Material & Qualität6 Min. Lesezeit · Aktualisiert am 01.11.2026

Down or feathers? Down classifications & 90% vs. 100% down simply explained

What is the difference between down and feathers, and is 100% down worth it compared to 90%? The differences explained simply.

Traumwelt BettwarenfabrikBettwaren-Team aus Berlin

In short: Down is the fine underfeather without a quill – it traps a lot of air and provides warmth and lightness. Feathers have a quill and provide support, but offer less warmth. There are two pieces of information on the label: The class (according to EN 12934) describes the quality – “Class I” means new, unused, and cleaned down and feathers. The down content tells you what percentage of down is included. 90% down is the proven best value for money, while 100% down is the premium choice for exceptional lightness.

Down, feathers, Class I, 90% or 100% – the information on a down duvet label is often confused. Here is an overview to help you recognize how high-quality a filling really is.

What is down – and what are feathers?

Down grows as a warming underlayer on the bellies of geese and ducks. It is three-dimensional, spherical, and has no quill, which allows it to trap particularly much air. Feathers have a solid quill, are flatter, and provide volume and support.

Why does down keep you warmer?

Because it traps more air – and air is the actual insulating material. At the same weight, a duvet with a high down content provides more warmth and feels lighter.

What does “Class I” mean?

According to European standard EN 12934, the class describes the quality of the filling material. Class I means: The filling consists of new, unused down and feathers that have been thoroughly cleaned. Reconditioned or reused fillings do not meet this class. The class does not indicate how much down is included – that is what the percentage is for.

What does the down content tell you?

Specification	Meaning
100% down	pure down, without feather quills – exceptionally light and soft, the “cloud-like feel”
90% down / 10% feathers	very light and warm, the feathers provide slightly more support – excellent value for money
lower proportions	more feathers – heavier and less warming per gram

Both premium levels provide excellent warmth. How warm a duvet is overall depends primarily on the filling amount and warmth rating, not on the down content.

Traumwelt filling amounts: 90% vs. 100% down

This is how much filling is in our down duvets – the figures come from the respective product descriptions. All duvets are filled with new Class I down and have a fill power of approx. 750 cuin.

Size	All-season 90%	All-season 100%	Winter 90%	Winter 100%
135 × 200 cm	624 g	560 g	900 g	810 g
155 × 220 cm	790 g	610 g	1,140 g	1,030 g
200 × 200 cm	925 g	830 g	1,330 g	1,200 g
240 × 220 cm	1,220 g	1,100 g	1,760 g	1,580 g

The 100% down duvets have a lower filling weight in every size than the 90% down variants – making them lighter. Whether an all-season or winter duvet is right for you depends on your bedroom: all-season for around 18 to 22 °C, winter for below 18 °C. Our duvets: All-season 90%, All-season 100%, Winter 90%, Winter 100%.

How to read a down duvet label

Four pieces of information together tell you how high-quality and warm a duvet is:

Specification	Example	What it indicates
Class	Class I	Quality: new, cleaned down and feathers
Down content	90% down / 10% feathers	Mixture: the more down, the lighter it is for the same warmth
Fill power	approx. 750 cuin	Loft: how much air the down traps
Filling amount	Grams per size	Warmth: determines whether it is a summer, all-season, or winter duvet

If any of this information is missing, it is worth asking the retailer. Which filling amount is right for which warmth rating is shown in the guide Warmth ratings and filling amounts.

Goose down or duck down?

	Duck down	Goose down
Cluster size	slightly smaller	usually larger
Fill power	good to very good	usually slightly higher at the same down content
Filling amount for the same warmth	slightly more	slightly less
Own odor	more noticeable at first	lower
Price	cheaper	more expensive, because the supply is smaller

Goose down is usually slightly larger and has a higher fill power, while duck down offers excellent value for money. Very good duck down can therefore be better than mediocre goose down. What is more important than the animal species is the fill power (cuin): it shows how much the down lofts. From around 600 cuin, a filling is considered high-quality, and from 700 cuin, premium; Traumwelt down is around 750 cuin; our duvets with 90% down are filled with white duck down. A slight own odor of new duvets usually disappears after airing for a few days – find out more in the guide New down duvet smells? More on fill power in the guide Fill power (cuin) and filling amount.

Duck down or goose down? How our duvets differ

In addition to duvets with duck down, Traumwelt also offers duvets with goose down – as all-season and winter duvets. According to the product description, they are filled with 90% new, white goose down and 10% Class I (EN 12934) feathers. The cover is made of 100% cotton, is down-proof and NOMITE-certified, and the filling is DOWNPASS-certified. They are made with cassette quilting with inner baffles (4 × 6 cassettes) and piping.

A direct comparison of the filling amounts at the same down content (90%):

Size	All-season Duck	All-season Goose	Winter Duck	Winter Goose
135 × 200 cm	624 g	560 g	900 g	810 g
155 × 220 cm	790 g	700 g	1,140 g	1,030 g
200 × 200 cm	925 g	830 g	1,330 g	1,200 g
240 × 220 cm	1,220 g	1,100 g	1,760 g	1,580 g

The goose down duvets have a lower filling weight in every size. The reason: goose down is on average larger than duck down, so usually slightly less filling is needed for the same warmth – making the duvet particularly light. However, goose down duvets are more expensive. If a low weight is important to you, they are an option; if you are primarily concerned with value for money, duck down is a good choice. You can find both variants under Goose down duvets or Down duvets.

What to look for when buying

Class I – new, cleaned down and feathers
High down content – 90% or 100% down
Good fill power – from around 600 cuin
Certificates – DOWNPASS for origin, NOMITE for dust mite allergy sufferers, OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 for tested materials

All-season down duvet with 100% down from Traumwelt

100% down, no feathersAll-season 100% down duvetNew Class I down, approx. 750 cuin, for bedrooms between around 18 and 22 °C. Exceptionally light, with no noticeable feather quills.View duvet

Frequently Asked Questions

Do feathers poke through the cover?
Practically never with high-quality, tightly woven (down-proof) cotton covers.

Are 100% down duvets also suitable for summer?
Yes. The warmth depends on the warmth rating or filling amount, not the down content. Traumwelt offers 100% down as an all-season and winter duvet; for summer, our summer down duvet with 90% down is suitable.

How are Traumwelt down duvets filled?
With new Class I down and feathers, with a choice of 90% or 100% down and a fill power of approx. 750 cuin. The 90% down duvets are filled with white duck down. The filling is DOWNPASS-certified, and the covers are NOMITE- and OEKO-TEX®-certified.

Which is better: 90% down and 10% feathers or 100% down?
Both are high-quality. 100% down is slightly lighter and more supple, while 90% down provides slightly more support thanks to the feathers and is cheaper. Neither is automatically warmer – that depends on the filling amount.

Which is better – a down duvet or a feather duvet?
For most sleepers, a down duvet: it provides significantly more warmth at a much lower weight. Pure feather duvets are heavier and are more suitable for people who prefer to feel a noticeable weight on them.

What does it mean if the label does not say “Class I”?
This means the filling is not certified as new, cleaned material of the highest quality grade. In this case, ask exactly what the filling consists of – for example, whether it contains reconditioned down.