Get The Best New Year's 2025 Mattress Deals! Unlock Today's Coupons

Coil Spring vs. Polyurethane Foam

Coil Spring

Coil spring (also called innerspring) mattresses use metal coils to provide resistance and support. Contemporary bedding use pocket coil systems that are entirely independent from each other so there are less pressure points. The rule of these new pocket coil systems is the more coils that are used, the more independent movement and response is in mattress.

Older coil spring mattresses, however, have one frame with coils interconnected to one another. Although this provides good support across the entire surface, and a longer durability life, there are comfort concerns about these mattresses.

Additionally, most coil spring mattresses have memory foam, latex, or some other type of bedding to provide a soft surface to sleep on.

Pros: Durable materials, and newer pocket coil systems provide comfortable support.

Cons: Older coil spring mattresses can cause more back pain and irritate pressure points.

Polyurethane Foam

Polyurethane foam is a blanket term that includes any foam that is synthesized using polyol and diisocyanate. These include but are not limited to: memory foam, high resilience foam, and high density foam. Since polyurethane foam can contain additives, a manufacturer that comes up with a new formula can name the new foam whatever they like.

Many memory foam mattresses are a combination of polyurethane foams, layered from dense on the bottom to less dense on the surface layers.

Polyurethane is a synthetic blend of organic compounds and has a tendency to off-gas. If you are susceptible to lung issues, please do additional research on the quality of foams before purchasing.

Pros: Many different types of foams exist under the polyurethane umbrella -- some are excellent for bedding and offer different firmness varieties!

Cons: Off-gassing and durability problems with lower quality foams.


Learn More About Coil Spring

Learn More About Polyurethane Foam

See Our Top Mattress Choices

Material Scores

Overall Score:
Coil Spring: 9.3/10
Polyurethane Foam: 9.4/10

Comfort:
Coil Spring: 9.2/10
Polyurethane Foam: 9.4/10

Softness:
Coil Spring: 8.7/10
Polyurethane Foam: 9.5/10

Cooling:
Coil Spring: 9.6/10
Polyurethane Foam: 8/10

Hypoallergenic:
Coil Spring: 9.6/10
Polyurethane Foam: 8/10

Odor:
Coil Spring: 9.6/10
Polyurethane Foam: 8/10

General Support:
Coil Spring: 9.3/10
Polyurethane Foam: 9.5/10

Eco-Conscious:
Coil Spring: 9.6/10
Polyurethane Foam: 8/10

Price Value:
Coil Spring: 8.4/10
Polyurethane Foam: 9.5/10

Disclaimer

Mattress & furniture shopping is an oftentimes tedious and mundane task. This site's sole purpose is to help you make the decision faster and with more peace of mind. We sincerely hope that whatever your interaction with this site, that it is helpful and timely for you, and that the product information here guides you to the best outcome for your daily life. May all benefit! The reviews here are aggregated from other sources across the Internet and although we have tried only to find trustworthy reviews, the content and scores here may be subject to manipulation by agents acting on behalf of manufacturers and marketers. Like all things you read on the Internet, understand there is no better judge than yourself. When it comes to your own comfort, your own body is the only North Star. Where Slumber Search discusses medical ailments, we strive to ensure the information on this site is accurate, current and useful, however, we do not warrant the accuracy or completeness of any information related to medicine. We are not doctors -- if you have a medical condition, please consult your doctor.

The makers of Slumber Search also make affiliate commissions from some of these manufacturers to keep the site running. There is NO additional price markup for using this site or on links from this site and any commissions made by Slumber Search come out of the brand's profit margin. See how it all works here.

*All metrics regarding customer sentiment are based on aggregated public review content, including reviews that have been submitted to this site and elsewhere that have been evaluated by our data science team. While we strive to provide useful metrics for the benefit of shoppers, we cannot certify their accuracy at any given time due to potentially incomplete and inaccurate data sources.