WITHIN · FIELD GUIDE · Revised November 5, 2026

Linen vs cotton, and what Pima and Egyptian mean

Two plant fibres, one hot summer. And why the cotton on a nicer label is the same plant grown somewhere else.

Linen and cotton side by side

	Linen	Cotton
Plant	Flax stem fibre	Cotton seed fibre
Feel	Crisp, softens with every wash	Soft from new
In heat	Absorbent and quick to dry	Absorbent, slower to dry
Wrinkles	Readily, and that is part of its look	Less, more with plain weaves
Strength	Very strong	Strong
Iron	High heat, three dots, best while damp	High heat, three dots
Price	Higher: slower to harvest, process and weave	Lower

Linen costs more because flax takes much longer to harvest and process, and it is harder to weave. The crease is the trade. If you want linen that wrinkles less, a linen and cotton blend splits the difference.

Pima, Supima, Egyptian, Sea Island

These are names for one species of cotton, Gossypium barbadense, grown in different places. About 5 percent of the world's cotton is this species. The rest is mostly upland cotton, with shorter fibre.

Name	What it is
Pima, or American Pima	Extra long staple barbadense grown in the US southwest, chiefly California. The US adopted the name in 1970
Supima	The growers' trademark for American Pima
Egyptian	Barbadense grown in Egypt and Sudan, in both long and extra long staple grades
Sea Island	The old Caribbean and Carolina strain; the West Indian association has guarded the name since 1933

What staple length means

Class	Fibre length
Long staple	1 1/8 to 1 5/16 inches, 29 to 33 mm
Extra long staple	1 3/8 inches, 35 mm, or longer

Those are the International Cotton Advisory Committee's lines. Longer fibre twists into a finer, smoother yarn with fewer loose ends, so it feels softer and pills less. "Egyptian cotton" on its own does not promise extra long staple, because Egypt grows both. Look for the staple, or the Supima mark, rather than the country.

Checks in the shop

Crush a corner of the cloth in your fist for five seconds. Linen creases hard; a blend creases less.
Read the content line. "Linen look" can mean viscose or polyester.
For T-shirts and shirts, ask for the staple or the Supima mark, not just the word Egyptian.
Hold a shirt to the light. A finer, denser weave shows less light through it.

Shirts in either cloth are easier to judge with the shirt collar and fit guide, which also covers ironing.

Linen and cotton on within

Linen and cotton shirts, trousers and T-shirts at the boutiques today, with their prices.

Common questions

Is linen cooler than cotton?

Yes, in heat. Linen is strong and absorbent and dries faster than cotton, which is why it is worn in hot weather. It also wrinkles more.

What is Pima cotton?

Extra long staple cotton of the species Gossypium barbadense grown in the American southwest, mostly California. The US government adopted the name American Pima in 1970, and Supima is the growers' trademark for it.

Is Egyptian cotton better than Pima?

They are the same species, Gossypium barbadense, grown in different places. Both include extra long staple grades. The length of the fibre matters more than the country on the label.

What does extra long staple mean?

Fibres 1 3/8 inches, about 35 mm, or longer, by the International Cotton Advisory Committee's definition. Long staple is 1 1/8 to 1 5/16 inches. Longer fibre spins a smoother, stronger yarn that pills less.

Does linen shrink?

Untreated linen and cotton both shrink in a hot wash. Wash them cool unless the label says the cloth was shrunk before sewing.

Sources

Wikipedia, Linen, read 5 November 2026.
Wikipedia, Gossypium barbadense (Pima, Egyptian, staple lengths), read 5 November 2026.
Wikipedia, Laundry symbol (ISO 3758 ironing temperatures), read 5 November 2026.

Linen and cotton in stock now, to check against this guide

Athoa and Sunspel, from the boutiques on within.

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