Down Encyclopedia: All Technical Terms from A to Z

Product specifications for bedding are full of technical terms. Here you will find them sorted alphabetically and briefly explained. Many terms have a detailed article in the Down Wiki, which we link to each time.

A

Outer chamber

The two outer chambers of a 3-chamber pillow. They are filled with down or a down-rich blend and provide a soft, snug surface.

B

Loft

Another word for fill power. This refers to the ability of down to fluff up again after being compressed and trap air.

Bramscher Tuch

A proprietary fabric of the manufacturer KAUFFMANN made of long-staple cotton. It is used as a cover fabric for many down duvets, for example for the QUQON Nordic and De Luxe.

C

cuin

Abbreviation for "cubic inch". This indicates the fill power, i.e. how much volume a certain amount of down takes up. The higher the value, the loftier the down.

D

Down

The fine underfeather of waterfowl such as geese, ducks, or eider ducks. A down feather has no hard quill, but a small core with many fine barbs. These trap air and thus keep you warm.

Down content

What percentage of the filling consists of down, stated as a percentage by weight, e.g. "90% down, 10% feathers". According to the EN 12934 standard, the larger proportion is stated first.

Down class

Quality level according to EN 12934. Class 1 stands for new down and feathers from geese and/or ducks with at most 5% other components. 38 out of 39 down duvets and pillows in our range are stated as Class 1.

DIN EN 12934

European standard for the labeling of feather and down fillings. It regulates, among other things, how down content, class, and animal species are stated.

Downpass

A certification system that checks the origin and animal welfare in the supply chain of down and feathers. Which seals our manufacturers carry, we explain in our animal welfare promise.

Three-chamber pillow (3-chamber pillow)

Pillow with three chambers stacked on top of each other: In the middle, feathers provide support, while on the outside, down provides softness. More about this in the article The 3-chamber pillow.

E

EDFA

European Down and Feather Association, the European association of the down and feather industry. Our suppliers commit themselves according to the EDFA code not to use live-plucking, which is prohibited under European law.

Eider down

The down of the wild eider duck, one of the rarest fillings of all. According to our manufacturers, the down is collected from abandoned nests in Iceland without injuring any animal.

Baffle box

Duvet without fixed chambers or with only a few quilting seams. The down can move freely. This design is typical for light summer and transitional duvets.

Duck down

Duck down. It is usually slightly smaller than goose down and offers a good price-performance ratio.

F

Feather

Unlike down, a feather has a hard quill. Feathers provide support and shape, especially in pillows.

Fill weight

How many grams of filling are in a duvet or pillow. Fill weights are only comparable if size, down content, and fill power are the same.

Fill power

A measure of how much volume down takes up, stated in cuin. With high fill power, less down is needed for the same warmth, making the duvet lighter. Explained in detail in the article Fill power (cuin) explained.

G

Goose down

Goose down. It is usually larger and loftier than duck down and is therefore considered particularly high-quality.

I

Inlet

The fabric from which the cover of a duvet or pillow is sewn. It must be tight enough so that no down slips through, yet still allow moisture to pass through.

Inner chamber

The middle chamber of a 3-chamber pillow. It is filled with feathers or a feather-rich blend and supports the head.

K

Cold bridge

A spot in a duvet where there is hardly any down, usually along a continuous quilting seam. Heat can escape here. Baffles prevent cold bridges.

Baffle box, baffle box duvet

The duvet is divided into many rectangular compartments, the baffle boxes. This keeps the down evenly distributed. Baffle boxes with baffles are particularly common for warm winter duvets.

Class 1

See Down class.

Climate zones

Areas in some duvets that are filled with a fiber instead of down, e.g. 100% polyester in the Climabalance. They are intended to dissipate excess heat and moisture.

Body zone quilting

Quilting that distributes the down differently depending on the body area. One example is the QUQON De Luxe in the Light warmth class.

L

Live-plucking

The plucking of down and feathers from live animals. At AllesDaune, we exclusively carry manufacturers that exclude live-plucking. More about this in our animal welfare promise.

M

Mako Batiste

A very fine, light cotton fabric in plain weave. It is often used for down duvets because it is soft, breathable, and at the same time down-proof.

Mako Ticking

Densely woven cotton fabric that was specially developed for fillings with feathers. It is typical for pillows.

Mako Sateen

Cotton fabric in sateen weave, recognizable by fine diagonal lines. It is slightly more robust than batiste and is frequently used for pillows.

N

Nm (Yarn number)

The metric yarn number indicates how fine the yarn of a fabric is: The higher the number, the finer the yarn. In our range, it goes from Nm 50 for pillows to Nm 250 for super-fine Mako Batiste.

NOMITE

A label for bedding suitable for dust mite allergy sufferers. Such duvets and pillows have a particularly densely woven yet breathable cover. It acts as a mechanical barrier against mites, completely without chemicals.

S

SanProCare®

A treatment of the cover fabric that, according to the manufacturer, improves moisture absorption and speeds up drying. You can find it, for example, on the Superior and the QUQON Premium.

Baffle

A sewn-in fabric strip between the top and bottom of a baffle box duvet. It gives the baffle box height, for example 2 cm or 6 cm, and prevents cold bridges.

Support

How firmly a pillow supports the head. It is usually stated as soft, medium, or firm and depends mainly on the feather content and the fill amount.

W

Warmth class

Classification of down duvets according to their warmth: Light, Medium, Warm, and Extra Warm. Which one is right for you is explained in the article Warmth classes simply explained.

Pasture goose

Goose that is kept with daily exercise on pasture. The quality label "Austrian Pasture Goose" stands for down from Austrian small farmers, for example in the Austrian Pasture Goose Down Duvet.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between down and feather?

A feather has a hard quill and provides support. Down has no quill, is much lighter, and keeps you warm through its fine barbs. That is why duvets are usually predominantly made of down, while pillows are often made of feathers.

What does "90% down, 10% feathers" mean?

The filling consists of 90% down and 10% feathers by weight. The EN 12934 standard requires that the larger proportion be stated first.

What does Class 1 mean?

Class 1 stands for new down and feathers from geese and/or ducks with at most 5% other components. It is the highest class for waterfowl according to EN 12934.

Sources

• Standard EN 12934 and labeling: textination.de – Down Check: What does EN 12934 regulate?
• NOMITE: textination.de – Down Check: Dust mite allergy
• Product specifications: Down duvets and down pillows in the AllesDaune shop (as of November 2026)