How to Choose a Mattress: Firmness, Pocket Springs and Latex, Explained Simply

Most people spend longer choosing a bed frame than the mattress that goes on it — and then sleep on the mattress for eight years. Mattress labels do not help: "7-zone", "Euro top", "pocket spring", "latex", "28D foam" — the words sound technical and are rarely explained. This is the plain-English version our showroom team gives every weekend: what each term means, which firmness suits the way you sleep, why height matters, and why the only real test is lying down for ten minutes. If you have just read our gas lift bed guide, this is the next decision.

The words on the label, translated

A mattress is built in layers: a support core at the bottom, comfort layers you actually feel on top. Once you know what each does, the labels become useful.

Pocket spring. Each steel spring sits in its own fabric pocket and compresses on its own rather than as part of a connected grid, so the mattress responds to your hip separately from your shoulder. Two results: it contours to your shape, and movement on one side transfers far less to the other. Both of our mattresses — the Chiro 7 Zone Latex Euro Top and the Comfort Euro Top — are built on pocket spring cores using 2.1mm springs.

7 zone. A zoned core uses springs of different tension in bands along the length of the mattress: shoulders and hips need to sink slightly to keep the spine level, the lower back needs to be held up. The Chiro's 25cm core is divided into seven such zones — its description calls it targeted support for different areas of the body to promote spinal alignment.

Euro top. A pillow top is padding stitched on as a separate cushion, with a visible gap at the edge. A Euro top is the same idea built flush into the mattress under the cover, so the edge is square and the padding runs to the border. It looks neater, feels uniform to the edge and does not shift. Both of our mattresses are Euro tops.

Latex. Latex is a natural rubber foam. It pushes back rather than sinking, which gives a buoyant feel and makes turning over easier, and it is open-celled, which helps airflow. The Chiro has a 1cm layer of natural latex in its comfort layers for what its description calls responsive elasticity. That is a comfort layer, not the whole mattress — a full latex mattress is a different, heavier and dearer product.

Memory foam. Memory foam softens with body heat and moulds around you, then recovers slowly — the foam people mean when a mattress "hugs". The trade-off is warmth; it holds heat closer to the body than springs or latex, which matters in an Australian January. Neither of our mattresses uses memory foam.

28D comfort foam. The "D" is density: 28D foam weighs 28kg per cubic metre, and density is a fair shorthand for how well a foam holds its shape over years. The Chiro carries 5cm of 28D comfort foam; the Comfort carries 2cm over a cotton pad.

Firmness: choose it by how you sleep, not by how it sounds

"Firm" sounds sensible and "plush" sounds indulgent, so most people say firm. The right answer depends on the position you spend most of the night in and, to a lesser degree, your weight.

Side sleepers need the mattress to give at the shoulder and hip so the spine stays straight. Medium to plush does this; a hard mattress props the shoulder up and leaves the waist unsupported, which is where the morning ache comes from. Most people are side sleepers, whether they think so or not.

Back sleepers want medium-firm: enough give for the lower back to be supported in its natural curve, enough push-back that the hips do not sink into a hammock.

Stomach sleepers are the ones who genuinely need firm. On a soft mattress the hips drop below the chest and the lower back arches all night. Firm keeps the body level.

Body weight shifts the scale. A mattress that feels medium to a 60kg person feels closer to plush at 100kg. Heavier, go one step firmer than the position rule suggests; lighter, one step softer.

Couples. Two people rarely want the same firmness, and one usually moves more than the other. This is where pocket springs earn their keep: because each spring works independently, one partner turning over sends far less movement across the bed — both of our mattress descriptions note minimised motion transfer. A zoned core also helps when partners are different sizes.

Between our two mattresses, the Chiro has the thicker comfort build — 3cm of quilting, 1cm of latex and 5cm of 28D foam above its springs — so on paper it is the more cushioned feel; the Comfort has a leaner 3cm quilting and 2cm foam-and-cotton layer, and its description notes that the base layer keeps the mattress firm and durable. But the difference between reading that and feeling it is why we end this guide the way we do.

Height matters more than you expect

Modern mattresses are tall. The Chiro is 35cm deep and the Comfort 30cm, against the 20cm or so most of us grew up with. Height brings a deeper comfort build and three knock-on effects.

Sheets. Standard fitted sheets suit mattresses around 25cm deep and will pop off a 35cm mattress by 2am. Buy sheets labelled deep-wall or extra-deep — 40cm walls are the safe choice for the Chiro.

Bed height. A 35cm mattress on a tall base can put the sleeping surface higher than suits shorter people or anyone with knee trouble; a 30cm mattress on a low platform can feel too low to get out of. Add mattress height to base height before you decide, and sit on the combination in the showroom.

Headboard proportion. A tall mattress hides more of the headboard. Our winged and tufted beds are designed with this in mind — the Hilton has a 130cm bed head and the Allure 140cm — so a deep mattress still leaves plenty of headboard above the pillows. On a bed with a low headboard, a 35cm mattress can swallow it.

Pairing a mattress with a gas lift base

Gas lift beds are our best-selling frames, and the question comes up daily: does a pocket spring mattress work on a lifting base? Yes. Our Material and Care guide states that our mattresses suit slat, platform, gas lift and adjustable bases alike.

Two things to check. First, size: a queen bed frame takes a 153cm by 203cm mattress and a king takes 183cm by 203cm — the Hilton and Allure product pages list the exact mattress size each frame suits, and our mattress sizes correspond. Second, slat spacing: the care guide recommends slats no more than 6–8cm apart to prevent sagging. If you are putting a new mattress on an older base, measure the gaps.

Do not fold, roll or bend a mattress to get it through a doorway. Both of ours arrive vacuum-compressed and rolled in a box — a one-time factory process; the care guide is clear that repeating it permanently damages the internal structure.

For the full run-down on choosing the frame itself — lift mechanisms, storage depth, sizes and what to check — read our gas lift bed guide, and browse the Gas Lift and Storage Beds collection.

Sleeping cool through an Australian summer

A mattress that sleeps hot is the complaint we hear most about beds bought elsewhere, and it is almost always solid foam. Three things keep a mattress cooler.

Springs breathe. A pocket spring core is mostly air, so heat and moisture move down through the mattress and out rather than being trapped against you.

Knitted covers breathe. Both of our mattresses use a knitted-fabric top rather than a tight woven ticking; the Comfort's description calls it a breathable knitted top, and our care guide describes the cover as promoting airflow for a cooler sleep.

Latex breathes. Latex's open-cell structure is one of the reasons it is favoured in warm climates. The Chiro's latex layer is thin, but it sits close to the surface where it counts.

What you put on top matters as much. Use a waterproof protector from day one, as the care guide recommends — but a breathable one; a plastic-backed protector undoes everything the mattress is doing.

How long a mattress lasts, and how to make it last longer

Seven to ten years is the honest range for a well-made pocket spring mattress. The signs it is time: a dip that does not recover when you get up, aches you do not have on other beds, or springs you can feel through the comfort layers.

Rotate, don't flip. Euro tops have a defined top and bottom and are not designed to be flipped. Rotate instead — head to foot, 180 degrees — every three to six months, as the care guide recommends. The Chiro's four integrated handles make this a two-person job rather than a wrestling match.

Air it. Leave the mattress uncovered for half an hour once a month when you change the sheets.

Spot clean only. Mild detergent and a damp cloth. Never saturate a mattress — water inside the comfort layers takes weeks to dry and is the fastest way to ruin one.

Warranty. Our mattresses carry a five-year warranty against manufacturing defects in the internal springs, and the terms are set out in our warranty and claims guide. Two things to know before you buy: the warranty excludes damage from not following the care instructions, and for hygiene reasons a mattress cannot be returned or exchanged once the packaging is opened. That last point is the reason to lie on the mattress in store before you commit. The complete care guidance is on our Material and Care page for mattresses.

The ten-minute test

Everything above narrows the choice. Nothing above makes it. The only way to know how a mattress feels to your body is to lie on it — not perch on the edge for thirty seconds and press it with a hand.

Do this instead. Lie down in the position you actually sleep in — on your side, if that is where you wake up. Stay there for ten minutes; the first two are spent noticing the showroom and the real verdict arrives around minute five. If you share the bed, lie down together and have one of you roll over while the other holds still. Then swap mattresses and do it again. Nobody on our floor will hurry you.

Come and lie on them at Braybrook, Dandenong South or Truganina in Melbourne, or Auburn in Sydney — all four are open seven days — and ask to try the mattress on the bed frame you are considering, so you can judge the height of the whole combination at once. Bring the measurements of your bed base if you are keeping it, and bring the person you sleep next to. Browse the Mattresses collection online first, then the Queen and King bed frames and the wider Bedroom range, and come in with a shortlist. If you are still weighing up the lounge as well, our sofa buying guide takes the same approach: read it, then sit on it.