UK Duvet Tog Guide: Which Tog Do You Actually Need?
Tog rating is the number that matters most when buying a duvet, and it's also the one most people find genuinely confusing. This guide walks through what it actually measures, how the scale breaks down, and how to land on the right choice for your own bedroom rather than guessing.
What tog actually measures
Tog measures thermal insulation — how much warmth a duvet traps against your body, not how heavy or thick it feels in the packaging. Two duvets with completely different fillings can share the same tog rating, and two duvets that feel similarly weighty can sit at different togs entirely. It's the number to check, not the feel of the fabric folded up on a shelf.
The UK tog scale, season by season
| Tog rating | Best suited to |
|---|---|
| 2.5 – 4.5 tog | Summer nights, warm sleepers, or consistently warm rooms |
| 7.5 tog | Spring and autumn, a middle ground for milder weather |
| 10.5 tog | A practical year-round option for most centrally heated homes |
| 13.5 tog | Standard UK winter weight, suited to colder rooms |
| 15 tog | The warmest widely available rating, for particularly cold bedrooms |
Is there such a thing as "the best" tog rating?
Not really — the right tog depends entirely on your room and how warm you personally sleep, not a fixed answer that works for everyone. Someone who runs warm at night might be perfectly comfortable at 10.5 tog through winter, while someone who feels the cold easily might need 15 tog even in a heated bedroom. If you're regularly too warm or too cold under your current duvet, that's the clearest signal to move a rating up or down, rather than assuming there's one universally "correct" number.
What about 7.5 tog?
7.5 tog sits between summer and year-round weight, and it's a reasonable option for spring or autumn specifically, or for anyone who finds 4.5 tog too light but 10.5 tog slightly too warm. We don't currently stock 7.5 tog ourselves, so if you're looking for exactly that middle-ground feel, our 4.5 tog duvet and 10.5 tog duvet sit either side of it and cover most of the same practical ground between them.
Choosing between two close ratings
If you're stuck between two neighbouring togs, such as 10.5 and 13.5, a useful rule of thumb: choose the lower one if your bedroom is well heated or you tend to sleep warm, and the higher one if your room runs cold or you feel the chill easily at night. It's a more reliable guide than assuming a "standard" household should default to any particular number.
Matching tog to your bed size
Tog rating stays the same regardless of bed size — a 13.5 tog single duvet provides the same thermal insulation as a 13.5 tog super king, just across a larger surface area. What changes with size is simply how much of the bed is covered, so choose your tog based on warmth needs first, then pick the size that matches your bed dimensions separately.
One duvet or separate seasonal duvets?
A 10.5 tog duvet can be a practical choice if you prefer using one duvet for much of the year. If your bedroom becomes noticeably warmer in summer and colder in winter, separate lightweight and winter-weight duvets can provide more precise comfort. Explore our choose-your-own all-season duvet options to compare the available ratings.
Shop duvets by season
If you prefer to choose according to the time of year rather than an individual tog rating, browse our lightweight duvets for summer or compare our warm winter duvets. Your bedroom temperature and personal warmth preference should still guide the final choice.
Browse by rating
Once you've settled on a tog rating, here's where to find it:
- 4.5 Tog Duvets — summer and warm sleepers
- 10.5 Tog Duvets — year-round comfort
- 13.5 Tog Duvets — standard winter weight
- 15 Tog Duvets — maximum warmth for cold rooms
FAQs
What does tog mean on a duvet?
Tog measures how much warmth a duvet traps, independent of its weight or the type of filling used. It's the standard measurement UK retailers use to describe thermal insulation.
Is a higher tog always warmer than a lower one?
Yes, tog rating is a direct scale — a higher number always means more insulation, regardless of filling type, size, or brand.
What tog should I buy if I don't know how warm I sleep?
10.5 tog is a reasonable starting point for most UK bedrooms, since it sits in the middle of the scale. From there, moving up or down a rating based on how you actually feel is more reliable than guessing in advance.
Can I use different tog ratings on the same bed for two people?
Yes, some couples use two single duvets side by side on a larger bed specifically so each person can have a different tog, rather than compromising on one shared rating.
Does tog rating change based on duvet size?
No, tog measures warmth per unit of coverage, not the total duvet. A single and a super king duvet at the same tog provide the same level of insulation, just across different amounts of bed.