Best Firm Mattresses From Consumer Reports' Tests
If you like your bed more stiff than fluffy, you might find your dreamiest sleep with these seven optionsāincluding top-rated mattresses from Beautyrest, GhostBed, Tempur-Pedic, and more
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Among the many criteria people consider when deciding on a mattress is its firmness level. But thatās tough to gauge unless you lie on it. To a certain extent, firmness level is subjective. One personās best "firm" mattress might be another personās "not firm enough." And a manufacturerās label isnāt very helpful either. A mattress makerās "firm" can vary as much as a clothing designerās "size 8."
Thatās why we measure firmness levels using an objective industry test standard. This entails applying a load of up to 1,000 newtons (4.4 newtons equal about a pound) to each mattress we test, measuring its surface displacement, and plotting the results on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the firmest. This way, you can accurately compare the firmness level of one model to another and make an informed decision as to which might be the best firm mattress (or soft one) for you.
A 7 is a 7, regardless of how the manufacturer describes it. A mattress that rates a 6 on our firmness scale will undoubtedly be more firm than a 4. This is often quite a contrast to how a mattress is officially labeled, as our tests have shown. For instance, Purple describes its Purple Hybrid (with the two-inch gel-foam grid) as its "firmest" offering, and that may very well be the case, but that mattress still receives a three out of 10 on our firmness scale, which suggests a softer feel.
How Consumer Reports Tests Mattresses
To find the mattresses featured in this article, we started with our most highly rated models overall, then filtered for those with a firmness score of 7 or higher. That means besides having a stiffer feel, these mattresses first and foremost offer the features that youād want in a quality mattress in general, such as support and durability.
We evaluate each mattressā ability to support the body by asking human subjects of different sizes to lie on their back and side. Using lab equipment, weāre able to measure how well their spines stay aligned for each position on each mattress. To assess how well a mattress keeps its shape over time, we pass an almost-310-pound roller over the mattress 30,000 times to simulate the typical life span of eight to 10 years. We also use instruments to test stability. A mattress with a higher rating in this category will be able to isolate motion better than one with a lower ratingā so if youāre shifting positions on one end of the mattress, youāre less likely to disturb your partner on the other side.
And while our scientific ratings are a good proxy for how well you might sleep on a mattress, we also provide feedback from people whoāve actually lived with these mattressesāfor up to 10 years in some cases. With data from recent surveys on CR membersā experiences with nearly 70,000 mattresses purchased within the past decade, we can calculate comfort and owner satisfaction ratings for the various mattress brands and types weāve tested.
The result? A ratings chart with which you can compare and contrast more than 250 mattresses, simply by filtering for criteria that matter the most to you. Below, CR members can zero in on the best firm mattresses, according to our rigorous tests and member surveys. They can also explore more options (and more firmness levels) by going directly to our comprehensive mattress ratings, or try our mattress selector tool to receive customized recommendations based on their sleep position, body size, and more.
Best Firm Mattresses From CRās Tests
These top-rated mattresses all have a score of 7 out of 10 on our firmness scale. (Some of the mattresses we tested are even firmer, but they did not rate as highly overall, so we didnāt include them on this list.) Theyāre also great at maintaining their shape over time: Six out of seven earn an Excellent rating in our durability test; one (the Allswell Luxe Hybrid) scores a Very Good.