If your great-great grandparents were still alive, they would share the days when you did not complain about an uncomfortable innerspring mattress because there weren’t any. 1865 was the year that the coil spring construction received a patent and manufacturing began around the turn of the century. Still many families had to wait for $40 to purchase their first set. By the 1930s, the innerspring mattress was a common term used in the U.S., Canada and many parts of Europe.
The term ‘mattress’ originated from ‘matrah’, Arabic meaning ‘a place where something is thrown’ or ‘mat’. The Europeans began using the phrase ‘matrah’ during the Crusades and from here the word ‘materas’ was formed into the Middle English language. The definition of an innerspring mattress is numerous coil springs that are held within a padded cover.The earliest conception of placing springs inside of a cover and padding with cotton came with the Bonnell springs that were originally used in the seats of new cars. The Bonnell or Hourglass spring was shaped like an hourglass, thus the name. This type is still manufactured today for innerspring mattresses but mainly for inexpensive models. Another hourglass shaped coil design is referred to as the Offset innerspring. This model differs from the straight Bonnell springs by flattening to hinge on all four corners that create a less stringent movement and keeping the bouncing coils quiet. Due to this extra step in processing the springs, the Offset is more expensive than the Bonnell innerspring mattress.
The Marshall coils, or pocketed coils is another design that places the individual springs in a fabric pocket so they remain independent of other moving coils. The idea behind this is to keep movement only where the direct movement is taking place and not over the entire mattress surface. The Continuous coil design is neither like the Bonnell coil or the Marshall coil systems. Starting with one wire, a continuous length is taken around the base in a series of ringlets that look like the letter ‘S’. By keeping the wire loose instead of compacted, it provides more coils per mattress, providing a more even riding proportion.
In shopping for innerspring mattresses you may also see terminology that is not understood. The thickness of the steel is called a gauge; the lower the number, the thicker the steel. A premium innerspring mattress normally has 14-gauge steel. 16.5-gauge steel will deliver a springier mattress because of the thinner steel and 12.5-gauge steel will be much firmer. The coil count will range anywhere from 250 to 1000 with a heavier gauge steel having less coils due to the thickness. Tempered coils have been put through a process of heating and cooling. By tempering coils, the durability increases, giving more life to the coils. Each half turn of a coil is referred to as a working turn. The more working turns that a coil receives, the more durable the mattress. Most people find that they are also much softer.
The life of a quality innerspring mattress normally runs 7 to 10 years. The lower the list price, the lower the number of years due to some of the properties mentioned above. It is not necessary to use a box spring with an innerspring mattress but they do help in distributing the weight more evenly and act as a shock absorber. This will also add additional years to an innerspring mattress.
Innerspring mattresses are losing popularity with the general public with competition getting stronger from memory foam mattresses and latex mattresses that deliver a longer life and a better support. However, there will always be those that prefer an innerspring mattress just because that is what they are used to and do not want to change. The weight is far less than some other mattresses and moving from room to room provides more flexibility. They have come a long way since the day of a mattress can box that was filled with coconut fibre, wool, cotton or horsehair. Manufacturing has also changed from the 1940s when women would stand along an assembly line and stuff bales of cotton into the compartment. The innerspring mattress is a personal choice and one that manufacturers hope will continue to deliver for customers that prefer coils to foam.
