Is 22 Momme Silk Worth It? A Straight Answer

Momme began as a Japanese unit of weight, and some pearl dealers still use it. On a silk pillowcase, the gap between 19 momme and 22 comes to about the weight of two nickels.

That sounds like nothing, and on the first night it nearly is. Put a 19-momme case and a 22-momme case on the same bed and both will feel like silk against your hand. You might struggle to tell them apart in the dark.

The argument for 22 plays out later, in the laundry and under the weight of your head, and it comes with less hard evidence than most listings let on. Here's what we can and can't tell you.

What does 22 momme mean?

22 momme means the cloth weighs about 95 grams per square meter, or roughly 2.8 ounces per square yard. Momme (say "mommy") measures how much silk is in the cloth, and it says nothing about how good that silk is. What is momme in silk? has the full definition, including where the odd measurement comes from.

How much more silk is 22 momme than 19?

About 16 percent more by weight, which on a Standard/Queen pillowcase is about a third of an ounce.

Momme	Per square yard	In a 20 × 30 in pillowcase*	In practice
16	2.05 oz	1.9 oz	Light, and thin for something you'll wash often
19	2.43 oz	2.25 oz	The lighter end of bedding weights
22	2.82 oz	2.6 oz	More substantial, still soft. What LS Silk pillowcases use
25	3.2 oz	2.96 oz	Heavier and costs more. Some people find it warmer

*Our arithmetic: cloth only, front and back, before seams and zipper, at 4.34 grams per square meter per momme.

Does 22 momme silk last longer?

Probably, though we haven't found a published number for how much longer. We went looking for an independent wash or abrasion test comparing 19 and 22 momme silk from the same mill and didn't find one. When you see a figure online, check who paid for it.

What we can offer is the mechanism. A pillowcase wears slowly from rubbing and washing, and more silk per square inch means more fiber to lose before the cloth starts to thin. Abrasion also depends on how the yarn is spun and woven, so a heavier number doesn't automatically mean a tougher pillowcase. How you treat it counts as well. A hot cycle and a hot dryer will age any weight.

Is 22 momme better for hair and skin?

Not in any way we can point to. The less-friction argument comes from silk's smooth surface, and a 19-momme case has that surface too. If a listing implies that three more momme means better mornings for your hair, ask what that's based on. The most you could reasonably say is that a pillowcase that holds up better may stay smooth for longer.

Is 22 momme too heavy or too hot?

For most people, no. A 22-momme pillowcase is about 2.6 ounces of cloth, spread over a pillow. It drapes and it stays soft. Some people do find higher weights warmer, and that's more likely to come up at 25 momme and above. If you sleep hot, your room and your comforter will matter more than this number.

Why are some silk bonnets only 19 momme?

Because a double-lined bonnet and a pillowcase are built differently, the same number doesn't mean the same thing. LS Silk's Medium and Large bonnets are 19 momme and double-lined, while our pillowcases are 22, and we'd defend both. A pillowcase is a single layer per side, with your head pressing it into the pillow all night. A double-lined bonnet has two layers of silk, so there's more silk between your hair and the pillow than the number alone suggests. Heavier cloth would also add bulk around your head, for little obvious gain. You can see the full bonnet range here.

Is higher momme always better?

No, because weight only makes sense against what the silk is for. Silk scarves commonly run far lighter, around 12 to 16 momme, because they need to drape and knot, as this look at momme for scarves explains. Past 22 on a pillowcase, you're paying for extra heft that you may or may not want.

The number also leaves a lot unsaid. A 22-momme label tells you nothing about how well the case is sewn or whether the back is silk at all. How to buy real silk online covers what else to read on a listing.

So who should buy 22 momme, and when does 19 make sense?

Buy 22 momme if this will be your everyday pillowcase, washed often and kept for years. That's the use where a little more silk has the most time to matter, and it's the weight we use for our own pillowcases.

19 momme makes sense where there's less wear to plan for, such as a guest bed that sees a few nights a year, and in a double-lined bonnet, where two layers share the work. Real silk at 19 gives you the same smooth surface as silk at 22. A listing with no momme stated at all is the one to skip.

See LS Silk's 22-momme, 100% mulberry silk pillowcases in Standard/Queen →

Two nickels' weight of silk is a small thing to argue over, and you may not feel it tonight. Whether it was worth it is something you'll find out a few years from now, on some ordinary laundry day, when the case comes off the line and you take a look at it.

Frequently asked questions

Is 22 momme better than 19 momme?

For everyday use, usually. The extra silk gives 22 momme more body and should help it hold up to regular washing, while 19 momme has the same smooth surface and costs less. For an everyday pillowcase we lean toward 22, while 19 suits a guest bed or a double-lined bonnet.

Can you feel the difference between 19 and 22 momme silk?

Often only slightly, especially on the first night. 22 momme feels a bit more substantial in the hand, and some people notice it right away. Both feel like silk.

Is 22 momme silk better for your hair?

Not because of the weight. Less friction comes from silk's smooth surface, which 19 momme and 22 momme share. A pillowcase that holds up better may stay smooth for longer, but we can't point to data that shows how much.

Is 25 momme better than 22 momme?

25 momme has about 14 percent more silk by weight than 22, and it usually costs more. Some people like the heft, and some find it warmer. We don't know of independent data showing how much longer it lasts, so choose it because you want the feel.

Why does higher momme silk cost more?

Higher-momme silk uses more raw silk for the same size of cloth, and silk is slow and costly to produce. A 22-momme pillowcase holds about 16 percent more silk than a 19-momme one. A higher number should mean you're paying for that extra silk, so check that the listing also states the fiber and that both sides are silk.

Related reading: How Long Does a Silk Pillowcase Last? · Why Is Silk So Expensive? · Silk Pillowcase Guide