When did the first humans start using the mattress? Do you know the mattress types used at that time? How did they choose a mattress? Interesting questions right?
Mattress is an important product in your life which always stays with you from your childhood to your old age. We spend one-third of our life sleeping on a mattress. In this post I am going to cover the types of mattresses available and how to choose a mattress in India.
In old days, most people used only cotton mattresses. There were very few types available in the market. But times have changed. There are variety of mattresses available in Indian market today. If you don’t choose a mattress wisely, you may end up spending sleepless nights!
How to choose a mattress in India
Let’s learn about the types of mattresses available in India and what are the things you should know and look for while buying a mattress.
There are 5 types of mattresses available in India.
- Cotton Mattresses
- Foam Mattresses
- Coir Mattresses
- Spring Mattresses
- Moulded Foam Mattresses
1. Cotton Filled Mattresses
Cotton Mattresses are the oldest type of mattresses in India. These are economical as well as most suitable for hot summers in India. Cotton Mattresses provide good comfort and also provides good air circulation. Breathable nature of cotton makes these mattresses suitable for hot and humid conditions.
Even though cotton mattresses are natural and provides good comfort, these mattresses does not last long since the cotton absorbs the moisture and lose softness. These mattresses require drying in sun to make the cotton gain its softness back.


Cotton mattress are available for cheap prices, as low as Rs,2000. However, it is recommended to buy from a good retailer since synthetic cottons are also used in the cotton mattresses which may be harmful to some due to the chemical properties used in the making of synthetic cotton.
2. Foam Mattresses
Foam Mattresses come in several different types, based on type of Foam used or combination of foam with coir etc.
The most common foam mattress type in India is Bonded Foam Mattress. It is important to know about this Mattress type because you will hear about this type of mattress a lot when you shop for mattresses in India.

Bonded Foam are made from recycled foam. It gets its name due to the process it goes thru while making a bed or cushion. This type of foam get recycled to make new beds or sofa. The old foam is cut it into small pieces and then bond again to make a new foam sheet. Therefore, this type of foam is good for the environment, since the old foam is not sent to landfills. Instead the foam is recycled to make new foam.
These Bonded Foam Mattresses are economical and available for cheap rates. However, this is not your ideal choice, if you are looking for comfort.
Extra Thick Comfort Foam Mattresses
Bonded Foam beds are available in few improved forms, by using extra coir layering or additional layer of foam to provide extra thickness and comfort.
Usually good quality foam sheets are placed on top of the Bonded Foam to make these thick extra comfort mattresses. The thickness of theses mattresses are added by having several layers of good quality foam on top of thick bonded foam, depending on the price of the mattresses.
Memory Foam Mattresses
Recent innovations in foam technology has led to new mattress types such as Memory Foam. These are known for their comfort. Again, as we mentioned above, these mattresses have their bottom layer filled using Bonded Foam and top layers using Memory Foam for extra comfort and cushioning.


Be cautious while buying a memory foam mattress. These are known for being hot in our sleep. However, there are new memory foam mattresses which provide cooling effect.
3. Coir Mattresses
Coir Mattresses are unique mattress type available in asian countries only. These mattresses are made of coconut coir. Hence these are natural and suitable for all seasons.
Coir mattresses are made predominantly by using Foam or Latex for extra layer to give cushion and comfort. We have classified these as Hybrid coir mattresses.
Hybrid Mattresses
There are several hybrid mattress types available which has the combination of coir and bonded foam but unlike other foam mattress types, these mattresses use bonded foam in the middle and use coir on top and bottom of the mattresses. These are durable since we can use this mattresses on both sides.

Coir mattresses with foam layers are called Coir foam hybrid mattresses. Some brands use Latex instead of foam with coir. Latex is made of natural rubber. Hence this gives unique texture as well as good cushioning.
4. Spring Mattresses
Spring mattresses have come a long way from its original form and there are many improvement done on this type. There are two types of spring mattresses. First one is Bonnell Spring and the second one is pocketed springs.
The key advantage of spring mattresses is that the air circulate inside and outside the mattresses and that keep the mattresses cool. The spring mattresses will be cool inside during summers.
Bonnel Spring Mattresses
Bonnell spring is a kind of a round spring that is tied with each other in such a way that they create a spring net. A protective layer of foam is applied on the springs to provide cushion and comfort.

Pocketed Spring Mattresses
Pocketed springs are round springs that are pocked individually in fabric or non-woven bags and are then connected together to make the mattress. All the pocketed springs are independent to one another. When one or two springs gets depressed, the other nearby springs are not affected or moved.

The advantage is that when you use a pocketed spring mattress, when someone sits on one side of the mattress, and someone is sleeping on the other side, there will be very little chance of any disturbance or movement on the other side of the mattress due to pocketed spring.
Hybrid Spring Mattresses
Mattresses with combination of pocketed spring and foam are made to provide cushioning and comfort according to personal preferences.
Pocketed spring is layered with good quality foam in the middle and memory foam on top. This gives the advantages of both spring mattresses along with cushioning and comfort.
5. Moulded Foam Mattresses
Moulded Foam is a recent advancement in foam manufacturing process. These foam types are predominantly used in industrial foam manufacturing, such as bike seats or car seats. Nowadays these foam are used to make mattresses, and sofas as well.
These foam are made by injecting liquid foam into the mould shapes, due to which this foam has less chance of impurity and gives long life to the mattresses, sometimes lasting more than 20 years if used with care. People who prefer more softer mattresses should look at memory foam mattresses.
Conclusion
We have seen the different types of mattresses available in India and how to choose a mattress in India. The answer to your question “how to choose a best mattress in India” depends on your preference such as Foam vs Coir vs Spring.
In conclusion, the bonded foam mattresses from a renowned brands are a good choice and economical compared to memory foam or moulded foam. However, if your home does not have air conditioning, then spring mattresses will be the best bet considering the Indian summers.
Hope our post is helpful for you in finding a suitable mattress for you. Read our sofa buying guide to learn about 5 Important Tips that will help you in choosing a best sofa for you.
But wanna input that you have a very decent internet site, I enjoy the style it actually stands out.