# Wild Silk vs Mulberry Silk Duvets: Which Fill Should You Choose? > Wild silk vs mulberry silk duvet: how tussah and mulberry fills differ in fibre length, loft, washing and price, and which silk duvet suits your bed. Source: https://sensoire.com/wild-silk-vs-mulberry-silk-duvet/ Publisher: Sensoire (https://sensoire.com/) Published: 2026-10-20 Updated: 2026-10-20 Language: en Fibre Guide · Silk Duvets # Wild Silk vs Mulberry Silk Duvets: Which Fill Should You Choose? In Germany and Austria a wild silk duvet is a familiar summer quilt. Elsewhere the same fill is sold as tussah silk, and the mulberry silk duvet sits beside it at a much higher price. Both are real silk. What separates them is the silkworm, the length of the fibre it spins, and what that fibre does inside a duvet. Quick answer: Wild silk (tussah) comes from semi-wild Antheraea moths and is a short, tan, slightly coarse fibre that is carded into a quilted batting. Mulberry silk comes from the domesticated Bombyx mori silkworm and is a long, fine, white filament that can be stretched into layered sheets. In a duvet, long mulberry strands keep their loft and stay evenly spread for years, which is why they cost more. A wild silk quilt is the lighter, cheaper choice for summer. A long-strand mulberry silk duvet is the one to buy for year-round use. ![White mulberry silk cocoons next to tan wild silk cocoons on a pale stone surface](https://sensoire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/04-mulberry-and-tussah-cocoons-600x600.webp) Specimen I Wild silk Antheraea, sold as tussah or tussar Silkworm Semi-wild moths reared on forest trees Diet Oak and other forest leaves Fibre Short to medium lengths, thicker and uneven Colour Natural tan to honey Specimen II Mulberry silk Bombyx mori, the domesticated silkworm Silkworm Fully domesticated, bred for its cocoon Diet Mulberry leaves only Fibre One continuous filament, fine and even Colour White ## What Is Wild Silk? Wild silk is the trade name for silk spun by moths that were never fully domesticated. The best known is [tussah](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tussar_silk), also written tussar, from the Antheraea moths of China and India. They feed on oak and other forest trees rather than on mulberry leaves, and the tannins in that diet leave the cocoon a natural tan. The fibre keeps the colour after cleaning. The cocoon is harder than a mulberry cocoon, and the moth is often allowed to break out of it, so the thread arrives in pieces rather than as one long filament. Mills card it into short lengths. For a duvet that means a batting of loose fibres stitched into small compartments to stop it shifting: the classic quilted wild silk summer duvet with a cotton shell. Thicker and a little coarser than mulberry silk, the fibre is still light and breathable, which is why these quilts sell well for warm bedrooms. ![Fine white mulberry silk filaments beside coarser tan wild silk fibre](https://sensoire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/09-mulberry-vs-tussah-silk-filaments-600x600.webp) ## What Is Mulberry Silk? Mulberry silk comes from [Bombyx mori](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombyx_mori), a silkworm bred over thousands of years to eat nothing but mulberry leaves. Its cocoon is white and its thread is one unbroken filament several hundred metres long, fine and round in cross-section. It is the silk behind [22 momme pillowcases and bedding](https://sensoire.com/mulberry-silk-vs-tussah-silk-momme-guide/). ![Long-strand mulberry silk fill showing through the opening of an ivory duvet shell](https://sensoire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/silk-duvet-fill-detail-600x600.webp) A duvet fill is never reeled into thread. The cocoons are softened, opened by hand and stretched over a frame into translucent sheets, which are layered until the fill reaches the chosen weight. Sensoire sorts double cocoons for a fuller loft and uses only [Grade 6A long-strand mulberry silk](https://sensoire.com/product-category/silk-duvets/). Because every strand runs across the width of the duvet, the layers cling to each other. The fill needs no close quilting to stay in place, so it drapes over the body instead of sitting on it, and it does not bunch into the corners. ## Wild Silk vs Mulberry Silk Duvet: The Differences That Matter | Aspect | Wild silk (tussah) | Mulberry silk | | --- | --- | --- | | Fibre length | Wild silkShort, carded lengths | Mulberry silkLong strands, stretched in layers | | Feel and loft | Wild silkFlatter and firmer, a quilted feel | Mulberry silkLofty, drapes close to the body | | Warmth for the weight | Wild silkLight, mostly sold as a summer quilt | Mulberry silkFour weights from summer to winter, loftier for the same weight | | Over the years | Wild silkShort fibres can shift and compress inside the compartments | Mulberry silkLayers hold together, the fill stays even and keeps its loft | | Washing and care | Wild silkSome are stitched tightly enough to be sold as washable at 30 °C | Mulberry silkNever machine washed, aired and spot cleaned inside a washable cover | | Colour and shell | Wild silkTan fill, usually under cotton | Mulberry silkWhite fill, under cotton sateen or pure silk | | Price | Wild silkLower | Mulberry silkHigher: sorting, hand layering and a longer fibre | ## Which Silk Duvet Should You Choose? Choose wild silk if you want a light, inexpensive summer quilt and do not mind a firmer, flatter feel. It is a sensible first silk duvet for a warm flat. A long-strand mulberry silk duvet is the better buy if it has to work all year, if you sleep hot in winter as well as in summer, or if you want the fill to be as even in year ten as on day one. The Sensoire range comes in [summer, mid-season, winter and 4-seasons weights](https://sensoire.com/product-category/silk-duvets/), and its [care routine](https://sensoire.com/how-to-clean-a-silk-duvet/) is a cover, an open window and a little patience rather than a washing machine. Whichever you pick, read the label for the fill. The word silk on its own says nothing about the species or the length of the fibre. ## FAQs About Wild Silk and Mulberry Silk Duvets Is wild silk better than mulberry silk? Neither is better at everything. Wild silk is cheaper and lighter and suits summer. Mulberry silk is finer, longer and white, and it keeps its loft for far longer, which makes it the better fill for a duvet you use all year. Can you wash a wild silk duvet? Some quilted wild silk duvets are sold as machine washable at 30 °C because the short fibres are stitched into small compartments. Check the label of your own duvet. A long-strand mulberry silk fill is never machine washed. Why does a mulberry silk duvet cost more? The cocoons are sorted, opened and stretched by hand, and only long, unbroken strands go into the fill. A wild silk batting is carded by machine from shorter fibre, which takes far less work. Is tussah silk the same as wild silk? Tussah, also spelled tussar, is the most common wild silk and comes from Antheraea moths. Eri and muga are other wild silks. In bedding the terms usually describe the same tan, carded fill. From the Collection ![Box-quilted mulberry silk filled duvet, front view](https://sensoire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/luxury-silk-filled-comforter-front-view-600x600.jpg) Silk duvets [Mulberry Silk Filled Duvet, Box-Quilted](https://sensoire.com/product/mulberry-silk-filled-duvet/) Grade 6A long-strand silk fill held evenly in place by box quilting, under an 80S cotton sateen shell. [View product](https://sensoire.com/product/mulberry-silk-filled-duvet/) ![Ivory mulberry silk duvet, folded](https://sensoire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/sensoire-silk-duvet-folded-ivory-white-piping-600x600.png) Silk duvets [Grade 6A Mulberry Silk Duvet with White Piping](https://sensoire.com/product/mulberry-silk-duvet-white-piping/) Grade 6A long-strand mulberry silk fill under a 100% cotton sateen shell, finished with white piping. [View product](https://sensoire.com/product/mulberry-silk-duvet-white-piping/) ![Ivory silk-filled duvet, folded](https://sensoire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/sensoire-silk-duvet-folded-ivory-black-piping-600x600.png) Silk duvets [Grade 6A Silk Filled Duvet with Black Piping](https://sensoire.com/product/silk-filled-duvet-with-black-piping/) The same Grade 6A long-strand silk fill and cotton sateen shell, finished with black piping. [View product](https://sensoire.com/product/silk-filled-duvet-with-black-piping/) ![Folded ivory mulberry silk duvet on a plain background](https://sensoire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/01-600x600.webp) Silk duvets [Grade 6A Mulberry Silk Duvet, Pure Silk Shell](https://sensoire.com/product/pure-silk-duvet/) Grade 6A long-strand mulberry silk fill inside a 100% pure silk shell, the all-silk version. [View product](https://sensoire.com/product/pure-silk-duvet/)