Body Impressions
Sometimes referred to as "Comfort Dimples" This is the normal compressions of the comfort layers as they lose resilience over a period of time. It can often be mistaken for "sagging".

Bonnell Coil
Designed with an hourglass shape, this coil’s largest diameter is at the top and bottom of the coil and tapers towards the center. Common innerspring units using the Bonnell coils are 252, 312, and 364 full size units.

Box
Designed to support the mattress. It is also referred to as a foundation.

Border Panel
The material on the sides and ends of a mattress.

Border Rod
The side edges of an innerspring unit or box spring that the springs or modules are attached to.

Bunkie
A twin size mattress that has a frame or platform attached used in bunk beds.

Bunkie Board
A platform base or board covered with material and used under a twin size mattress in a bunk bed.

California King
A mattress that measures 72” wide by 84” long.

Center Rail
A support beam running head to foot down the middle of a frame for added support. A center rail is mandatory for queen and King sized sleep sets. Can also refer to the center slat running head to foot in a box spring.

Clipped Border Rod
A Border rod attached to coils by a steel clip as opposed to a small spun helical wire.

Coil Count
The number of innerspring coils in a mattress. Most often quoted in a queen Size (until recently this was almost always a full size) Some retailers quote coil counts for the size the customer is purchasing this can be misleading.

Comfort Layers
The layers of material in a mattress that provide the comfortable surface feel, usually multiple layers of foam and synthetic fibers.

Continuous Coil
These are entire rows of coils made from a single wire running head to toe or side to side.

Convoluted Foam
Egg crate shaped (hills and valleys) This foam is used most in plush or pillow top models to provide comfort. Designed for hospital use it helps reduce pressure points and can allow for better circulation or blood flow.


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Damask
Woven fabric produced on a loom. Its design or pattern is woven into the fabric.

Density
The Measure of weight per cubic foot of foam. Density is independent of firmness but is considered an important element of quality.

Double Bed
Also known as a full size or regular size sleep set measuring 54” wide by 75” long.

Double Tempered
Also referred to as dual tempered this is a process that allows the compressed coil return to its original profile.

Durability
The length of time that a sleep set will last. It is determined by the construction and materials used.


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Edge Coils
Some manufactures offer extra or heavier gauge coils along the perimeter of the sleep set

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Firmness
A very generic term used in bedding world. For some Firmness is a comfort term synonymous with hardness. For others it is a structural term associated with the support of the innerspring.

Foundation
The bottom part of a sleep set which gives the mattress support and durability. Also referred to as a box spring.

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Gauge
The thickness measure of the wire/steel used in an innerspring. The smaller the number the heavier the wire or steel.

GERS
The point of sale operating system used by Mattress Warehouse and Sleep Outfitters.

Grid
The steel wire assembly that forms the top surface of a boxspring.


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Hand Tied
The process of lacing the coils or springs together with twine, all done by hand.

Helical
Wire spirals used to hold together rows of coils or attach innersprings to the border rod.


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Innerspring Unit
The spring and wire unit made up of coils, helical’s and border rods forming the heart of a mattress.

Insulator
A tough fiber pad, wire or netting that separates the innerspring from the upholstery layers in a mattress.


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King Bed
A king sized mattress set measuring 78” wide by 80” long.


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Latex
A natural foam product made from a rubber tree often used in ultra premium sleep sets.

Loft
A general term used to describe the height or thickness of fiber material.


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Marshall Coil
A type of innerspring made of individual coils encased in a synthetic fiber or pockets then attached to a perimeter border wire.

Multi Needle Quilt
The common quilting process where multiple needles are used to stitch the upholstery layers together.


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Off Set Coil
Similar in shape to the Bonnell coil but there is a squared off section at the top and bottom to prevent turning. Some manufactures use double or triple off set coil designs.

Olympic Queen
A sleep set measuring 66” wide by 80” long. Introduced in 2000 by Simmons by using a standard queen boxspring and a platform can be used on a traditional queen size bed.


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Pillowtop
A top finishing treatment on mattress’ in which a pillow like soft material is attached to the top of a mattress.

Platform Bed
A bed consisting of head and footboard with a rigid platform for the mattress to rest on with no box spring used.

Plush
A term used to describe a finish treatment where much of the upholstery layers are loosely stitched producing a softer sleeping surface.

Posturized
A term created by the bedding industry to describe additional support in the center portion of the innerspring.


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Quilt
The top layers of upholstery that are stitched together with Dacron or other fibers and foams.

Queen Mattress
A Queen size sleep set measures 60” wide by 80” long.


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Resilience
To spring back. A term used to describe a property of a spring unit or upholstery layer.


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Sagging
A structural effect of wear causing loss of support and indentation on the surface of an innerspring mattress. Often confused with the normal settling of upholstery layers defined as body impressions.

Support
A quality sleep set provides support- the ability to bear weight for a restful sleep.


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Tack and Jump
A quilting process where stitching is in specific areas and not connected as in multi needle quilting. It creates a more tufted look and allows the upholstery layers to rise to a fuller loft.

Tape Edge
The seam that is stitched to connect the border panels to the top quilt panels of the mattress.

Ticking
The outer fabric covering a sleep set. These fabrics are made of woven fibers called Damask, cotton fibers called chintzes or polyester fibers called knits.

Torsion Bars
Heavy wire elements usually bent at 90-degree angles used in place of springs in a boxspring.

Twin Bed
Also known as a single bed. A twin bed measures 39” wide by 75” long.


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Visco Elastic Foam
A high quality, high density, heat sensitive resilient foam sometimes called “memory” or “slow recovery” foam.


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