Adjustable Bed: A bed built with adjustable motors to change the angle of the sleepers’ body and allows for most comfortable sleeping position.
Airbed: A bed built with numerous motors that pump air into the mattress bladders and allow for adjustments in the firmness level of the mattress.
Avena Foam: An alternative to natural latex that offers more durability.
Adjustable Base Compatibility: It refers to the ability of a mattress to bend.
Air Chamber: These are the sections inside an Airbed designed to hold air.
Alaska King: It is a mattress size measuring 9 feet by 9 feet.
Alberta King: It is a mattress measuring 8 feet by 8 feet.
Allergen: A substance that causes allergies.
Anti-Microbial: It is a mattress that has been treated in order to prevent the growth of dust, mites, fungus, bacteria and mold.
B
Bed in a Box: An online ordered mattress that is delivered in a box.
Bed Sore: A painful area on the skin caused due to prolonged lying on the bed with little movement.
Blended Latex: A mixture of natural and synthetic latex.
Bonnell Coils: The most common type of mattress spring, coiled in hourglass shape to allow for flexibility and support. It is cheap and less durable.
Bonnell Units: A combination of Bonnell Coils that are laced together at cross wire helical.
Border Rod: It is a solid wire that runs along the perimeter of a box spring.
Bounce: The amount in which a mattress pushes back in response to applied pressure.
Box Spring: The base of a mattress filled with springs to prevent frequent wear and tear.
Buckling Column Gel: It is a polymer which is well ventilated; used for providing good comfort and support.
Bamboo Fabric: It is an organic, anti-microbial and a soft feeling fabric that prevents accumulation sweat and moisture.
Batting: It refers to the filling that makes quilts warm and heavy. It is also known as wadding.
Bed Frame: It is designed to elevate the mattress from the floor and to provide support. These are generally made of wood or metal.
Biodegradable: It is the ability of a substance to break down into non-toxic matter after its expiry.
Bladder: It is the chamber in a waterbed to hold water.
Bunkie Board: It is a stiff, thin board that is placed under a mattress.
C
California King: This is the largest size of mattresses available in market. The measurements are 72”x 84”.
Circadian Rhythm: The natural body-clock that makes one stay alert during the day and tired at night.
Closed Cell Foam: These are dense foams made up of cells that are disconnected from each other. These foams offer high compressive strength.
Coil: They are high density steel wires that are curved. They compress and expand depending upon the pressure applied.
Coil Count: It is the number of coils present in the mattress.
Coil Density: This is the number of coils present in a mattress per square foot.
Coil Gauge: It is the thickness of the wire that makes up a coil.
Comfort Layer: The amount of cushioning that is offered on top of an innerspring mattress’ support core.
Continuous Coils: This is a mattress’ coil system made from a single S shaped coil; allows for the coil system to work as a single unit and provides support.
Contouring: The amount of conformation a mattress offers as a response to the pressure applied and shape of the body.
California Queen: It is a mattress size which is larger than the regular Queen size, measuring 60”x 84”.
Certified Organic: This refers to a product that has at least 95% of organic materials and is free of harmful chemicals.
Coil-on-Coil: These are two layers of coils on top of each other, designed in order to provide comfort.
Comfort Guarantee: This means that one may return a mattress for another, but shall not get a refund.
Convoluted Foam: Similar to the Egg Crate Foam, it is a type of foam resembling the egg cartons. It is soft and has raised bumps throughout.
Core: It refers to the support layer of a mattress.
Cotton: It is the natural fiber that is used in many mattresses.
Cotton Felt: It is a thin roll of carded cotton or cotton wool mix that is placed between thin paper layers.
Crib Mattress: These mattresses have a water-resistant cover and are used in baby cribs.
Crown: It is when a mattress lifts up in the center; i.e., the highest point of the mattress.
Cushioning: These are the layers made up of foam, cotton, latex and several other materials that are found between the insulation and quilting in an innerspring mattress.
Cushioning Depth: It refers to the amount of “sinking-in” feeling that a mattress offers.
D
Damask: It is a fabric encasing the outside of a mattress in order to protect the materials and the shape of the mattress.
Daybed: It is a convertible couch that can become sofa during the day and bed at night.
Differential Construction: A technique that differentiates between the upper and lower layers of a mattress. The upper layer provides support and comfort while the lower layer prevents the body from sinking into the mattress.
Double: The second smallest mattress size. Its measurements are 53” x 75”.
Dunlop: This is the simpler version of the latex mattress production technique. In this, latex is simply poured into a mold, fired up, cleaned and dried to produce new mattress.
Durability: The span of time during which a mattress performs at its peak with proper care.
Density: It is a measurement of weight over volume; it tells how durable or firm a mattress is. It is expressed in pounds per square foot.
Deep Compression Support: These mattresses are generally thicker. They measure how well a mattress adapts to a heavy sleeper.
Double-ended Frame: It is a frame that uses a headboard and a footboard.
Double Extra-Long: It is a bed size measuring 54”x 80”.
Double Heat Tempering: It refers to the continuous heating and cooling of coils to make them more resilient.
Dust Mites: These are microscopic beings that live within mattresses and pillows and feed on dead skin cells. They often cause allergies.
E
Edge Guard: It is the foam padding of the mattress around the perimeter that prevents the mattress from sagging.
Edge Support: It is the amount of firmness of a mattress near its edges that prevents the mattress from sinking in.
Edge Stabilization: Same as Edge Support, it is the amount for firmness of a mattress near its edges that prevents the mattress from sinking in.
Egg Crate Foam: A type of foam resembling the egg cartons. It is soft and has raised bumps throughout.
Elasticity: The ability of a material to revert to its original shape after the applied pressure is removed.
Electric Bed: Similar to Adjustable Bed, it is a bed built with adjustable motors to change the angle of the sleepers’ body and allows for most comfortable sleeping position.
Encased Springs: These are individually wrapped coils that interact with the sleepers’ body. They help in minimizing motion transfer and offer more comfort.
Encasement: It is an air-tight sleeve that protects the mattress from stains and prevents spilling.
Euro Top: This is a thin, additional padded layer attached firmly on top of a mattress.
Ease of Repositioning: It refers to how easily one can change positions in the bed.
Eastern King: It is also known as the King size of mattress measuring 76”x 80”.
Edge Breakdown: This refers to the loss of edge support in a mattress that increases the chances of slipping off while sitting or lying near the edges.
Edge Coils: These are the additional coils present near the edges of a mattress to provide more edge support.
Egyptian Cotton: These are the stronger and more fibrous variety of cotton that are softer than other varieties.
F
Firm: The feel of a mattress with lesser softness, offered to prevent the “sinking-in” feeling.
Firmness: The relative softness of a mattress that the user experiences under their body.
Foundation: This is a wooden, fabric-covered frame designed specially to support the mattress.
Full: Same as Double size, it is the second smallest mattress size. Its measurements are 53” x 75”.
Futon: It is a sack filled with padding and may be used as a sofa or a mattress.
Fatigue: It is when a mattress is no longer able to bear a person due to degradation of the materials.
Fiber Filling: It is generally used in pillows and mattress toppers. It is made by exploding polyester fibers into fluffy clusters.
Fill Level: It refers to the depth of the bladder in a waterbed.
Fire Retardant: It is a standard for fire resistance.
Fire Sock: It is a section near the core of a mattress that will melt when the mattress catches fire and will extinguish the fire eventually.
Flipping: It is the process of turning over the mattresses in order to prevent wear and tear.
Foam: This is an alternative to innerspring mattresses. They include memory foam, polyurethane or latex.
Foam Core: It is a section below the top layers of a mattress that acts as the main support system.
Foam Encasing: It is the stiff portion outside the edge of the mattress. It helps in providing more edge support.
Footboard: This is the board connecting the foot of a bed frame.
Free Flow: It is the waterbed that has no motion dampeners.
Full Extra Long: This is a mattress size that is 5” longer than the regular Full size.
G
Gauge: Same as Coil Gauge, it is the thickness of the wire that makes up a coil.
Give: The responsive extent to which a mattress compresses when weight is applied.
Gusset: These are the squared edges of a pillow or a comforter that add strength to the edges of the mattress.
H
Hand Feel: It is the sensation that is experienced upon touching the mattress by hand.
Heatiness: This is the amount of heat trapped in a mattress.
Helical Lacing: These are the wires that connect the mattress coils together.
Hug: This is the ability of a mattress to sink beneath the body to offer comfort while sleeping.
Hybrid Mattress: It is the type of mattress having features of both innerspring and foam mattresses: It has an innerspring coil base and memory foam or latex padding at the top.
Hypoallergenic: This feature prevents mattresses from accumulating allergens over time.
Headboard: It refers to the board attached at the head of a mattress at a 90 degree angle.
High Density Foam: It is a more durable foam type that compresses less when pressure is applied.
Hydraulic Waterbed: This is a type of mattress that has chambers within the bladder that enable water to move from one chamber to another, resulting in reduced motion transfer.
I
Indentation Load Deflection (ILD): It is the measurement of firmness of a memory foam. It is calculated by the amount of pressure required to indent a piece of 4” thick memory foam by 25% across 50 square inches.
Indentation Force Deflection (IFD): It is similar to ILD except for the units used in its measurement.
Innerspring: It is the most common variety of mattress, having coil core at the bottom and comfort layers on the top.
Insulator: This is the bottom most layer of a mattress. This layer separates the innerspring from the rest of the mattress.
Independent Coils: These are the independently functioning coils found in an innerspring mattress. They are known for reducing motion transfer.
Inner Quilt: This is the layer of quilting where a pillow top is attached.
K
King: This is the second largest mattress size, measuring 76” x 80”.
King Split: It is a bed having two Twin Extra Long Mattresses that measure 30”x 80”.
Knit: It is a type of fabric that is softer and used in mattress covers.
L
Latex Mattress: These mattresses are more expensive and are made either chemically or from the sap of rubber tree. It is an alternative to memory foam mattresses.
Law Tag: It is a tag written on the bottom side of all the mattresses reading “Do not remove this tag under penalty of law”. This statement is applied only for the manufacturers and is a proof of purchase for the consumers.
Loft: It refers to the height of padding in a mattress.
Low-Profile Foundation: It is a thin foundation used with a thick mattress to ensure the bed is of normal height.
Luxury Mattress: It is a mattress that generally costs $2,000 or more for a Queen size.
M
Manufacturing Defect: It refers to the flaw in the mattress from the manufacturers’ end.
Marshall Coils: These are individually wrapped coils that interact with the sleepers’ body. They help in minimizing motion transfer and offer more comfort.
Mattress Protector: Same as Encasement, it is an air-tight sleeve that protects the mattress from stains and spills.
Memory Foam: It is the second most common mattress type after innerspring mattresses. It provides more support and consists of foam layers that sink in response to heat and pressure.
Micro-Coils: These are minute coils used in mattress toppers along with foam.
Middle Upholstery: This is the largest component present in mattress’s comfort layers. It offers an increased comfort to the sleeper.
Migration: It refers to the displacement of mattress fibers, away from the place where the sleeper usually sleeps.
Motion Isolation: This refers to a mattress’s movement absorption ability.
Motion Transfer: This is the transfer of movement from one part to another within the mattress.
Memory Foam Gel: It is a gel layer added to mattresses to slow down the process of heating.
Mulesing-Free Wool: It is a process done to prevent infection in Merino sheep.
Multi-Needle Quilting: It is a quilting process that involves the use of multiple needles. It is also known as Continuous Quilting.
Murphy Bed: It is a type of bed that can be folded and kept vertically.
N
No-flip Mattress: This refers to those mattresses that do not require overturning after certain intervals.
O
Off-Gassing: It is the period after taking a mattress out of its box. During this time, the mattress remains smelly due to the release of certain compounds into the air.
Offset Coils: These are hourglass shaped coils having squared heads. They are linked together with Helical Lacing.
Open Cell Foam: These are less dense foam layers that are more breathable and prevent growth of molds.
Organic Mattress: Mattresses which are made up of natural, non-toxic materials and have fewer chemicals involved during the making.
Out-Gassing: Similar to Off-Gassing; it is the period after taking a mattress out of its box. During this time, the mattress remains smelly due to the release of certain compounds into the air.
Olympic Queen: It is a larger variant of the Queen Size mattress which measures 66”x 80”.
P
Pillow Top Mattress: These are mattresses having an additional padded layer on top in order to make the mattress softer and thicker.
Pitch: This is the angle of the coils in a mattress relative to the top of the mattress.
Plush: Soft
Pocket Coils: These are individually wrapped coils that interact with the sleepers’ body. They help in minimizing motion transfer and offer more comfort.
Polyfoam: They are the cheapest and lowest quality of foam, which are used as mattress toppers; (especially in egg crate mattress toppers).
Pounds Per Cubic Foot (PCF): It is the measurement of the density of memory foam.
Pressure Point: This refers to the part of body that feels uncomfortable while lying down.
Progressive Construction: It is a mattress design technique that makes the mattress feel firmer as one sinks deeper into the mattress.
Prorating: It refers to the percentage of a purchase’s original cost which is charged after certain intervals if the buyer wishes to purchase a replacement of the original product.
Pedestal: It is a part of the waterbed’s foundation.
Polybrominated Diphyenylethers (PBDEs): These are the type of chemicals that act as retardants in foams or other materials.
Phthalates: It is a type of chemical that is used to soften plastics used in baby mattresses.
Pima Cotton: It is a variety of cotton grown in the US that is softer and has an extra-long staple.
Pincore Holes: It refers to the holes present in latex mattresses that make the mattress softer.
Platform Bed: This refers to a mattress placed on a foundation. It is also called as Cabin Bed.
Posturized: It refers to the support at the center of the bed that prevents sagging.
Prorated Warranty: It is the warranty that does not cover the full price or replacement price after a certain interval of time.
Q
Queen: This is the most common and popular mattress size measuring 60” x 80”.
Quilting: This is the topmost layer of a mattress that offers breathability, fire resistance, and regulation of temperature.
Queen Split: This involves two mattresses each measuring 30”x 80”.
R
Recovery Time: The amount of time taken by a mattress to revert to its original shape after it has been compressed.
Resilience: It is the measure of the foam’s ability to revert back to its original shape after it has been compressed.
Responsiveness: It is the time taken by the foam to react to applied heat and pressure; which means how long the mattress takes to respond to the body shape of the user.
Recycled Content: It is the part of a product that has been re-used.
Recycled Material: These are the materials that have been processed to produce new materials.
Renewable: These are the materials that are capable of renewing themselves naturally.
Repositioning: It refers to the process of changing positions while sleeping at night.
S
Sagging: It refers to the chances of the top layers of mattresses to bend inwards with repeated use over a period of time.
Single:Same as the Twin size, it is the smallest size of a mattress available in the market. Its measurements are 38”x75”.
Sinkage: It is the tendency of a mattress to sink beneath the sleepers’ body to offer more comfort.
Single Coil System: It is the same as Bonnell Coils; these are the most common types of mattress spring, coiled in an hourglass shape to allow for flexibility and support. It is cheap and less durable.
Sleeping Hot: It refers to feeling uncomfortably hot while sleeping, which leads to poor quality of sleep.
Support: It is the ability of a mattress to exert comfortable pressure that helps in maintaining natural spinal alignment while lying on the mattress.
Support Layer: This is same as the Comfort Layer; it is the amount of cushioning that is offered on top of an innerspring mattress’ support core.
Safety Liner: It is the liner that surrounds the bladder in a waterbed.
Self-Inflating: This is a type of air or foam bed that can be compressed and folded up.
Semi-Fowler Position: It is a resting position with the back at 45 degree angle with the legs.
Semi-Waveless:It is a water bed that has a bladder made with little material in order to reduce movement of water.
Set: It refers to the combination of a mattress and a foundation.
Single Extra Long: It is a mattress size that measures 38”x 80”.
Slatted Base: It is a base designed to put mattress. The base is made up of wooden planks or slats.
Smooth Top: It is a cover that is not quilted.
Soft-sided Waterbed: A type of waterbed that encases its bladder in foam.
Spring Wire: These are the wires used in making coils for innerspring mattresses.
Super Single: It is a mattress size measuring 48”x 84”.
Synthetic: It is a man-made process involving the use of chemical.
T
Talalay: This is the more complex Latex Mattress production process as compared to the production of Dunlop Latex.
Thread Count:It refers to the number of horizontal and vertical threads in a square inch of fabric. The more is the thread count, the softer is the fabric.
Ticking: Similar to Damask, it is a fabric encasing the outside of a mattress in order to protect the materials and the shape of the mattress.
Tight Top: It is a mattress without any pillow-like padding on the top; it has a thick layer of upholstery.
Topper: This refers to an extra layer of padding that may be added to the top layer of the mattress to enhance comfort.
Trial Period:It refers to the period of time after which a mattress may be returned either for free or after paying a small amount.
Twin: Similar to the Single size, it is the smallest size of a mattress available in the market. Its measurements are 38”x75”.
Tape Edge: It is the seam running along the edges of the mattress.
Temperature: It is how warm a mattress can get during the night.
Tempering: It is the process of heating a coil to increase its strength.
Torsion Bars: These are the bars inside the foundation set at an angle of 90 degrees. These bars are placed to absorb pressure.
Trundle Bed: It is a bed that has another bed underneath it.
Twin Extra Long: It is a size of mattress that measures 39”x 80”.
U
Ultra Soft: These are the mattresses that are extremely soft in feel and rate between 2 and 3 on the 1-10 firmness scale.
Uncoil System: Same as the Bonnell Unit, it is the combination of Bonnell Coils that are laced together at cross wire helicals.
Universal Comfort Mattress: This refers to a mattress that suits nearly every sleeper’s preferences. These mattresses generally rate between 5 and 7 on the 1-10 firmness scale.
Upholstery Layers: Similar to Comfort Layers, it is the amount of cushioning that is offered on the top of an innerspring mattress’ support core.
Upward Thrust: It is the ability of a mattress to exert comfortable pressure that helps in maintaining the natural spinal alignment while lying on the mattress.
V
Viscoelastic: It is the main component of memory foam which softens upon getting heated.
Ventilator: These are the eyelets on the side of mattresses that enable movement of air.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): These are the products that enable off-gassing.
W
Warranty: It refers to the guaranteed replacement of a defective mattress by the company within the stated period of time.
Waterbed: It is a type of mattress that consists of water for support instead of foams or innersprings.
White Glove Delivery: It refers to the non bed-in-a-box online purchase of a mattress. In this system, a crew is sent to set up the mattress as per the buyer’s specifications.
Wrapped Coils: Similar to Pocket Coils, these are individually wrapped coils that interact with the sleepers’ body. They help in minimizing motion transfer and offer more comfort.
Z
Zoned Construction: This refers to the varied levels of firmness at different zones within the mattress to offer more comfort to the user while sleeping.
