When you see “firmness: 7 out of 10” on one of our mattress reviews, that number comes from a structured process. It does not come from a quick press of my hand into the foam. It comes from weeks of sleep, repeated checks, and a clear scoring system that we follow step by step.
On this page I explain how we test mattress firmness. I walk through what firmness actually means, how we measure it, and how we turn raw impressions into a reliable 1–10 score. I also show how each member of our testing team fits into this work and how our clinical advisor, Dr. Adrian Walker, reviews the results from a sleep-medicine and ergonomics perspective.
Many review labs and consumer organizations now treat firmness as a core performance metric. They use a 10-point scale, structured loading tests, and panels of sleepers with different body types.
Our system follows the same general direction but lives in real bedrooms, not just test rigs.
I am Chris Miller, your narrator for this page. I coordinate the mattress tests, collect the data, and write the final verdicts you see on Dweva.
What Mattress Firmness Actually Means
Many shoppers use “firm” and “supportive” as the same word. They are not the same thing. Firmness describes how hard or soft the surface feels when you first lie down and as you settle in. Support describes how well the mattress holds your spine and joints in a healthy position over time.
Most of the industry now relies on a 1–10 firmness scale. On that scale, 1 means extremely soft. 10 means extremely firm. Medium and medium-firm models usually sit somewhere between 5 and 7. This range tends to suit many sleepers when body weight and position fall near average.
From the perspective of a real sleeper, firmness feels subjective. A 200-pound back sleeper may call one mattress a “7”. A 130-pound side sleeper may call that same mattress a “5”. Many guides now stress that body weight and sleeping position shift perceived firmness in exactly this way.
In our work, this subjectivity matters. We do not try to erase it. We capture it through different testers, then we anchor those impressions to repeatable checks that track how much the mattress compresses under known loads.
Our Firmness Scale And What The Numbers Mean
We use a 1–10 firmness scale because it matches what most shoppers see across brands and review sites.
Here is how we label the ranges:
| Firmness Score | Our Label | Typical Feel Description |
| 1–2 | Extra soft | Deep sink, strong hug, very plush surface |
| 3–4 | Soft | Noticeable cushioning, clear sink for lighter bodies |
| 5–6 | Medium to medium-soft | Balanced contour and pushback, slight sink for most sleepers |
| 6.5–7 | Medium-firm | Gentle surface give over a clearly supportive core |
| 7.5–8 | Firm | Shallow contour, strong surface support |
| 9–10 | Extra firm | Minimal give, very flat and rigid feel |
Many test labs and reviewers call 6–7 the rough “industry average” feel.
Our experience matches this pattern in broad terms. Under that range, beds feel clearly soft for most sleepers. Above it, beds feel clearly firm.
Our scale is anchored to our process, not to brand marketing language. A company may advertise “medium-firm”. Our rating may land softer or firmer than that claim. That difference appears in the review.
Why Body Type And Sleep Position Matter For Firmness
Firmness scores mean little without context. Body weight and sleeping position change how the same bed feels to different people. Independent test labs and mattress reviewers now build this idea directly into their scoring.
We follow a similar pattern. We look at three broad body-weight bands:
- Under 130 pounds
- 130 to 230 pounds
- Over 230 pounds
These bands track closely with guidance from large testing programs that rate mattresses separately for different weight groups.
We also separate:
- Side sleepers
- Back sleepers
- Stomach sleepers
- Combination sleepers
In my view, mattress firmness scores only become truly useful when you match them with these two dimensions. A mattress that feels “medium-firm” for a 200-pound back sleeper may feel quite firm for a 120-pound side sleeper. Firmness itself does not change. Perception does. Our team structure helps capture that gap.
The Mattress Firmness Testing Team
Every firmness rating on Dweva comes from this fixed panel.
Chris Miller – Combination Sleeper And Lead Tester
I am 5'10" and 185 pounds, with mild lower-back tightness after long desk days. I sleep on my back and side most nights. Sometimes I drift into a short stomach nap while reading.
When I judge firmness, I pay attention to:
- How my lumbar area feels through the night
- How my hips settle into the surface on side and back
- How the mattress holds that feel over several weeks
I also watch the balance between contouring and pushback. Too much contour without support feels mushy. Too much pushback without contour feels harsh.
Marcus Reed – Heavy Back And Stomach Sleeper
Marcus measures about 6'1" and 230 pounds. He moves between back and stomach positions and sometimes starts on his side.
For him, firmness revolves around:
- Strong hip and lower-back support under a heavier frame
- How far he sinks before he feels the core push back
- How firm the edges feel for early exits and shoe-tying
He also sleeps hot, so he notes whether a firm mattress still traps heat. Research and editorial reviews often remark that heavier sleepers tend to prefer firmer beds, particularly when they sleep on their back or stomach.
Marcus represents that group in our panel.
Carlos Alvarez – Alignment-Focused Back Sleeper
Carlos sits around 5'11" and 175 pounds. He sleeps mainly on his back, with some early night side time.
He feels firmness through alignment. He checks:
- Whether his shoulders and lower back feel level
- How clearly he senses the support core under the comfort layers
- How steady the surface feels when he shifts slowly
His comments often sound like “straight spine” and “no mid-back sag”. Clinical and ergonomic sources emphasize that neutral alignment matters more for back comfort than simple softness or hardness.
Carlos gives our firmness work that kind of alignment lens.
Mia Chen – Petite Side Sleeper
Mia is 5'4" and 125 pounds. She sleeps mostly on her side and often curls slightly.
She judges firmness by:
- Shoulder pressure on the outer side
- Hip pressure when she stays in position
- How easily she finds a “soft pocket” that lets joints sink enough
Many firmness guides state that lighter side sleepers often need softer surface comfort to avoid sharp pressure.
Mia’s logs tell us when a nominal “medium-firm” design feels practically firm for her body.
Jenna Brooks – Motion-Sensitive Combination Sleeper
Jenna stands about 5'7" and 160 pounds. She shares a bed with Ethan Cole and moves between back and side at night.
Firmness for her includes:
- How easy it feels to roll over without getting stuck
- Whether the surface pushes back too sharply at the shoulders
- How edges feel when she sleeps near the outer third
She also pays close attention to motion transfer, but for this page I focus on how she reads firmness. Many couples find that too much softness makes movement hard, while very firm beds feel jarring. Jenna’s perspective sits in that space.
Jamal Davis – Tall, Athletic Hybrid Sleeper
Jamal is 6'3" and 210 pounds, with an athletic frame. He moves between back and side sleep and sometimes naps on his stomach after workouts.
He feels firmness as:
- Bounce and “drive” out of the surface when he moves
- How his hips and knees feel during recovery stretches
- How solid the bed feels when he sits or kneels on the edge
He tends to like responsive hybrids and firmer foam beds. External reviews aimed at heavier or more athletic users often highlight firmer, more supportive profiles as better matches for joint stability.
Jamal reflects that trend inside our panel.
Ethan Cole – Restless Combination Sleeper
Ethan measures about 6'0" and 185–190 pounds. He shifts positions often. He starts on his side, then rotates to his back, then sometimes ends up near his stomach.
He experiences firmness through:
- How easily he can turn without thinking
- Whether the mattress grabs his shoulders or hips when he rolls
- How the surface feels when he drifts toward the edge during restless nights
He reports when a bed feels “too squishy” under rolling movements or “too hard” under both side and back positions. His logs show how a mattress handles constant movement, which affects perceived firmness for many combination sleepers.
Clinical Advisor – Dr. Adrian Walker
Dr. Walker is a board-certified sleep and pulmonary physician with ergonomics training. He consults for bedding and seating companies. He reads research on mattress firmness, alignment, and pain outcomes, then connects that work with what he sees in clinic.
In firmness testing he:
- Reviews how our scores line up with different body types
- Flags when sag or extreme softness could stress the lower back
- Notes when very hard surfaces risk pressure issues at shoulders and hips
He adds short expert notes inside reviews. Those comments explain, from a clinical perspective, why certain firmness levels work better for certain patterns of pain and posture.
Step 1 – Reviewing Manufacturer Firmness Claims
We start every firmness test by examining what the brand claims. Many companies describe their beds as “soft”, “medium”, or “firm”. Others use the 1–10 scale directly, often calling 6–7 “medium-firm”.
I record:
- The stated firmness category
- Any given number on the 1–10 scale
- Whether the brand lists different firmness options for one model
This step does not decide our scores. It sets expectations and creates a clear comparison point. Some organizations also start with the manufacturer rating and then measure how real testers perceive firmness.
We follow that same idea. We treat the brand’s number as a hypothesis that we then test.
Step 2 – Initial Panel Impressions
Next, we gather first-night firmness impressions from the whole team.
We keep the process simple at this stage:
- Every tester lies on the mattress in back, side, and stomach positions
- Each person gives a quick firmness score from 1 to 10
- Nobody sees the manufacturer’s rating before scoring
I then place these early scores in a small table and note the spread. Often the heavier testers rate a given mattress softer than the lighter testers. That pattern tracks closely with what many guides describe about body weight and firmness perception.
For example, Marcus might call a mattress a 6. Mia might call the same bed a 7. Ethans’s score may land in between. I log those gaps. They guide later testing and make sure I keep body-type differences in view.
We do not publish these first-night numbers. They simply anchor the long-term process.
Step 3 – Objective Indentation And Load Checks
Firmness feels subjective. Still, objective measurements help us compare mattresses more fairly. Some major labs apply a controlled load, watch how far the mattress compresses, and treat that deflection as a firmness measure. One group, for example, uses a machine that applies a load up to around 1,000 newtons, roughly 225 pounds, then tracks indentation.
We do not own that exact machine. We do use the same principle with simpler tools.
For each mattress we:
- Place a wide test plate on the surface
- Apply known weights in stages that mimic real body loads
- Measure how far the surface sinks under each stage
I repeat these checks at the center and near the shoulder and hip zones. For hybrids with zoned coils, I also test different longitudinal zones. This pattern echoes how some review labs and companies map firmness across the surface.
These numbers help in three ways:
- They show how much the mattress yields under a standard load
- They reveal differences between zones that may feel subtle at first
- They provide a reference when our subjective impressions disagree
If our team calls a mattress “medium-firm” but the indentation looks closer to a soft profile, I look harder at that mismatch. Sometimes strong surface quilting can mask a softer core. In those cases, the load data and long-term diaries together decide the final firmness call.
Step 4 – Multi-Night Firmness Logs By Body Type
Firmness does not stay purely a first-impression story. Many mattresses feel one way on night one and another way by week two. Long-term testing programs often stress this point and run extended home or lab trials for that reason.
We treat firmness as something that evolves over time, especially during the break-in period.
Our process:
- Assign each mattress to a rotation schedule for the full team
- Have each tester sleep on the bed for multi-night blocks
- Capture firmness impressions every morning through short written prompts
I ask questions like:
- “How firm did this feel last night compared with earlier nights?”
- “Did the bed feel firmer at the start of the night or the end?”
- “Did you notice any new soft spots or hard spots?”
Marcus might write that a mattress felt like a 7 on night one and closer to a 6 after ten days. Mia might report that her shoulder pressure eased slightly as surface layers relaxed. Carlos might say that the support core still feels as firm as day one.
These logs show direction and size of firmness drift. They also show whether that drift affects different body types in different ways.
Dr. Walker reviews these patterns, especially in the context of sag and long-term support. Some research links gradual softening to increased risk of back pain when the core can no longer hold alignment.
We do not turn that into clinical advice. We use it to decide whether a mattress that starts “medium-firm” effectively behaves as “medium” after a reasonable break-in.
Step 5 – Positional Firmness Mapping
Firmness rarely feels equal in every sleep position. A mattress that feels pleasant for back sleeping can feel harsh for side sleep or too soft for stomach sleep. Testing programs and firmness guides now often separate results by position for that reason.
We run positional firmness sessions structured in time blocks.
For each tester:
- Back position for a fixed duration
- Side position on the left side for the same duration
- Side position on the right side
- Short stomach sessions, where that matches real habits
After each block, the tester writes:
- A firmness number for that position
- Notes about where the mattress felt firmest
- Notes about where it felt softer or looser
For example, I might call the mattress a 6 as a back sleeper and a 7 as a side sleeper. My shoulders may feel less cushioned than my hips in that posture. Mia may rate the same bed even firmer as a side sleeper because she weighs less and does not sink as deeply.
These positional scores feed into charts that show firmness perception by body type and sleep style. We then translate those charts into language inside reviews like:
- “Feels medium-firm for average-weight back sleepers”
- “Feels firm for petite side sleepers”
- “Feels closer to medium for heavier back and stomach sleepers”
Firmness can be one word on a label. For us, it becomes a map.
Step 6 – Edge Firmness And Perimeter Behavior
Edge feel acts as its own kind of firmness. Many guides and testing programs now rate edge support separately, especially for couples and people with mobility needs.
We look at edge firmness through several lenses.
During sitting tests:
- Marcus and Jamal sit right on the edge and tie shoes
- They report how deeply they sink and how stable they feel
- I measure how much lower the edge sits than the middle under that load
During lying tests:
- Jenna lies close to the outer third of the bed
- Ethan lies closer to the center
- Jenna reports whether the edge feels weaker than the interior
For all testers, I ask:
- “Did the edge feel firmer, softer, or similar to the middle?”
- “Did you feel that you might roll off at any point?”
Edge firmness ratings blend these impressions with our load measurements along the perimeter. For some models, we also note if stronger coils or foam rails appear around the border and whether those features actually make the edge feel more solid.
Step 7 – Zoning, Surface Maps, And Across-Bed Firmness
Many modern mattresses use zoned support. They might include softer foam under the shoulders and firmer foam or coils under the hips. Brands often claim that this setup keeps the spine in a more neutral line while preserving pressure relief. Several firmness guides and review sites now explain zoning in this way.
To see how zoning affects firmness, we:
- Repeat our indentation tests in each zone
- Ask testers to lie with hips over different zones when possible
- Collect comments on whether they actually notice differences
I also walk testers through slow body scans. For example, I will ask Mia to lie still and describe how her shoulders feel compared with her hips. I will ask Carlos to do the same as a back sleeper.
If the numbers show a clear zone pattern and the team feels it, we call that out in the review. We might say that the mattress feels slightly softer at the shoulders and firmer under the hips for medium-weight back and side sleepers.
If zoning looks strong on paper but testers barely feel any difference, we mention that gap as well. Zoning then becomes part of construction, not necessarily a major firmness feature.
Step 8 – Firmness Over Time, Break-In, And Early Sag
Firmness does not stay fixed from day one. Foam relaxes. Quilting compresses. Coils can loosen slightly. Labs that run repeated roller tests or compression cycles do this work to simulate years of use.
Our setup is simpler, yet it still tracks directional firmness change.
Across the full test period we:
- Repeat our load and indentation checks at set intervals
- Measure any new body impressions where testers lie most
- Ask testers to rate long-term firmness on the 1–10 scale again
If a mattress starts at an effective 7 and drifts to an effective 6 after a few weeks, that shift matters. It can be acceptable. It can also signal that softening may continue faster than ideal.
Marcus and Jamal often report early sag more strongly. Their higher body weights stress the core more. Mia and Jenna sometimes feel that same sag as a loss of support rather than a big drop in surface firmness. That mix of observations shapes our final commentary on firmness stability.
Dr. Walker looks closely at these patterns. From his perspective, repeated sag under the hips can strain the lower back over time, even when the surface still feels firm at first touch.
We do not diagnose or treat. We simply flag firmness loss that may put some sleepers at higher risk for discomfort down the road.
Step 9 – How Dr. Walker Reviews Firmness Data
Firmness itself is a feel metric. Still, it has clear implications for sleep health. Research over the years has examined associations between mattress firmness, spinal alignment, pain, and sleep quality.
Dr. Walker approaches our firmness data with several questions in mind.
From the perspective of sleep medicine, he asks:
- Does this firmness range seem reasonable for the body types using it?
- Do our back-pain comments line up with what he sees in similar patients?
- Does the mattress appear to hold alignment through the night?
From the perspective of ergonomics, he considers:
- How that level of firmness interacts with different sleep positions
- Whether our testers describe healthy neutral posture or clear sag
- How pressure descriptions match known risk areas at the shoulders and hips
When he sees a mismatch, he tells us. For example, if a mattress tests very soft and several back sleepers report deeper sag under the hips, he may warn that such a profile could stress the lumbar spine for many people. If a truly firm bed leaves side sleepers with strong shoulder pain, he may suggest that we stress this risk clearly in the review.
He sometimes adds short, direct notes you can see, such as:
- “From a sleep-medicine perspective, this level of sag can strain the lower back over time.”
- “This kind of medium-firm profile matches what many patients with mild back pain tolerate best.”
These notes do not rewrite our scores. They refine our language and help readers understand how firmness interacts with real health patterns.
Step 10 – Turning Tests Into A Firmness Score
After all this data, we still need one firmness number next to the mattress name. That number must reflect both objective measurements and subjective impressions.
Here is how we build it.
I start with the multi-night averages from our panel. I group them by body weight and sleep position. I then plot how those scores cluster. Usually there will be a clear center.
I next look at our indentation data:
- How far the mattress compresses under a standard load
- How that compares with other beds at known firmness levels
- How the center and edge differ under that same load
I then check positional logs and zoning results. If side sleepers consistently rate a mattress firmer than back sleepers, I note that gap. If heavier sleepers call it “medium” where lighter sleepers call it “medium-firm”, I log that pattern too.
At this stage I create three descriptive ratings:
- One for people under 130 pounds
- One for people between 130 and 230 pounds
- One for people over 230 pounds
Inside those bands, I further split by primary sleep position.
These descriptive ratings look like:
- “Feels like a 6.5 for average-weight back sleepers.”
- “Feels closer to a 7 or 7.5 for petite side sleepers.”
- “Feels more like a 5.5 for heavier back and stomach sleepers.”
Once I have these clusters, I assign a core firmness number that best represents the mattress for the broad middle of sleepers. Usually that means a combination of average-weight back and side sleepers. I also add clear notes in each review that explain how the feel shifts for lighter and heavier users.
Dr. Walker reviews this draft. He checks whether the chosen core rating makes sense from a clinical alignment standpoint. If he sees a strong reason to shift the number slightly, we discuss it. The final rating then appears at the top of the review in our standard 1–10 notation.
How To Read Our Firmness Ratings As A Shopper
A firmness score only helps if you know how to use it. Different guides offer different tips here, though many agree on some broad patterns.
Here is how I suggest you read our firmness labels.
Under 130 pounds:
- If you sleep mostly on your side, our “medium-firm” beds may feel pretty firm.
- Look more closely at models we describe as soft to medium.
Between 130 and 230 pounds:
- Our core rating applies most directly to you.
- Match the firmness to your position: softer ranges for strict side sleepers, slightly firmer ranges for mixed back sleepers, and firmer ranges for pure stomach sleepers.
Over 230 pounds:
- Many mid-range firmness scores feel softer in practice.
- Pay close attention to Marcus’s and Jamal’s notes at the firm end of our range.
From the perspective of real sleep, firmness must always share the stage with support, pressure relief, temperature, and motion behavior. Still, this page shows that we treat firmness as a structured, measured, and reviewed metric, not a casual feeling.
Frequently Asked Questions About Our Firmness Testing
Do you use a 1–10 firmness scale?
Yes. We rate mattress firmness on a 1–10 scale, where 1 means extra soft and 10 means extra firm. This scale matches what many brands and review sites now use.
How is your firmness testing different from big lab programs?
Large organizations sometimes use heavy test machines, pressure mapping systems, and rolling devices. They measure firmness, support, and durability globally across hundreds of models.
We test in real bedrooms, use simpler load tests, and rely heavily on multi-week human diaries. We then add formal clinical review through Dr. Walker. The result is a process that mirrors real sleep and still lines up with core industry ideas about firmness.
Do brands ever get to change your firmness score?
No. Brands can supply specs, engineering details, or clarification about construction. Those inputs help us understand why a mattress feels the way it does. They do not change our scores. When our impressions disagree with marketing language, we publish that disagreement.
How often do you update firmness ratings?
We update ratings when:
- We collect new long-term data on a model we still own
- The manufacturer changes construction or launches a new version
- We see persistent reader feedback that we can replicate in follow-up tests
If a mattress changes enough to alter firmness meaningfully, we update the review text and the score.
