Pocket spring bed

There are two main types of spring system for a bed and mattress. They are known as the continuous coil or inner spring and the pocket spring.

The inner spring is, as its “continuous coil” name suggests, made from a single continuous wire that is formed into coils (springs) that produce the structure for a mattress. You can find out more about continuous coil beds here - inner spring beds, however the pocket spring mattress is a far superior system.

What are pocket springs

Unlike the inner spring, where every spring is a continuation of the same wire, a pocket spring bed or mattress is made up from individual springs, each made from a single strand or coil of wire.

Each one of these separate springs is then placed in a fabric pocket that holds it in place and keeps it totally independent of all of the other springs.

The springs themselves vary in both size and wire thickness (gauge) and they are slightly barrel shaped, i.e. wider in the middle than at the top and bottom. This helps with stability and compression.

The beauty of the pocket spring or pocket sprung bed is that every single spring works, compresses and flexes independently of all of its neighbours. This means that the movement of one spring does not affect the movement of another and this gives the bed a superior feel. In other words, the movements of one sleeper will not affect or cause mattress movements in the area occupied by a second sleeper in the same bed.

All spring based beds claiming to be orthopedic beds will have pocket springs and not inner springs.

Spring counts, gauges, tensions, turns (twists) and sizes

If you want to delve further into pocket spring systems and how they work, then the next step is to consider the characteristics of the springs and the effects that they have on mattress performance.

Spring counts are normally quote for pocket spring mattresses and what the count relates to is how many springs would be present in a standard double bed. This means that (normally) the spring count quoted for a single, double and king sized bed of the same model will be the same, e.g. 1800.

The number of springs is not however the only important factor. The wire thickness or gauge indicates the strength and also the flexibility of the springs. This figure may or may not be quoted by a bed manufacturer.

The springs performance will not only be determined by its spring count and gauge, but also by the tension of the springs and the number of turns or coils in each spring. It is a combination of all of these factors that ultimately determines how a bed will feel and this means that having a high spring count is only one of the factors to consider.

So what should you look for in a pocket spring bed?

There are no rules, however you can be assured that the spring count in a pocket sprung bed will be higher than that in a continuous coil mattress.

As a general guide, the higher the spring count, the smaller the springs, and the smaller the springs, the more independent the different areas of the bed will be. Even so, this does not necessarily mean that beds with massive spring counts are more comfortable and supportive than those with lower spring counts. Nor does it mean that high spring count beds are firmer or harder. The other characteristics like gauge and twists play a role in how the bed feels and how springy it is.

Most very basic pocket spring beds will have a minimum spring count of around 800. Beds with a lower spring count will generally be of the inner spring variety.

Spring counts of 800 to about 1300-1400 are normally medium to firm in feel, whilst spring counts that exceed about 1800 are typically firm to hard. Even so, you can buy a bed with a spring count of 3000 that still has a very soft and flexing feel and again this is down to spring gauge and twists.

Most orthopedic beds will have spring counts of 1600 or more as this ensures a higher level of support from more active springs. Many orthopedic beds will however have much higher counts.

Multiple zone beds

To complicate matters still further, it is also possible to have a bed where the mattress is divided up into different zones and where each zone has different pocket springs, (i.e. sizes and gauges etc).

The idea behind this is to have firmer less flexing springs in the centre of the bed, where the hips and torso are, and softer more flexible springs at the beds head, sides and foot, where the arms and legs are. The intention is that the spring design compensates for the different pressure levels that the varying parts of the body place on the bed and this produces what feels like a consistent level of support across the mattress surface.

Alternatives to the pocket spring bed are memory foam bed, latex foam beds and composite material and construction beds, all can be orthopedic in quality.