GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Adjustable bed
Type of bed distinguished by its ability to bend and elevate into upright or other positions. See our range of electric adjustable beds.
Bed Frame (or bedstead)
A metal or wooden frame used to support the mattress. Often includes headboard, footboard and rails. Usually comes with legs.
Bedroom Furniture
Furniture designed for use in a bedroom. Items include wardrobes, besdside chests of drawers, dressing tables, stools and mirrors. Furniture is often designed as part of a range or set so that you can buy matching items to decorate your bedroom. Most furniture ranges offer matching bedframes too. At Archers we have an extensive bedroom furniture range in addition to our beds and mattresses.
Bedside Chest of Drawers
Bedside furniture is designed to be placed directly next to your bed so that you can access it easily from your bed. Bedside chests usually contain drawers for storage. A flat top surface offers space to place a bedside lamp/book/radio ect. See our range of bedroom furniture.
Bedstead
See Bed Frame
Blended Latex
Type of Latex produced from a blend of natural and synthetic latex. Combines the elasticity of natural latex with the consistent quality and durability of synthetic latex.
Bonnell Spring
The original mattress spring design, characterized by hourglass shaped springs. Responsive when new but as the springs compress over time the mattress becomes firmer. Used primarily in lower-priced beds. See our Expert Bed Advice to learn more about the various types of mattress spring systems.
Border Rod Edge or (Border Wire)
A heavy duty gauge wire that surrounds the perimeter of an inner-sprung mattress unit. The wire effectively frames the mattress and prevents border edge breakdown – one of the most common wear points of a mattress due to people sitting on the edge of their bed.
Bunk Beds
Beds that are stacked on top of each other and in some cases can become two separate pieces of furniture. A loft bed or cabin bed denotes a bunk bed that has only the top bunk, creating an open space underneath that can be occupied by a chest, drawers, or even a work area. See our range of children’s beds for options.
Castors
Small wheels attached to the base of a divan bed enabling it to be moved around easily.
Coils
A coil is a series of loops. Coils are constructed from rigid materials which can be fashioned into a spiral or helical shape. A coil spring is the most common type of spring. Left: A helical spring.
Coil springs form the supportive core of a sprung-mattress. Specific coil designs include the Bonnel Spring, Continuous Spring and Pocket Spring, each of which comes in various sizes and gauges.
Comfort
Term that refers to the way the surface of the mattress feels against your body. On an objective level, it can be thought of as the “hardness” or “softness” you feel when you press the mattress surface with your fingertips (see firmness). It can also encompass other features such as breathability and temperature regulation. These additional features are specific to mattresses made from coolmax fibre, memory foam and latex.
Continuous-coil
An arrangement of coils compiled from a single length of wire. These spring units are typically more densely packed with springs and offer more support than bonnel springs. Both the bonnel (hourglass) and continuous-coil springs connect to each other at the top and bottom. This transfers energy and affects the springs around them when compressed. By attaching each coil to its neighbour the spring unit will have improved strength, stabiliity and durability. Continuous-coil springs are more durable and maintain their shape longer than bonnel (hourglass) springs.
Convoluted Foam
Foam shaped similar to an egg carton, giving it the more common name “egg-crate foam,” used to provide additional surface cushioning. The shape creates a softer feel than a flat slab of similar foam, and can improve circulation by reducing pressure points.
Coolmax
COOLMAX is the name of a fabric uniquely engineered by the company ADVANSA, an innovative leader in Europe’s polyester market. It is designed to keep users dry and comfortable and is now being used in some mattresses. It is a performance fabric that includes an effective fibre-based moisture management system. The system can move perspiration away from the body and through the fabric, where it can evaporate quickly, allowing the sleeper to feel cooler and more comfortable.
Core
Term that generally refers to the underlying support layer of a mattress. This is usually an inner-spring unit or foam interior.
Cotton
A soft, breathable, natural fibre particularly suited to warm environments where you want to stay cool. Although cotton is used extensively throughout the bed industry it can have a tendency to compress over time and thus mattresses that use cotton need to be periodically turned.
Cover
The fabric encasing the mattress.
Crown
A mattress that is slightly higher in the middle than on the sides, creating a convex surface.
Cushioning
Layers of material that lie between the insulation and the quilting of a mattress with interior springs. Cushioning materials include latex, visco-elastic foam (or memory foam), convoluted foam (also known as egg-crate foam), felt, cotton, polyester, non-woven fibre pads, wool, goose down, or even silk and cashmere.
Damask
A thick fabric used for mattress covers. The design is woven into the fabric rather than printed onto it. The term originally referred to ornamental silk fabrics, which were elaborately woven in colours, sometimes with the addition of gold and other metallic threads. In the 12th century, the city of Damascus, famous for its textiles, so far outstripped all other places for beauty of design that it gave the cloth its modern name. Certain types of damasks are considered particularly high quality. These include Belgian (softer, high thread count), matelasse (raised design), jacquard (made with special loom), and tapestry (extra heavy).
Density
The mass of a material per unit volume (how heavy an object is relative to its size). It is considered an important characteristic of foam mattresses, typically correlating with durability, and sometimes (though not always), with firmness.
Divan Bed
The combination of a mattress and a fabric covered box, first introduced from the Ottoman Empire, and now used throughout the world. The divan base often contains springs to give additional support (see sprung base). The base is mounted on castors so that it can be manouvered easily and often contains drawers for additional storgae space. See our range of divan beds.
Double Bed
A double bed is designed to sleep 2 people comfortably side by side. The mattress that fits a double bed is 135cm (4ft 6ins) wide by 190cm (6ft 3ins) long. See our range of double bed mattresses, frames and divan beds.
Double-Ended Frame
A bed frame that has both a headboard and footboard.
Dovetail
A dovetail joint is used in woodwork joinery, most commonly to join the sides of a drawer to the front. A series of points or pins cut from the end of one board interlock and join with a series of tails cut into the end of another board. The pins and tails have a trapezoidal shape. Once glued, no mechanical fasteners are required. Dovetail joints have been found in furniture in tombs of ancient Egyptian mummies and Chinese emporers. Left: Dovetail joints attaching the sides of a jewellery box.
Dunlop
Process in which liquid latex is “whipped” with air until it becomes wet foam, at which time it is poured into a mould, hardened, and vulcanized. This results in slightly firmer and heavier latex than the Talalay process.
Durability
Term that refers to the length of time a mattress will continue to provide you with adequate support along with your desired level of comfort.
Edge Break-Down
Term that refers the loss of support along the outer edges of a mattress, commonly experienced in older beds. Can result in the sensation that one is rolling or sliding off the side of the bed.
Edge Coils
Additional or heavier coils placed along the edges of a mattress to provide extra support and protection against edge break-down.
Elasticity
A physical property of a material. When a material deforms under stress (when external forces are applied), but returns to its original shape when the stress is removed, it is said to behave elastically.
Electric Bed
See Adjustable Bed.
Fatigue
A mattress is fatigued when it can no longer adequately support a sleeper’s weight. Typically results from a softening or compressing of the coils.
Fibre
Strands of material, made from natural or synthetic elements, used extensively in mattresses. Fibre strands have air between them, meaning that fibre tends to compress over time.
Filler
Padding used underneath the mattress cover to create its quilted appearance. In a latex mattress it refers to tiny particles of clay or other materials that are sometimes mixed into latex foam. This makes the resulting latex less costly but also stiffer and less durable.
Firmness
The compression resistance of a mattress. Typically used in reference to a mattress’ support (provided by the springs of an innerspring mattress). ‘Firmness’ is used to describe the softness or hardness of a mattress’ surface. At Archers we use the terms ‘Extra Firm,’ ‘Firm’ and ‘Medium Firm’ to describe our mattresses. ‘Extra Firm’ is the most compression resistant/hardest mattress type and ‘Medium Firm’ the softest.
Flipping (turning)
The act of periodically turning over and/or rotating a mattress. Recommended to prevent depressions occurring on areas which regularly support body-weight.
Foam
Padding material used in mattresses as a supplement or alternative to springs. Some common types used in mattresses include latex, polyurethane and memory foam.
Foam Core
Slab of foam that sits below the surface layer of a mattress, serving as the main support system.
Foam Encasing
Stiff foam rails along the interior perimeter of a mattress to protect against border edge break-down, usually caused by regular sitting on the edge of a mattress.
Futon
Japanese-style dual-purpose bed, adjusted to function as a sofa or bed as required. A futon mattress consists of a cover and filling material, which is typically cotton but can contain an inner-sprung unit and/or foam.
Gauge
A measurement of the thickness of the wire used in a spring. A thick gauge would be 12.5 (ie 1/12.5th of an inch). A thin guage would be 16 (ie 1/16th of an inch). The lower the gauge, the thicker the wire, which in turn make a firmer mattress. Thinner wires have higher gauge numbers, resulting in a softer mattress.
Grid
The steel lattice surface that connects the top ends of the coils in a sprung base. Also known as a grid top.
Helicals
Spirals of wire used to secure adjacent rows of coils in inner sprung mattresses. Also used to attach rows of coils to the border rods. Left: Helical or coil springs designed for tension.
Inner-sprung Mattress
Refers to any mattress constructed around a core spring unit. Also known as a sprung mattress. The inner-spring unit is typically surrounded by several layers of upholstery in order to provide additional comfort. This is the most widely purchased type of mattress on the market.
Inner-sprung Unit
The spring and wire part of an inner-sprung mattress, comprised primarily of coils, helicals and border rods.
Insulation
Material used on top and bottom of an inner-sprung unit to prevent the upholstery layers from settling down into the coils. Common insulator materials include fibre or foam pads, non-woven fabric, netting or wire mesh.
King Size Bed
A king size mattress is 150cm (5ft) wide by 200cm (6ft 6ins) long. It is both wider and longer than a double, giving you more space to move around without disturbing your partner. See our range of king size bed mattresses, frames and divan beds.
Knitted Fabric
A type of fabric used in mattress covers that is knitted rather than woven, creating a ‘stretchier’ and softer feel.
Latex
Natural latex is the sap of certain types of trees (most notably the rubber plant). It is most famous for its use in rubber manufacture. Most latexes used today are made synthetically. The Talalay and Dunlop processes inject air into latex to create the foam used in latex mattresses. The foam may be derived from natural latex, synthetic latex or a combination of both.
Loft
Term that describes the height and “fluffiness” of a material or padding.
Memory Foam
A type of high-density polyurethane foam known for its slow recovery time and its sensitivity to both weight and temperature, giving it a delayed resiliency and allowing it to conform very closely to the shape of your body. Available in many depths and densities, as well as different levels of firmness. Also known as visco-elastic foam. See our Expert Bed Advice for more information.
Miracoil (a range exclusive to Silentnight)
The unique Miracoil Spring System is manufactured from one continuous spring that runs head to toe distributing body weight up and down the bed. This ensures that the bed gives you and your partner the support you need, irrespective of differences in size and weight. The Miracoil Spring System is combined with a number of different fillings to offer a complete range of comfort levels. See our Expert Bed Advice for more information.
Miratex (a range exclusive to Silentnight)
Miratex foam mattresses are the culmination of our years of experience and the latest advances in sleeping technology. They guarantee total comfort and support by moulding to the shape and contours of your body as you sleep. Miratex mattresses are also available to purchase as roll ups for added convenience. See our Expert Bed Advice for more information.
Mirapocket (a range exclusive to Silentnight)
Mirapocket combines the Miracoil spring system with innovative mini pocket springs to create a unique two-layer spring combination that is a first for Silentnight and the ultimate in luxurious comfort in support. Containing 750 Miracoil springs that provide support where your body needs it most and 1,350 hand crafted pocket springs that individually cushion you as you lay, Mirapocket blends together traditional bed-making techniques with new technology to form a collection that stands alone in the marketplace. See our Expert Bed Advice for more information.
Motion Separation
Refers to the degree to which movements on one side of the bed can be felt on the other side of the bed.
Mounting
The attachment of a box-spring unit to a wooden or metal bed-frame.
Multi-Needle Quilting
A Quilting process that uses multiple needles but features a continuous pattern. The tighter (closer together) the pattern, the firmer the feeling of the mattress surface. Also known as continuous quilting.
No-Turn Mattress
A mattress designed with a sleeping surface on only one side, such that it does not require end-over-end turning to avoid settlement and dipping. The technology for no turn mattresses is based around fillings that do not compress with time. For example cotton and wool will settle with time and need turning, but latex and polyurethane foams always bounce back to their original shape.
Open coil
The lowest cost type of spring unit used in an inner-sprung mattress. The spring unit is made typically from over 300 “hour glass” bonnel springs highly interconnected with helical wire and bordered by a rod edge. See our Expert Bed Advice for more information on spring systems.
Orthopaedic
Orthopaedic beds and mattresses are extra firm. The term is used often to imply that these mattresses are good for your back. There is no evidence that this is the case.
Outlast
Outlast is the brand name of a fabric designed to moderate the microclimate of the human body, maintaining a temperature that is not too hot or cold, but just right. Outlast materials balance your temperature through the use of patented Microencapsulated Thermocules that absorb and store excess heat, releasing it when you need it most. Outlast technology is now used in some mattresses and duvets, ensuring a comfortable temperature is maintained throughout the night. See our Expert Bed Advice for more information.
Pillow-Top
The pillow-top is a 2” to 4” comfort layer made of softer material than the mattress. This soft, cushy layer of foam, cotton, wool and/or other fibre is attached loosely over the entire surface of the mattress.
Pincore Holes
Deep, cylindrical holes spread throughout a latex mattress to help soften its feel and allow the free circulation of air. Larger pincore holes create a softer feel.
Plush
Term that refers to a softer level of surface comfort.
Pocket springs
Individual springs sit in their own “fabric pockets” rather than being connected to each other like bonnel and continuous-coil springs. Pocket springs react individually to pressure and weight. Mattresses with pocket springs are a good choice for couples. Because the springs move a bit more independently, you may be less affected by your partner’s movements.
Posturized
Refers to various types of additional support placed in the centre of a mattress (for example a higher density of springs) in order to support the hips and lower back.
Posturepedic
Posturepedic is a term used by Sealy to describe a range of their products. Posturepedic mattresses have additional support across their centre to help keep hips and lower back in the correct position and maintain correct alignment of the spine. In addition, posturepedic mattresses are designed to have a surface that relieves pressure points and provides edge-to-edge comfort and stability across the mattress surface.
Pressure Points
Specific places on the body where blood flow through the capillaries is restricted due to pressure from the sleeping surface against that area. This can cause discomfort leading to ‘tossing and turning’ and restless sleep.
Queen Size Bed
“Queen size” is an American term that is not used by British manufacturers. However if you buy an imported bed you may come across the term. An American Queen size is the same as a UK King size – 150cm x 200cm.
Quilting
The top-most layer of padding inside the mattress, consisting of foam and/or fibres stitched to the underside of the cover. Can provide additional comfort, as well as a way for the mattress to breathe, and may also include a separate layer of padding such as a Pillow-Top or Euro-Top. Also refers to the process by which the quilting layer is stitched to the cover and other padding layers of the mattress.
Recovery Time
Term used to describe the speed with which a material (typically foam) returns to its original shape after being compressed.
Resiliency
Term used to describe the ability of an object or material (such as a coil or padding layer) to spring back to its original form.
Sagging
Term referring to the loss of support in a certain section of a mattress.
Sealy
Sealy is the world’s leading bed manufacturer. In the UK they are rapidly catching up with lead suppliers Silentnight. Sealy has three bed systems – posturepedic, posturepedic ultra and posturepedic ultra luxe – and all three focus on “firmer” sleeping support. Their patented spring systems are similar to the ‘miracoil’ system of Silentnight.
Silentnight
Silentnight Beds, based in Lancashire, are the largest supplier of beds in the UK. They were founded in 1946 by Tom and Joan Clarke and are still owned by the Clarke family. Silentnight have developed the patented ‘miracoil’ spring system and famously advertise the benefits of this system by displaying a duck and hippo sleeping comfortably on the same mattress without rolling together. See our Expert Bed Advice for more information.
Single Bed
A single mattress measures by 90cm (3ft) wide by 190cm (6ft 3ins) long. It is designed to sleep one person comfortably. See our range of single bed mattresses, frames and divan beds.
Single-Needle Stitching
A quilting process where all upholstery layers are stitched together with one long needle, resulting in a very hard mattress surface. The process is more common in older mattresses.
Slatted Base
A wooden frame with horizontal slats to support the mattress.
Small Double Bed (or Three-Quarter size)
A small double mattress is 120cm (4ft) wide by 190cm (6ft 3ins) long. It is wider than a single but narrower than a double. See our range of small double size bed mattresses, frames and divan beds.
Smooth Top
Term used to describe a mattress cover that isn’t quilted.
Sprung Mattress
See Inner-sprung Mattress.
Spring Wire
Refers to the strong, durable wires used to make the coils in an inner-sprung mattress.
Sprung Base
A sprung base is a divan box that has a layer of springs. These springs act as a second layer of shock absorbers and greatly enhances the life of a mattress.
Super King Size Bed
A super king mattress is 180cm (6ft) wide and 200cm (6ft 6ins) long. It is the largest standard size available and is the same width as two single mattresses placed side by side. See our range of super king size bed mattresses, frames and divan beds.
Super Single Bed
A super single mattress is 105cm (3ft 6ins) wide by 190cm (6ft 3ins) long. It is 15cm (6ins) longer than a normal single bed.
Support
Term that refers to the aspects of the bed that push back in order to hold your spine in the correct position while you sleep so that you do not encounter pain and/or stiffness when you wake up. Can also encompass other attributes such as the degree to which the mattress conforms to your body.
Synthetic Latex
Type of latex that shares many of the same physical properties as natural latex, but is made through a chemical process using petroleum-based materials. Generally considered slightly stiffer than natural latex, but also more consistent in quality, giving it slightly better resiliency over a very long period of time.
Tack and Jump Quilting
Quilting process that uses hundreds of needles but is not limited to a continuous pattern, allowing for more loft and a softer-feeling surface. Typically found in more expensive mattresses.
Talalay Process
A process where raw latex is made into latex foam (see also the Dunlop process). Liquid latex is “whipped” with air until it becomes wet foam. This is then poured into a mould, with room left at the top. The mould is then sealed and the air pumped out so that the foam expands to fill the empty space. The mould is then frozen and quickly vulcanized, locking in the expanded structure of the foam. The Talalay process results in softer and less dense latex than the Dunlop process.
Tape Edge
The cord-like seam that runs along the edges of the mattress surface.
Tempering
Process by which coils are treated to ensure that they return to their original shape and height after compression, improving their durability and resiliency. In the tempering process, coils are heated (or electrified) and then cooled, realigning the molecules in such a way that enhances the coil’s strength and resistance to sagging. Also referred to as stress relief. See our Expert Bed Advice to learn more about coil construction and what to look for in mattress coils.
Three-Quarter Sized Bed
See Small Double Bed
Torsion Spring
A spring that works by torsion or twisting (a flexible elastic object that stores mechanical energy when it is twisted). The amount of force it exerts is proportional to the amount it is twisted.
Torsion Bars
Heavy wire bars, typically bent in 90 degree angles, used in certain bases to provide support for an inner-sprung mattress.
Tufting
A process used to secure the fillings of a mattress. Hand tufting is commonly associated with pocket spring beds and involves passing a series of tapes right through the mattress at regular intervals. These are secured on each side by tags or washers made of plastic, felt or wool, depending on the quality. Tufting puts the mattress under tension but prevents the loose fillings usually used in pocket spring mattresses from being dislodged. Hand tufting has become associated with a quality product but the surface effect is uneven. Choose a ‘micro-quilted’ option if you prefer a smoother surface. A modern alternative is spiral tufting, where the mattress core, fabric and fillings are machine sewn together, to create the effect of a hand tufted bed.
Upholstery
Refers to all soft layers in a mattress, including insulation, cushioning, quilting and cover.
Visco-Elastic Foam
See Memory Foam.
Vulcanisation
The linking of polymers (chemical chains) in latex rubber by the addition of sulphur under high temperature and pressure conditions. The process is named after Vulcan, the Roman god of fire. Linking the polymer chains ensures that they cannot move independently of each other. The bulk material is therefore harder, more durable and resistant to chemical attack. Vulcanised latex rubber is elastic, when stress is applied the vulcanized rubber will deform, but upon release of the stress, the rubber article will go back to its original shape.
Wardrobe
Often abreiviated to ‘robe’ and sometimes known as an ‘armoire,’ a wardrobe is an item of furniture used to store clothes. ‘All-hanging’ refers to a robe contaning a rail so that clothes can be hung up only. Other designs usually contain a rail for hanging clothes and have additional drawers for storage. See our ranges of bedroom furniture for the varied wardrobe styles offered by Archers.
Warranty
A statement written by the manufacturer indicating the terms under which they will fix certain flaws in the design, materials and construction of a mattress. Generally does not offer protection against normal wear and tear or general deteriorations in comfort.
Working Turn
A measurement of how tightly a coil is wound. Each 360-degree revolution around the coil counts as two working turns.