More about Mattress Firmness
Coil Sprung mattresses and firmness
To fully understand what is meant by the level of support and the firmness of a coil sprung mattress, you need to understand whats meant by the type of coil construction, the coil count and the coil gauge.
Coil count is the number of springs placed in the mattress. It is commonly accepted that the more springs, the more comfort and support as a coil sprung mattress relies essentially on the number of springs which push back against your body. But in terms of quality, a coil count superior to 540 tends to be lower as a high coil count means that the springs have a small diameter and this will probably affect the firmness level of the mattress.
To give you a rough idea when purchasing a coil mattress, a double size mattress should have at least 300 coils, a queen size about 400 coils and a King Size mattress about 480 coils.
Ideally you should look for a mattress with a coil count between 312 and 540.
It is also important to look at the coil gauge which measures the thickness of the springs inside the mattress. The lower the number, the thicker the wire used for the springs. The thickness of the coils directly affects the firmness of a mattress since a low coil gauge will make the mattress springier than a heavy coil gauge. We usually consider a mattress as firm when the coil gauge is around 12, like for example our Vogue Edward Ortho Support Mattress constructed with a firm 12.5 gauge orthopaedic spring unit. A wire thickness around 13 or more makes the mattress softer but still supportive enough to provide you with a good night’s sleep.
Therefore when choosing the level of support and firmness of your next mattress, you can consider the number of coils of the mattress as well as the thickness of the wire to find the right balance which will match your comfort preferences.
When choosing support and firmness of your next mattress, bear in mind that:
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- The more the coils there are, the more support
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- The higher number of coils, the thicker the springs
Memory foam mattresses and firmness
You may have noticed measurement in density and ILD ratings (Identification Load Deflection) when shopping for a memory foam mattress. These two indicators affect indeed the level of firmness of a memory foam mattress. Let’s take a look closer.
The density is a good indicator to describe quality and durability of memory foam. A high density foam has more pressure relieving support and is more durable. The higher the density of the memory foam layer, the heavier the memory foam will be. When manufacturers talk about density in product material descriptions, they actually refer to the top visco elastic memory foam, commonly called memory foam, rather than the base layer which is usually made from polyurethane foam.
ILD rating: it gives information about the firmness of a foam. It is considered that the higher the number, the firmer the feel.
Knowing that, it is quite difficult to figure out what the firmness level of a memory foam mattress is basing on the memory foam ILD ratings (Identification Load Deflection) and density only. Memory Foam ILD gives indeed information about how springy the foam is but as mattress constructions are getting more and more sophisticated, the firmness of a mattress depends more on the core structure.
The best indicator remains manufacturer’s ratings.
Feel free to also ask our team of experts at Only Mattresses.
