The two most common silk weights, compared honestly — feel, durability, cost, and which is the right choice for what.
For anyone shopping silk seriously, the choice usually comes down to two weights: 19 momme and 22 momme. Both are common. Both are considered luxury. And there is a genuine difference worth understanding.
THE SHORT ANSWER
22 momme silk is heavier, more durable, and more expensive. 19 momme silk is lighter, drapes more fluidly, and costs less. Neither is objectively better; they suit different purposes.
19 MOMME — WHAT IT IS
19 momme is the industry benchmark for good-quality silk pillowcases and bed sheets. It is substantial enough to feel luxurious against the skin, but light enough to drape and breathe.
For pillowcases specifically, 19mm is the point at which silk starts to noticeably benefit skin and hair. Anything lighter and the fabric is too thin to sit against the pillow properly.
For garments, 19mm is best suited to lighter pieces — camisoles, slip dresses, lightweight scarves, and summer shirts where drape and breathability matter more than heft.
22 MOMME — WHAT IT IS
22 momme silk is the standard for luxury bedding, higher-end pillowcases, and more substantial silk garments. It uses roughly 15% more silk fibre per square metre than 19mm — which translates into meaningful differences you can feel.
22mm silk pillowcases last longer, resist snagging better, and hold their smooth surface across years of use. 22mm silk shirts have more presence when worn, hang with more weight, and photograph better under editorial lighting.
The trade-off is cost and warmth. 22mm is warmer against the skin (silk regulates temperature both ways) and costs roughly 15–25% more.
WHICH TO CHOOSE
For bedding, choose 22mm if the budget allows. The durability alone justifies the difference.
For summer silk garments — shirts you wear against skin in July — 19mm is often the better call. Lighter, breezier, moves more.
For year-round silk shirts, silk shorts, and heirloom pieces, 22mm is worth the extra spend. It sits differently on the body.
For scarves, either works. The choice becomes about how you want to tie and drape.
THE ETHOS
Above 25mm, silk starts moving into specialised, heirloom-weight territory. Below 16mm, it drifts into chiffon and voile.
Between the two — 19 and 22 — you have the range that covers 95% of luxury silk on the market. Knowing which is which makes every silk purchase clearer.
Discover our silk shirts, woven from 100% Grade 6A mulberry silk at the ideal weight for the season.