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Spring Tension

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In short

Spring tension is how hard the spring unit in a mattress pushes back when you lie on it. Wire thickness and coil shape set it. Comfort feel is different: it comes from the padding and foam on top. Firm springs can sit under a soft quilt. Mixing up the two is a common reason for early buyer regret.

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Definition. Spring tension is how hard a mattress spring unit pushes back under weight. Wire thickness and coil shape set it.

Some mattresses are sold in more than one tension, such as soft, medium and firm. The top layers may stay the same while the springs change.

Read tension and comfort layers as two separate specs. Split tension mattresses use a different tension on each half.

Full guide: spring tension vs comfort feel. Also: split tension mattresses.