What Is An Open Coil Mattress?

Traditional open coil, also commonly known as ‘standard sprung’, is a very popular mattress design that’s been used for hundreds of years. While lots of modern mattresses utilise the pocket spring method instead, open coil mattresses offer unique benefits to your body and sleep.

Lots of mattress and bed manufacturers have developed their own style of open coil systems, for example Silentnight’s Miracoil® springs. In this open coil mattress guide, we’ll explain exactly what an open coil mattress is, as well as the different types you can find on the market.

What is an open coil mattress?

If you’re wondering exactly what an open coil mattress means, don’t worry, you’re not the only one. There’s a lot of different types of mattresses out there, but it’s important you understand the basics so you can figure out the best type for you. In the world of beds, there’s a lot of mattress jargon that can get confusing, but open coil mattresses can also be called:

• Standard sprung mattress
• Standard coil mattress
• Bonnell spring mattress
• Coil spring mattress
• Helical spring mattress
• Cage sprung mattress

While pocket springs are individual springs housed in their own fabric pockets, open coil springs are joined together by wire rods, often in a lattice shape, and run from side to side within the mattress. This encourages the springs to work together, offering even support and spreading your body weight across the surface of the mattress.

While you can get open coil spring mattresses in a range of firmnesses, including soft, the technique is often found in firmer, orthopaedic mattresses, as the high tensile steel springs offer strong support.

For more information on the difference between the most popular types of mattress spring, read our guide on Pocket Sprung Vs Open Coil - What's The Better One?

What are the benefits of an open coil sprung mattress?

The biggest benefit of open coil springs in a mattress is that they’re often cheaper than their pocket sprung counterparts, as they’re less expensive to manufacture. However, the spring system is just one part of a mattress, and you can pay more for comfort fillings like cashmere or even innovative versions of memory foam.

You’ll also find that this type of mattress is excellent for your back, with open coils often used in orthopaedic beds due to their brilliant supportive properties. For this reason, open coil mattresses can be an effective solution to back pain, helping to maintain a healthy posture and control your spinal alignment as you sleep.

Open coil mattresses are also notoriously lightweight, making them ideal for people who move a lot or live on their own, and can’t flip or turn their mattress as easily. They’re also great for guest rooms as they’re great value for money but still offer brilliant support, so your guests will stay as happy as your wallet.

What is the best open coil mattress?

If you’re looking for a firm, orthopaedic mattress, we’d recommend checking out our range of open coil mattresses, as they’re known for their traditionally supportive properties. However, many mattress brands have put their own spin on the traditional open coil, making them ideal for any type of sleeper.

Silentnight Miracoil® Mattresses

Silentnight’s Miracoil® spring systems are cleverly engineered to offer the most supportive night’s sleep possible. Using one long wire wound into twice as many springs as a pocket sprung mattress, Miracoil® support systems create a firmer feel that is not only highly supportive, but prevents you from being disturbed by a wriggling partner in the night.

Ingeniously running vertically rather than horizontally, these springs prevent you from rolling out of your most comfortable sleeping position, so you can sleep soundly all night long.

Sealy Posturepedic Mattresses

One of the best open coil mattress designs on the market, Sealy’s Posturepedic springs feature a coil running across the length of the mattress, connecting all the springs together. This results in the mattress being able to adjust to your sleeping position, giving you the best support possible.

A wire rod edge at the top and bottom of Sealy Posturepedic mattresses create a firm (but comfy) border that lets you enjoy the full surface of your bed, without the sides sagging.

Spring King Hybrid Open Coil Mattresses

Spring King are the experts at using the traditional open coil spring as it is, and creating some of the most comfortable, supportive beds available. By layering open coil spring systems with comfort materials such as reflex foam or soft white fibres, Spring King incorporates these reliable, durable springs into their premium mattresses. Plus, they’re budget friendly!

Open coil mattresses for children

If you’re on the hunt for a child’s mattress, you might notice that most kid’s mattresses feature open coil springs. This is because the firm, supportive nature of the spring system helps to keep their spine aligned as they sleep, which promotes healthy bone growth and development.