for every season in the UK. Low tog duvets for summer, high tog duvets for winter, everything in between – and what tog ratings really mean.

If you can’t store a bulky winter duvet throughout the summer, there are some space-saving year-round duvet ideas out there. And did you know there are alternatives to the standards tog rating too?

Duvet Togs Meaning (and How to Make It Work for You)

The duvet tog ratings run from 1 to 15 – 1 is the lightest, coolest option while 15 is seriously warm and cosy. Tog is an abbreviation, standing for ‘thermal overall grade’. While they sound pretty technical, it’s a handy way of putting a number to something that’s hard to describe accurately.  

Tog ratings were developed by the Shirley Institute – the British Cotton Industry Research Association’s dedicated research centre. They created the tog rating in the 1940s as a means of rating the thermal performance of textiles.

You might find there’s a bit of variation between seemingly identical duvet togs. The type of filling materials used in your duvet or the fabric of your duvet cover can affect the ultimate warmth you’ll feel.

But they’re a good starting point, and you can roughly work out which weight of duvet you need for each season by looking for the tog.

Easy Duvet Weight Guide

These are the standard duvet weight for spring, summer, autumn and winter:

1-4.5 tog             summer duvets

7-10.5 tog           spring and autumn duvets

10-10.5 tog         year-round duvets

10.5-16.5 tog     winter duvets

If you’re shopping for a young child, look for 0.5-4 tog and choose a product that’s right for their age group. The Lullaby Trust don’t recommend duvets for children aged 12 months or under.

What Tog Should a Summer Duvet Be?

A summer duvet should be between 1 tog and 4.5 tog. We’ve seen hot summer weather in the UK over the past few years, so low tog duvets are much-needed over those months.

But every bedroom is different. For instance, if you have south facing windows, you could find your room catches more sunlight and ends up that bit hotter.

But if your bedroom stays cooler or you just prefer a duvet with more weight, you can still find a summer duvet that’s right for you.

If you want the lightest summer duvet tog then look for a 1-1.5 tog rating. These are the very lowest tog ratings, designed to keep you covered yet cool in the summer months.

Seek out a slightly warmer 4.5 tog duvet if your room stays fairly cool in summer, or you miss the weight of a duvet.

You can even get summer weight pillows to help ward off that sticky feeling while you summer weight bedding keeps you cool at night. They’re designed to let heat escape, and are usually made with breathable hollowfibre filling.

Coverless Light Tog Duvets for Summer

Have you tried a summer tog coverless duvet? Look out for 1.5 to 4.5 tog summer duvets that are designed to be used with out a cover, first and foremost. Since they’re designed to be used alone, these lightweight duvets are usually finished with elegant quilting and bound seams.

Concerned that going without a duvet cover will look like you’ve been caught out on laundry day? Seek out bright or pastel coloured quilted duvets to make it crystal clear that they’re designed to be put on show.

What Tog Should a Spring or Autumn Duvet Be?

7 tog duvets and 10.5 tog duvets are ideal for spring and autumn. They’ve got just enough weight and warmth for cooler nights. But they’re not as stifling as a hot winter duvet if the weather’s warm.

7 tog duvets are generally best for those in-between months. But if you choose a 10.5 tog duvet it could see you through the year since it’s that little bit cosier.

What Tog Should an All Season Duvet Be?

There are two ways to buy the right tog duvet for the entire year. One strategy is to choose one duvet that’s in the middle temperature-wise. These are typically 10.5 tog duvets.

If you want an all season duvet so you never have to store a spare, this could be the right option.

But there’s another way to do it, if you want a bit of added flexibility. You can find duvet sets that attach together for a higher tog rating for winter. Just split them using the easy fastenings for lighter duvet togs for summer.

You’ll have to store the second half during the hottest summer months, but you’ll avoid packing up a full winter tog rating duvet.

Some bedding companies have started breaking out by using temperature regulating materials. These duvets without tog ratings offer something similar to an all-season duvet.

For example, UK-based Simba have started using breathable cotton from Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) sources layered up with Simba-Renew™ fibres. These layers are said to draw heat away from the body and regulate temperatures, though users’ experiences vary according to reviews. 

What Tog Should a Winter Duvet Be?

If you really feel the cold in winter then look for a 15 or 16.5 tog rating. They’re the warmest tog ratings around. 15 tog is the highest standard weight, but look around for a 16.5 tog duvet if you need to raise the cosiness levels even further.

Is there anything warmer than a 15 tog duvet? There is! You can find 16.5 tog duvets which are among the warmest available.

The Sleepworks Anti-Allergy 16.5 Tog is one of the high tog duvets going further than the usual 15 tog winter weight.

The Easy Cheat to Make Duvet Togs Work for You

Of course, the UK is known for its changeable weather. So you can also use a smart combination of throws and duvets to find exactly the right weight for the perfect night’s sleep. It doesn’t hurt to keep a cosy throw on standby so you can adjust the temperature in seconds.