BedtimeReview's Glossary of Common and Uncommon Mattress Terms
How complicated can mattresses get? Well, with a product that dates all the way back to some 77,000 years ago, there has been quite a bit of time to work on making mattresses better. What started as something thrown down on the floor, eventually evolved to bedding that was stuffed with straw, feathers, or horse hair. And today, we talk about mattress technology and the science that supports making mattresses a highly refined and tailored process that seeks to bring comfort to a wide range of sleepers and all their distinct needs. And with that, have come many industry terms that a serious mattress shopper should be familiar with.
On this page, you'll find the definitions of some industry terms that are more common, as well as uncommon.
Cushion depth – How much pressure you can apply to a mattress before meeting any noticeable resistance from the deeper layers that support the softer top layers of the mattress.
Euro Top / Pillow Top – Euro-tops are sewn on flush with the edges of the mattress, rather than to the top of the mattress. Because of this, mattresses with Euro-tops appear more flat and neatly stacked, while pillow tops appear more rounded. Euro-tops feel a bit more firm around the edges, with more cushioning towards the center of the bed.
Feel – How soft or firm a bed is, how responsive it is to touch, and how quickly it returns to its natural shape after pressure is relieved from it.
Off-gassing – Letting a bed-in-a-box mattress air out after letting it inflate causes VOC to enter into the air. It is recommended to do this in a well-ventilated space. Gases are usually mostly harmless but could be an irritant to people with allergies.
Polyfoam – A rigid, semirigid, or rubbery foam composed of minute bubbles of air or carbon dioxide embedded in polymer, often polyurethane.
IFD – Indention force deflection is a measurable representation of how firm or soft the surface of a piece of foam feels. Also known as ILD (initial load deflection), IFD expresses comfort level as a number. The higher the number, the firmer the foam feels.
VOC - Volatile Organic Compounds are a broad classification of organic compounds that may escape a product (usually when its new) and enter into the air, in a process known as off-gassing. Breathing these in isn't recommended, and may be harmful to your health.
Talalay Latex - Latex produced by injecting liquid latex rubber into a hollow container, which functions as a mold. The container is partially filled, vacuumed, moderately heated, frozen and, then, fully heated. These processes make the latex rubber expand without being over-compressed. Talalay latex is aerated and, therefore, retains less heat. It's also cushy and bouncy. Its major disadvantage is that it's less durable than Dunlop latex.
Dunlop Latex - Latex which is produced by pouring liquid latex rubber into a mold filling it out completely. It's then cooked by hot steam. This process, which is known as vulcanization, makes the latex solidify and become highly dense. Dunlop latex is springy and highly responsive. It delivers strong supportive bounce and adds durability to the mattress.
Open Cell Foam - Foam whose cells (internal pockets) are only partially sealed. Polyurethane is an example of open cell foam. Due to being highly breathable, open cell foam effectively regulates temperature. It also enables faster off-gassing.
Coil Gauge - A numeric value indicating the firmness of a coil. The lower the number, the thicker and firmer the coil is. A coil gauge of 12 -13 gives a firm feel making the mattress highly supportive and, therefore, ideal for plus-size sleepers . A coil gauge of 16 and higher is found in soft mattresses designed to provide pressure relieving contouring.
Graphite Infused Memory Foam - Combining memory foam with graphite is the latest and one of the most effective methods used in the mattress industry to regulate temperature. Graphite has high thermal conductivity, which assists in dispersing excess heat enabling people to sleep cooler.
Zoned Support - Different firmness levels across the surface of the mattress designed to target specific areas in sleepers' body and deliver optimal orthopedic support. Zoned support also reinforces certain sections in the mattress creating desired effects. For example, coils which are reinforced around the perimeter provide better edge support.
Responsiveness - The way materials react to pressure. Responsive materials resume their former state fast after being pressured, which makes them elastic and bouncy. Latex is usually more responsive than foam and so enables sleepers to change their sleeping positions more easily.
Break-in Period - The minimum amount of time sleepers are demanded to try their newly purchased mattress before it can be returned for a full refund. Most companies have a break-in period of no less than 30 nights, which they consider to be what is required to find out if the mattress meets sleepers' needs and preferences.
White Glove Delivery - A service provided by mattress companies. It consists of setting up the newly purchased mattress and usually removing the old one. Not all companies offer this service and those who do may charge extra for it.
Pocketed Coils - Coils that are individually encased and, therefore, move independently of each other. Pocketed coils have lower capacity for motion transfer and so isolate sleepers' movements better than traditional innerspring mattresses. Today, most hybrid mattresses use this type of coils.
Hybrid Mattresses - Mattresses which contain steel coils in their support layer and foam, latex or both in their comfort and transition layers.
Microcoils - A thin coil system (1''-3'') added to a mattress' comfort or transition layer in order to provide extra bounce and enable free circulation of air to reduce heat retention.
Celliant - A textile which converts heat into infrared energy. This energy is reflected at sleepers' body stimulating blood flow and increasing oxygen levels, which soothe the muscles and joints and relieve everyday aches and pains.
Convoluted Foam - Foam whose structure is characterized by peaks and valleys. This is why it's also called egg crate foam. This foam is lighter than most other types of foam and is highly aerated providing better moisture wicking and creating a cooler sleep environment.
Motion Transfer - the amount of kinetic energy which is generated by sleepers movements and is transferred throughout the mattress. The more contouring and less responsive a mattress is, the less motion it transfers.
Trial - The time frame that allows buyers to return a mattress from the moment it was delivered to them and get a refund. most trial periods last from three months to one year.
Contouring - How well a mattress can mold to a sleeper's body preventing the accumulation of pressure. Foam mattresses tend to be more contouring than latex mattress as foam is less responsive than latex.
Edge Support - How firm the mattress is around its perimeter. A mattress with low edge support will tend to sag when sleepers lie away from the center making them feel less secure. Mattresses with coils are usually characterized by more stable edges.
Sinkage - How deeply a sleeper plunges into the mattress. Sinkage is a function of sleeper's weight and mattress' firmness level. The softer a mattress is, the more contouring and sinkable it becomes.
PCF (Pounds per Cubic Foot) - A figure used to measure the density, and therefore, the hardness of foam material. Measuring is carried out by dividing weight by volume. For example, a piece of foam which weighs 100 pounds and measures 20 cubic feet will have a density of 5 PCF. The higher the PCF is, the heavier and harder the material will become since its cells are more closely packed.
| Material | Low Density | Medium Density | High Density |
| Latex | Lower than 4.3 PCF | 4.3 - 5.5 PCF | Higher than 5.3 PCF |
| Memory Foam | Lower than 3 PCF | 3 - 5 PCF | Higher than 5 PCF |
| Poly Foam | Lower than 1.5 PCF | 1.5 - 1.7 PCF | Higher than 1.7 PCF |
SMT (Surface Modification Technology) - A technology through which a foam surface is manufactured using separate channels to distribute sleepers' weight more evenly across the mattress and provide superior pressure relief.
Continuous Pour Technology - an innovative manufacturing technology of latex meant to facilitate a more even distribution of particles preventing the accumulation of these particles on the bottom. The effect is lighter a softer Dunlop latex which more closely resembles Talalay latex in its ability to provide pressure relieving bounce.
Relevant Standards and Certifications
GREENGUARD - Products that have achieved this certification meet some of the world’s most rigorous third-party chemical emissions standards, helping to reduce indoor air pollution and the risk of chemical exposure (such as by only allowing a low amount of VOC emissions).
CertiPUR-US – A certification for foams that administered by a not-for-profit organization. When a mattress has this certification, it means that it contains foams and that none of them are hazardous to your health in any way and that they are made without ozone depleters.
Oeko-Tex – This institute certifies many different products and materials, some of which are related to mattresses, but is usually mentioned for the fabrics in a mattress - the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification assures that the textiles in the mattress are of high quality and are harmless to human health.
GOTS - The Global organic Textile Standard, or GOTS, is another standard for textile products that ensures that any organic textiles within the mattress are harmless to human health and that their manufacturing process is environmentally and socially responsible.
GOLS - When it comes to mattresses, this certification is important if they contain organic Latex foam - which is outside the scope of the CertiPUR certification. It certifies that the manufacturing process of the latex is sustainable and that it was made without the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides or GMOs, that the foam is mainly made out of actual organic latex drawn from tree sap, and that it is harmless to human health.
Buying a mattress for comfort and to get a good night's sleep is important to you. And it's important to us that we are doing good work in helping you decide which is the best mattress for you. We hope that you find what you are looking for on our mattress review site.
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