GLOSSARY OF TERMS

When you begin to shop for a new bed, you may hear words or terms you are not familiar with. Though most mattress models have variations in construction methods, they typically have a number of similar components. Here are the most frequently used industry terms and their definitions.

Bed Base/Frame

Refers to the frame or type of platform the bed will be resting on. All queen and king size sets require a frame that is either metal with a center support bar and vertical center leg or on a headboard/footboard system, a minimum of 5 slats (1” x 6”) with a vertical center support. Waterbed platforms may be used, but a layer of protective material must be used between the bed and the platform to ensure that damage is not caused by splintering wood.

Border Wire

A heavy wire that forms the perimeter of a mattress and/or box spring. The border wire is attached to the outermost coils, providing shape and form for the mattress and/or foundation.

California King

A bed that measures 72 inches wide and 84 inches long. Sometimes referred to as a Cal-King or Western King.

Coil Count

This refers to the number of innerspring coils in a mattress. The number given will usually be in reference to a double (full) size bed. A high coil count does not necessarily indicate better quality. Rather, it is the design of a coil, the gauge of wire used and the way the coil is engineered that determines the comfort, support and durability that it will provide.

Cushioning

Materials such as cotton, felt, polyurethane foam, etc. that lie above an insulator pad and below the ticking in an innerspring mattress.

Double Bed

Refers to a bed that is 54 inches wide and 75 inches long. Sometimes referred to as a full-size bed.

Double Extra Long

A bed that measures 54 inches wide and 80 inches long.

Foundation

The term now used industry-wide in place of ‘box springs.’

Gauge

The thickness of the wire used in a mattress and/or foundation coils. A lower gauge denotes a heavier/thicker wire.

Helicals

Wire spirals that usually hold adjacent rows of coil springs together.

Innerspring Unit

The spring and wire unit made up primarily of coils, helicals and border wires, which is the inside of an innerspring mattress.

Insulator Pad

A fiber padding which separates mattress coils from the cushioning.

King

A bed that measures 76 inches wide and 80 inches long.

Latex

A natural foam product often used in the construction of premium latex foam mattresses.

Marshall Coil

Coils that are enclosed in separate, flexible fabric ‘pockets’. The pockets are attached to adjacent pockets, not coil to coil.

Modules

A type of coil/spring used in foundations to provide support to the mattress and the bed’s occupant(s).

No-Turn / No-Flip Mattress

These are specific Simmons, Spring Air and Sealy models that do not require end-over-end flipping on a regular basis to maintain their warranty. They have been designed to provide continuous support without the need to turn them over and use the reverse side of the mattress. This will still require side-to-side rotation as outlined in their warranty cards.

Pillow Top

A top finishing on a mattress where a ”pillow“ of soft materials is sewn over the entire surface.

Pressure Points

Places on the body where capillaries will close due to pressure against that area, causing discomfort.

Prorated Warranty

Each unit comes with a national manufacturer’s warranty, which can range in length from 1 to 20 years, depending on the model. Some warranties have a prorated time frame, wherein if a manufacturing defect occurs after that time frame, the consumer will be required to pay a portion of the original retail cost to have it replaced. Check with your salesperson to determine if the warranty on the bed you are purchasing has a prorated time frame.

Queen

A bed that measures 60 inches wide by 80 inches long.

Quilting

Patterns that are sewn into the mattress ticking. Quilting does not go through all layers of upholstery/fabric.

Split Queen Box

Two queen size foundations, each measuring 30 inches wide by 80 inches long, designed to accommodate the passage of a single-piece foundation.

Ticking

Ticking is the outer fabric covering on a sleep set.

Tight Top

A mattress that does not have the extra ‘pillow’ of fabric on top.

Twin

A bed that measures 39 inches wide by 75 inches long.

Twin Extra Long

A bed that measures 39 inches wide by 80 inches long.