Mattress compression packaging size
A practical guide to mattress compression packaging size: what to check on site, what a photograph cannot establish, and what to write in your purchase specification.
A vacuum-compressed mattress occupies a fraction of its volume in transit and returns to full size after opening. This creates a check that cannot be done at the packing stage and has to be done after decompression.
The problem
Measuring a compressed mattress gives you nothing about the finished product. The relevant measurements — thickness, internal height, and whether it fits the frame — are only available after the foam has recovered.
How it is checked
- Record the label's stated size and thickness before opening.
- Open and allow full recovery — typically 24 to 48 hours for compressed foam.
- Measure thickness at three points: head, middle and foot.
- Measure internal dimensions of the frame you intend to use.
- Compare the two.
mattress and bed verification sets out the full mattress and bed verification.
Label claims are the highest-risk item
Compressed mattresses are routinely labelled with the finished size. That is legitimate. What is not legitimate — and is common — is a finished thickness claim above what the foam delivers after recovery.
A label reading "25 cm" against a recovered thickness of 20 cm is not a rounding error. It is a product that will not meet its height specification in the buyer's market.
Layer count
Where a mattress is layered — comfort foam, transition foam, support core — the layer count and thicknesses are checkable by cutting a witness sample alongside the production run. A photograph of the finished surface cannot show this.
A density or composition certificate that does not reference a sampled witness is weaker evidence than one that does.
What to write in your specification
"Finished thickness as labelled, measured after full decompression at head, middle and foot. Labels stating a thickness above recovered thickness are a finding. Foam layer count and per-layer thickness to match the approved sample."
Common questions
What should my purchase specification contain?
Model and quantity, dimensions with tolerance, materials named rather than described generically, colour standard with a grey scale value, and any standard the goods must meet.
How early should verification happen before shipment?
After production is substantially complete but before the container is sealed. Earlier and there is nothing to inspect; later and the remedy is to unload in China rather than in your own country.
What does AQL mean in furniture inspection?
AQL is the Acceptable Quality Limit under ISO 2859-1 — the quality threshold used to accept or reject a sampled lot. It is an input to a decision, not a statement about how good the goods are.
Verifying a furniture order?
We check your goods at the factory against your PI, your agreed specification and your approved sample. Three levels, published prices, report within 24 hours.