What Is a Firm Mattress?

Manufacturers use specific design techniques to create beds that have a firm style surface.  The use of carefully selected foams, in conjunction with tighter sewing patterns in the quilt, both help to create this firm feel.  Firm mattresses typically have a lower height than their plush, pillowtop, or boxtop counterparts.  Firm mattresses offer optimal support, but are designed to offer limited contourability.

Firm mattresses can also be classified by manufacturers by terms such as luxury firm and cushion firm or can be paired with a eurotop style for a unique firm feel.  Cushion firm mattresses tend to be a bit softer feeling than those classified solely as firm, but are sometimes the only firm feeling option from a manufacturer at a particular level.

What Is a Plush Mattress?

Plush beds are the middle ground within the spectrum of comfort options available in mattresses today.  They typically contain one to four additional inches of foam over firm mattresses.  By increasing the layers of softer convoluted foams and adding a tack and jump quilt in mid to upper level models, plush mattresses offer improved contourability over their firm counterparts.

Other styles of mattresses including pillowtops, boxtops, and eurotops often include the word plush in their classification, indicating the softness of the mattress.  Manufacturers also sometimes refer to softer plush mattresses with terms such as ultra plush.

What Is a Pillowtop Mattress?

With a construction that maximizes the potential for softness, pillowtops are the softest options available among our selection of mattresses.  Built up from plush style mattresses, pillowtops contain an attached featherbed-type padding on the top of the mattress.  The design of this type of mattress lends itself to the a feel even softer than its plush equivalent

Most pillowtops are classified as either a pillowtop or plush pillowtop, but even softer models are sometimes referred to as ultra plush pillowtops and thicker tops can be referred to as super pillowtops.  In addition, as the pillowtop of a mattress becomes more squared off, flusher, or more reinforced, some manufacturers begin to switch their classifications from pillowtop to boxtop or eurotop.

What Is a Eurotop or Boxtop Mattress?

Eurotop and boxtop mattresses are the newest innovation in bedding. Their unique design allows manufacturers to increase the amount of padding placed on top of the mattress, even compared to pillowtop mattresses, thereby reducing pressure points and improving longevity. While some manufacturers refer to this style of mattress as a boxtop and others as a eurotop, there is no significant difference between the two.

While listed amongst other feels, eurotops and boxtops are a truly unique design that can range in feel from very firm to ultra plush. Pillowtop mattresses are typically designed with added foam to increase softness. Similarly, eurotops and boxtops are also designed with additional layers of foam, but offer a more versatile range of comfort designations. For instance, a firm eurotop would have the same feel as a traditional firm mattress, but with additional suspension through increased layering of foam. Softer eurotop mattresses are sometimes designated as euro pillowtops and can also be referred to as plush euro pillowtops or ultra plush euro pillowtops, the softer you get.