What Is the Coil Count on a Good Mattress?

April 15, 2021

If you're considering fabric-encased coils, innerspring, or a hybrid new mattress, you might want to research the number and type of mattress coils in your chosen new mattress.

Innerspring mattress coils (or springs) are essential to the support of the mattress, which in turn affects sleep quality and overall comfort. For individuals with back issues, back pain, or other support concerns, considering different mattress coil alternatives might be key to finding your perfect mattress.

Here you'll learn the different factors you should consider when it comes to different coil innerspring mattresses, including:

• Learning how the number of coils affects the durability of a mattress
• Learning how the coil gauge count affects the firmness of a mattress
• Navigating how various types of coils affect a mattress's "feel"

Coils are an important part of a mattress. Many individuals know they impact things like:

• Firmness
• Motion transfer
• Sinking into a mattress (like with memory foam)
• Durability
• Other essential characteristics

What Is a Coil?

A coil is a curved high-density steel piece that is used inside of an innerspring mattress. Hundreds of coils are arranged by manufacturers into tight columns and rows to create support systems. Then, the coils, which absorb energy, work together to distribute weight, and support the body to ease stress at pressure points.

Manufacturers might arrange coils in independent or interconnected designs. Interconnected design coils include:

• Offset coils
• Continuous coils
• Bonnell coils

Offset and Bonnell coils (which we’ll discuss in more detail below) are interlocked or bonded together in a single system. Continuous coil units are composed of one single, s-shaped wire. Now, an independently moving coil system features separately wrapped coils that move freely in a few directions.

What Is Coil Configuration?

Coil configuration is the coils' pattern that offers support in innerspring mattresses. It can change the way innerspring mattresses feel, and their ability to transfer motion. Certain configurations might raise the price of innerspring mattresses.

Coil configuration styles include:

• Offset coils
• Bonnell coils
• Encased coils
• Continuous wire coils

Offset and Bonnell configurations offer classic mattress performance. A mattress with continuous coils tends to maintain its shape longer than a mattress with traditional coil configurations.  And, encased coils reduce motion transfer, and offer body-contouring support.

What are the Configuration Types of Mattress Coils?

The construction and coil types might be considered more essential than the gauge and number of coils.

The primary types of mattress coils are:

Hourglass Coils

The most common type of mattress coil is hourglass coils. Two hourglass coil subtypes are offset and bonnell hourglass coils.

Hourglass Bonnell Coils

Bonnell coils are hourglass steel wire coils with cross wire helicals lacing them. A mattress with Bonnell coils is extremely durable and supportive, but it does have some shortcomings, too, in particular, poor motion isolation and pressure point discomfort.

Pros

• Extremely popular with people who are budget mattress shopping
• Inexpensive
• Firmness level choice

Cons

• Low durability of approximately three to five years of nightly use

Who's it For?

A Bonnell coil mattress provides benefits for guest innerspring beds, dorm life, and individuals with small kids who will outgrow their mattress within its lifetime. You'll want to prepare yourself for making another investment in a brief time.

Offset Hourglass Coils

Another type of hourglass coil is offset hourglass coils, which are common coil types that have flattened bottom and top surfaces. A mattress with offset coils is very durable and comfortable. It's not as good in terms of motion isolation, however, like all other connected coils.

Pros

• Shares load better than individually-wrapped coils
• Ideal for either a differential or progressive mattress design

Cons

• Can be costly for people on a budget

Who's it For?

If you're searching for a mattress that provides a lower support layer firmness, offset coils might be an ideal choice.

Individually-Wrapped Coils

Individually-wrapped coils, also referred to as encased coils or Marshall coils, decrease the sensation of motion on the bed, since every coil comes wrapped in a textile. Individually-wrapped coils are frequently used in high-end mattresses, since they're costly to create and manufacture. They've become more popular in the past few years.

Pros

• Good for use with various comfort layers like natural fibers
• Good ability to contour your body
• Good motion isolation capability

Cons

Less expensive choices can prove less durable, which is frequently the case with imports

Who's it For?

If you're okay with making a larger mattress investment, this is an ideal choice. However, you can also expect a higher level of durability, too. It could also prove to be an ideal choice for individuals carrying a lot of weight.

Continuous Coils

Also referred to as Mira-coils, continuous coils are constructed in an S-shaped curve, instead of being coiled. They're constructed from a single long wire. They offer a more interlinked and stable coil structure. A mattress with continuous coils is more durable.

Pros

• Extremely firm support system
• Inexpensive
• Helicals help prevent motion transfer
• Could be an ideal option with thicker comfort layers

Cons

Because they're attached to neighboring coils, they don't contour as well to your unique body shape.

Who’s It For?

If you're looking for a mattress that offers you an affordable price, you might want to look into a continuous coil mattress. It also offers enhanced support in the center of the mattress where your body will require it the most. This makes it a perfect solution, if you're suffering from lower back issues.

Microcoils

These work much like individually-wrapped coils, but they're on a much smaller level. They're usually about one to three inches long, although they can be as short as 10 mm in some innerspring mattresses. They're wrapped in a thin foam, or packaged in small fabric encasements, and they're constructed of a flexible wire with a very high gauge. Similar to the rest of your mattress's coils, microcoils expand and compress in response to pressure.

Pros

• More affordable than many latex and foam choices
• Provides more pressure relief and overall comfort than other innerspring choices
• Great durability
• Great point elasticity

Cons

• Can be hard to purchase when you're on a tight budget

Who's it For?

Products featuring microcoils could provide various benefits for people carrying a lot of weight, or those who have pressure points issues when sleeping. It provides great durability, so it's an ideal choice for individuals in a mid-range budget level.

How Does the Number of Coils Impact Mattress Comfort and Support?

The number of coils can affect mattress longevity and bodily support. Generally, consumers should avoid innerspring mattresses with lower coil counts, but the minimum coil count is hard to determine, due to the various mattress sizes.

Typically, a full mattress should have a minimum of 300 coils. A queen mattress should have a minimum of 400 coils, and a king a minimum of 380 coils.

But mattresses with greater coil counts than the minimum coil level might not actually provide a significantly greater level of support or comfort. For instance, a mattress with a low coil count might promote greater coil density, offering greater support.

Is Higher Coil Count on a Mattress Better?

A higher coil count increases mattress longevity, and offers better body support. As mentioned, you'll want to stay away from a mattress with a low coil count, but the minimum acceptable coil count varies depending on the size of the mattress. You might note if you buy a mattress with a coil count greater than the minimum standards, it won't provide a noticeable increase in support or comfort.

Certain innerspring mattresses use extra padding layers to offer edge protection. This decreases the actual number of inside coils. These types of mattresses typically promote coil density numbers, indicating the support level in comparison to coil count.

When assessing a mattress, certain individuals might focus mostly on coil count. Now, while coil count is definitely an essential factor for the support system of a mattress, other factors help in coil performance. Individuals want to take other things into consideration when comparing innerspring support systems, such as:

• The gauge of wiring
• Number of turns
• Coil design
• Tempering of steel

What Is a Coil Count Gauge, and How Does it Impact Mattress Comfort and Support?

The mattress coils gauge number indicates the firmness of the mattress. the lower the mattress coil's gauge number is, the thicker the coil. So, the lower the gauge number, the stiffer and firmer the mattress is, providing a harder mattress surface.

A mattress coil gauge tends to range anywhere from 12 to 15. If you're searching for a mattress that's forgiving, a good coil gauge number is about 14. But, if you're searching for a mattress that provides more firm support, a good coil gauge number will be around 13 or lower.

A mattress with a lower coil gauge usually will last longer because the thicker wire tends to wear out over time slowly. But, most people replace their mattress before the mattress coils have time to wear out, regardless of what the gauge is, and so gauge numbers shouldn't be considered too heavily in regards to durability.

What Is Coil Fatigue?

Coil fatigue is when innerspring coils lose load-bearing capacity. It usually occurs in a lower-quality mattress that lacks tempered steel coils. You'll find most innerspring systems offer ideal initial support, but inexpensive coils can soften, and after prolonged usage, offer poor body support.

Coil failure usually occurs in the middle of the mattress where a lot of the weight rests. After coils wear out, the mattress sags, and it decreases overall quality of rest. People might feel lower back pain the next morning, or it might be hard to get comfortable.

What is Working Turns in Coils?

Also essential is the number of working turns in every coil. This is the measurement of how tightly wound a coil is. The more working turns the coil has, the more durable and softer the mattress will be, because the body's weight is distributed more evenly by the springs.

What Is Tempering in Coils?

Tempering is a process that enhances innerspring coil resiliency and strength. It involves steel wire heating to a high temperature, and after that allowing the metal to air cool. It also ensures the coils keep their intended shape following a number of compressions.

What Types of Coils are best for Resisting Motion Transfer?

Premium crafted supportive fabric-encased coils offer the ideal amount of support, incredibly buoyant sleep, and zero motion transfer.

Overall, when you're thinking about purchasing a coil mattress, you should check into the number of coils, the coil gauge, and the type of coils the mattress's construction uses.

One final thing to consider is if the mattress coils have been tempered. Tempered coils provide more durability, since they've been repeatedly heated and cooled to solidify the coil shape. For people requiring firm support, like people with greater mass or a larger frame, tempered coils might be ideal.

Coil Count FAQs

1. How Does Coil Count Impact Mattresses?

A few important things to take into consideration are the more coil springs, the firmer the mattress, coils offer more support, mattress with coils typically last longer, more coils doesn't mean better mattresses.

2. What Does Mattress Coil Count Mean?

Coil count is how many coil springs are inside an innerspring or hybrid mattress.

3. What's a Mattress's Highest Coil Count?

A Queen-size mattress with 1,000 coil springs is considered the nearly highest coil count. And, this number can go as high as 2,000 coil springs for King mattresses and larger mattresses.

4. What's the Ideal Coil Count for Heavy Individuals?

In this situation, 600 would be the minimum coil count for a Queen-size mattress.

5. What's the Minimum Coil Count for Mattresses?

The minimum coil count, 300 coil spins, for smaller mattresses, is ideal for adults.

6. What's a Decent Coil Count for Queen-Size Mattresses?

Queen mattresses need a minimum of 375 coils. The max is 1,000, and the average number is 700+ coils. This count might vary depending on the weight of the individual, the type of coils, and other factors. But, purchasing a Queen mattress that has fewer than 400 coil springs isn't a good idea.

7. What's a Good Coil Count for Full Mattresses?

The minimum count is 300 coil springs for full mattresses. All else depends on different factors like type of coils and sleeper's weight.

8. What's a Good Coil Count for Twin Mattresses?

A twin mattress should have a minimum of 300 coils.

9. What's a Good Coil Count for King Mattresses?

A King mattress should have a minimum of 450 coils.

Try an Eco Terra Mattress

Eco Terra Hybrid Latex Mattresses are handcrafted with 100%, pure natural latex as well as a fabric-encased coil core that provides outstanding spinal support. These eco-friendly mattresses are created with pure organic wool, and a breathable, soft organic cotton cover. There are no toxins, chemicals, or polyurethane.

Some things to know about Eco Terra Mattresses:

• Organic and Natural: Constructed with only the finest 100% natural latex, organic cotton, and organic wool
• Sleeps cool: Crafted with moisture-wicking, breathable materials that allow you to sleep with no sweating
• Non-toxic and safe: Sleep soundly knowing your mattress doesn't contain any toxins and polyurethane

The bed is constructed with:

100% Natural Arpico Latex

Eco Terra partners directly with sustainable farms in Asia, in order to source their high-quality Arpico, Eco-Institut Standard 100 Certified 100% natural latex that's free of harmful substances. Since we only use single-origin latex, and don't use synthetics or a latex blend ever, our latex is seamless, and eliminates the possibility of mattress breakdown. Plus, we don't use any chemical adhesives, either.

GOTS Certified 100% Organic Wool

No synthetics, no additives, and no chemicals — only 100% GOTS certified soft organic wool layered carefully, under a certified 100% organic cotton cover. This is what you'll find with all Eco Terra mattresses. Eco Terra never skimps on quality and you'll never find polyester, rayon, or chemical flame retardants. The wool is carefully harvested, and certified organic, so you can experience peace of mind you'll be sleeping on the best.

GOTS Certified 100% Organic Cotton Cover

No fabric blend or synthetic fabric can compare to the GOTS certified 100% organic cotton cover Eco Terra's mattresses come with. Eco Terra ethically sources their cotton, and ensures it's of the highest quality, without any harmful dyes, blends, or chemicals.

Eco Terra's Mattress Coil Features

Eco Terra's Hybrid Latex Mattresses provide you with:

• Fabric-encased coil core
• Isolated coils for great spine support
• Quantum coils

The pressure-relieving coils offer support without disrupting your partner while they’re sleeping. There are no sags or dips. Eco Terra's premium upcycled steel coils are stress-relieved and heat-treated to offer long-lasting firm edge-to-edge support.

Food-grade polypropylene fabric encases each spring, and is both non-toxic and non-woven. This unique casing helps to make the springs independently float, which improves support, airflow, and spinal alignment.

Each coil provides just the ideal amount of give because of the two wire gauges (a 15 gauge for center support, and a narrower 16 gauge for edge support).

You receive the superior support and amazing comfort of natural latex that can only be achieved through Eco Terra's uniquely stress-relieved, and heat-treated steel coils.

Coil Counts in Eco Terra Mattresses

Eco Terra mattresses coil counts are as follows:

• Twin: 682 coils
• Twin XL: 722 coils
• Full: 896 coils
• Queen: 1,057 coils
• King: 1,283 coils
• Cal King: 1,280 coils

Eco Terra's latex hybrid mattresses are crafted with love, and with organic and all-natural materials that include 100% natural Talalay latex that is Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified, and from sustainable and tree-tapped sources, Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified, and GOTS organic wool and GOTS organic certified cotton. It's made by nature, so it helps with sleeping better.

---

Also in Eco Terra's Healthy Sleep Blog