Mattress Testing: How We Test and Score

This is an excellent score. The mattress meets all (or nearly all) of our criteria. Many sleepers will be thrilled with this mattress.

This is a great score. The mattress meets most of our criteria, but there’s room for improvement. Most sleepers should enjoy this mattress.

This is an average score. The mattress meets some of our criteria, but there’s definitely room for improvement. Some sleepers will be satisfied with the mattress.

This is a poor score. The mattress does not meet important criteria and could be one to avoid, depending on your unique needs.

Price
(-1,000 for pricing over $1,000; up to +400 points for pricing under $1,000)

Everyone deserves a great night’s sleep regardless of their budget. For that reason, mattresses that cost more than $1,000 CAD receive a slight penalty. Mattresses under $1,000 gain a number of points, depending on how low they’re priced.

Availability
(+400 points)

Products that are marketed to Canadians and are available to Canadians for purchase receive points. In contrast, mattresses that aren’t available to buy in Canada don’t receive points.

Sleep Trial
(+500–1,750 points)

Nearly every online bed-in-a-box brand or brick-and-mortar mattress retailer offers an at-home sleep trial. The longer the sleep trial, the higher the score.

Shipping & Returns
(+400–800 points)

Mattresses receive points for free shipping and full refunds without additional fees. Mattresses also receive points for being shipped in a box for added convenience.

Warranty
(+500–1,750 points)

A mattress’s warranty period tells the customer how long the mattress will last and what to expect for long-term support. Mattresses with longer warranty periods receive more points.

Compressed for 3+ months
(-2,500 points)

Mattresses can be damaged and have a shorter lifespan if they’re compressed in a box for too long. Some companies also deny warranty claims if you don’t unbox the mattress soon after delivery. We heavily penalize companies delivering mattresses that were compressed for three or more months before purchase.

Country of Origin
(-2,500 or +400 points)

Shoppers care about where their products are manufactured. We heavily deduct points for mattresses that don’t clearly state their country of origin. Mattresses made in Canada meet certain environmental and production standards, so mattresses crafted in Canada earn additional points.

CertiPUR-US® Registered
(+400 points)

The widely referenced CertiPUR-US® certification informs consumers about the safety of materials used in mattresses. We award extra points for registered mattresses.

Multiple Firmness Options
(+400 points)

Mattress models that come in multiple firmness options address a broader range of comfort preferences than single-firmness mattresses. We give points to mattress models that offer multiple firmness options.

Number of Layers
(# of layers x 50 points)

Using multiple layers in a mattress improves the transition from the softer comfort layers to the firmer support layers, which ensures a more comfortable sleep. Layer construction varies between mattresses, so we multiply the number of layers by a low weighting.

Mattress Components
(+200–2,200 points)

Mattresses score points based on their key structural components, like having a pillow top, pocket or micro-coils, cooling gel foam, high-density memory foam, and a central reinforcement zone. We don’t deduct points for not having these components.

Advanced Features
(+200–2,200 points)

Mattresses can score points for having advanced features like a machine-washable cover, cooling nanofibres, phase-change material, perforated or conduit foam, and polymer technology. We don’t deduct points for not having these features.

Reputable Third-Party Review Ratings
(-300 or +300 points)

An “A+” rating on Better Business Bureau or an “Excellent” rating on Trustpilot indicates that a company prioritizes customer service, while a poor rating suggests low-quality service. We award points for high ratings and deduct for low ratings.

Onsite Customer Reviews
(+300–900 points)

We add points to products with more onsite reviews, scaling at different levels to show buyer satisfaction and time in market. The more reviews a product has, the higher the score. We don’t deduct points for not having a certain number of reviews.

No points are awarded for this attribute.

Our third-party engineers use a 170 lb mannequin to simulate the weight distribution of the average human body. To test for firmness, engineers place the mannequin in the middle of the mattress and measure how far down it sinks. The deeper the mannequin sinks, the softer the mattress is.

Our rating scale and assigned level of firmness is as follows:

• Soft: 2.9 and under
• Medium-soft: 3.0–4.4
• Medium: 4.5–5.4
• Medium-firm: 5.5–6.9
• Firm: 7.0+

Everyone has their own preferred level of firmness, so we don’t award or deduct points based on firmness score.

Points: Edge support score x 50 points

Engineers place a 170 lb mannequin at various edge points along the perimeter of the mattress to test its edge support.

The mannequin is placed at three different edge points for hybrids and two edge points for foam. All measurements are taken from thigh level down to a set reference point. These measurements are then recorded, averaged, and used to calculate an overall edge support score.

The less the mattress sinks, the better its edge support and the higher the score. Conversely, if it sinks a lot, it has less edge support and a lower score. This test determines whether you can comfortably sit on the edge of the bed, so we award points for a higher score.

On a 1–10 scale, a mattress with average to good edge support would score 5/10 or higher. A mattress’s edge support score is multiplied by 50 to yield a moderate weighting.

Points: Motion isolation score x 50 points

Engineers drop a medicine ball onto the mattress from a fixed position and use an accelerometer to measure the medicine ball’s impact on other parts of the mattress.

High movement means less motion isolation, while low movement means high motion isolation. We award a small number of points for a higher motion isolation score.

On a 1–10 scale, a mattress with an average to good motion isolation would score 6/10 or higher. A mattress’s motion isolation score is multiplied by 50 to yield a moderate weighting.

No points are awarded for this attribute.

Engineers drop a medicine ball onto the mattress from a fixed position and measure the height of its very first bounce. The higher the first bounce, the higher the bounce score on the 1–10 scale.

Some people prefer a bouncy mattress more than others, so we don’t award or deduct points based on bounce score.