Best Firm Mattresses of 2025
To find out how firm each mattress really is, we apply a 225-pound weight to each one we test
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A mattress’s firmness level can be one of its most important qualities in helping you fall asleep. But like so many other mattress features, firmness is a bit subjective. One person’s definition of a “really firm” mattress is another’s “not firm enough.” What’s more, inconsistent labels from manufacturers don’t help us qualify firmness levels. A mattress maker’s “firm” can vary as much as a clothing designer’s size 8 or large.
- Best Firm Mattresses: Innerspring Foam
- How CR Picks the Best Firm Mattresses
To see all of CR’s sleep coverage, go to our Guide to Better Sleep.
Best Firm Innerspring Mattress
We have over 180 innerspring mattresses in our ratings, and this is the only recommended model that earns at least a 7 for firmness. Like most innerspring mattresses without an added pillowtop, the Allswell model highlighted below doesn’t retain heat, so it’s great for hot sleepers.
Best Firm Foam Mattresses
Foam mattress lovers have many firm foam mattresses to choose from. What’s more, a high-quality foam bed can typically offer some curve-conforming pressure relief, too, despite the stiffer feel.
How CR Picks the Best Firm Mattresses
To highlight the firmest mattresses, we pored over our most highly rated models. (You can read more about the tests we did to determine these ratings in our review of the best mattresses of the year.) We then filtered for those with a firmness score of 7 or higher. That means these mattresses, in addition to having a stiffer feel, offer the general features that you’d want in any high-quality mattress, such as solid support and durability.
We also assessed brand comfort ratings for innerspring and foam mattresses. These are based on members’ assessments of comfort. Higher ratings indicate better comfort. Our brand owner satisfaction ratings are based on members’ feelings of overall satisfaction with their mattresses. Results for both are gathered from Consumer Reports’ 2022, 2023, and 2024 Winter Surveys covering almost 61,000 mattresses purchased by CR members between 2014 and 2024.
To see the results for each mattress we tested, check out our comprehensive mattress ratings of over 290 models, where you can sort according to firmness level as well as price, sleep-position support, and other criteria that are important to you. You can also use our mattress finder tool, which can help you pick the right mattress based on your preferences.
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