September 12, 2026, 7:18 am | Read time: 4 minutes
Giving your bedroom a fresh look is easier than you think: A new set of bed linens can quickly change both the decor and the sleeping experience. However, when purchasing, you might be surprised to find that bedding sets sometimes include more pillowcases than duvet covers. What’s behind this?
Anyone who buys bed linens knows the scenario: You open a newly purchased package, and along with the duvet cover, two pillowcases fall out. While one is immediately put to use, the other often ends up in the linen closet, especially in single households. myHOMEBOOK author Carolin Chytrek has now investigated this phenomenon.
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Do Bedding Sets Always Include Two Pillowcases?
In fact, two pillowcases in a bedding package are not standard. myHOMEBOOK inquired with a German bedding manufacturer. There, the composition depends, for example, on the size of the duvet cover. If it is two meters wide or more, two pillowcases are offered. The reason is simple, as a company spokesperson explains: “Traditionally, such a large duvet is used by two people together, and naturally, two pillowcases are needed.”
It’s different with smaller duvets. The standard size offered by many manufacturers, 135 × 200 centimeters, often comes with just one pillowcase. Even the comfort size of 155 × 220 centimeters frequently includes one pillowcase. Scandinavian providers like Ikea or Jysk, however, use different duvet sizes for the German market. The single bed set there has a duvet size of 140 × 200 or 155 × 220 centimeters. The double bed version measures 240 × 220 centimeters and includes two pillowcases.
International companies like H&M Home or Zara Home offer a range of sizes to successfully cover different countries with varying standards. This approach makes it clear: The number of pillowcases is less about how many pillows are actually used. What matters is how many people the duvet is intended for.
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What Is Considered Standard in Germany
Similar to other textiles, fixed sizes also apply to bed linens in Germany. The German Institute for Standardization (DIN) documented them several decades ago. In the 1969 standard 61603-1, two usage sizes for duvet covers were established after washing: 135 × 200 and 155 × 200 centimeters.
The document states: “The purpose of this specification is to replace the previously common cut or finished sizes of duvet covers with usage sizes […] At the same time, reducing the number of sizes is intended to facilitate manufacturing, delivery, and storage.” Sizes for pillowcases are not included in the DIN standard, reveals Julian Pinnig, the institute’s press spokesperson. In Germany, the size 80 × 80 centimeters has become standard. Additionally, some manufacturers offer pillowcases in 40 × 80 centimeters.
The DIN does not define an international standard. Therefore, other countries sometimes use different bedding sizes. For example, in Austria. “The sizes commonly used in each country have developed over time through regional manufacturers, usage habits, and the respective living culture,” says Pinnig. “High-quality duvets and pillows are generally a long-term investment, so there is a correspondingly sustained demand for established sizes.” However, the sizes offered on the market today go beyond these historical DIN usage sizes.
Why Are There Sets at All?
The sale of bed linens in sets is by no means a new invention. Historical examples show that matching pillow and duvet covers existed more than 100 years ago. The Ikea Museum documents a collection of duvet covers from 1975/1976 that the furniture store already sold as a set. An even older find from the early 20th century is presented at the Museum of Ethnography in Budapest.
It is not possible to say definitively what role economic, design, and practical reasons played in the sale of sets. However, the combination still offers a practical advantage today. Both covers can then–as the bedding manufacturer’s spokesperson notes–come from the same fabric roll. In this case, they are truly the same color. If they did not come from the same batch because the covers were purchased separately, different colors might be noticeable, and the fabrics would no longer match as well. Thus, the set is not only a sales form but can also fulfill quality and design aspects.