Quick Answer: A coil mattress is a mattress whose support core is made of steel springs, called coils, with foam, fibre or latex comfort layers on top. The coils are either wired together (Bonnell, offset, continuous) or wrapped one by one in fabric pockets.
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A coil mattress, also sold as a spring mattress or an innerspring mattress, is the oldest modern mattress design and still the one most Canadians grow up sleeping on. At Mattress Miracle, the family-owned Brantford store Brad Grose opened in 1997, coil beds make up most of the floor: Restonic mattresses built in Canada, and two-sided Sleep In models from the flippable mattress range. Nearly every one of them now uses pocket coil mattresses as the support core rather than the old wired-together grid.
The coil unit decides how the bed supports you, how much it bounces, and how much you feel a partner roll over. The comfort layers on top decide how it feels against your shoulder and hip. Shoppers mix those two jobs up all the time, which is why two mattresses with the same coil count can feel nothing alike in the Mattress Miracle showroom.
"People ask me what a coil mattress is, and I tell them to unzip one in their head. The springs are the frame of the house. The foam is the furniture. If the frame is cheap, nice furniture won't save it. The first spec I look at is how the coils are built and what the wire is, and the count comes after that."
Brad Grose, founder, Mattress Miracle, family owned in Brantford since 1997, with 40+ years in the mattress industry
In This Guide
What Is a Coil Mattress?
A coil mattress is a mattress built on a support core of steel springs. The spring unit sits in the bottom two-thirds of the mattress and carries your weight. Above it, a few inches of foam, fibre, wool or latex soften the surface so you don't feel the wire. Most coil mattresses also have a foam border around the spring unit (called encasement) so the edge doesn't collapse when you sit on it.
Each coil is a helix of tempered steel wire. When you lie down, the coils under your heavier areas (hips and shoulders) compress more, and the springs push back in proportion. That push-back is what gives a coil mattress its lift and bounce, and it's the main thing that separates it from an all-foam bed, which sinks and recovers slowly. The open space between springs also lets air move through the core, so a coil mattress usually sleeps cooler than a solid block of memory foam.
A mattress with coils plus a thick foam or latex comfort section (roughly 3 inches or more) is usually sold as a hybrid. Under the cover it is still a coil mattress. The Restonic ComfortCare on our floor, pocket coils under gel memory foam, fits that description.
What Is the Difference Between a Spring Mattress and a Coil Mattress?
There is no difference. Spring mattress, coil mattress and innerspring mattress are three names for one design: a mattress whose support comes from a steel spring unit. Retailers and manufacturers use the words interchangeably. Some stores use "innerspring" to mean the older wired-together coils and "pocket coil" for the individually wrapped kind, but that is store shorthand. A pocketed coil mattress is still an innerspring mattress.
The useful distinction is between coil types, because those change how the bed behaves. A wired Bonnell unit and a pocketed unit are both "spring mattresses," yet one transfers every toss and turn across the bed and the other mostly keeps it on your side. When a salesperson says "coil mattress," ask which coil.
The Four Coil Types
Mattress coil units come in four common designs. Three of them link the springs with wire, and one wraps each spring in its own fabric sleeve.
| Coil type | How it's built | Motion transfer | Where you'll find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonnell | Hourglass coils laced together with spiral wire | High | Budget, guest and bunk mattresses |
| Offset | Hourglass coils with flattened, hinged tops | Moderate | Mid-priced traditional innersprings |
| Continuous wire | Rows of S-shaped coils bent from one long wire | Moderate to high | Firm budget and RV mattresses |
| Pocketed (wrapped) | Each coil sewn into its own fabric pocket | Low | Most mid-range and premium mattresses, hybrids |
Pocketed coils, sometimes called individually wrapped or Marshall coils, are what Mattress Miracle stocks in nearly every coil bed. Because each spring compresses on its own, the mattress follows the shape of your body more closely, and a partner getting up at 5 a.m. is far less likely to wake you. Wired units still have a place. A Bonnell mattress is a sensible buy for a cottage bunk or a guest room that gets used six nights a year.
Pocket coil units can also be zoned, with firmer coils or thicker wire under the hips and softer response under the shoulders. The pocketed coil vs innerspring comparison covers the feel differences in more detail.
Coil Count and Wire Gauge: What the Numbers Mean
Coil count is the number of springs in the mattress, almost always quoted for a queen. Wire gauge is the thickness of the steel. Count gets printed on the law tag and the showroom card; gauge usually doesn't, and gauge often tells you more.
For a queen pocket coil mattress, a count between roughly 800 and 1,400 is normal for a primary support unit. More coils means smaller springs, which can follow the body more precisely, but only if the wire is right. A queen listed at 2,000 or more coils almost always counts a layer of small "micro-coils" in the comfort section, which is a different job from the support unit underneath.
Gauge numbers run backwards: a lower gauge is thicker wire. Most mattress coils fall between about 12 and 16 gauge (roughly 2.7 mm down to 1.6 mm). Thicker wire feels firmer and resists sagging longer. Thinner wire contours more. The better zoned units mix the two, which is why you'll see two gauges listed on one mattress.
What the research says about support
A 2021 systematic review in the Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (Caggiari and colleagues, 39 studies) found that medium-firm mattresses did best for comfort, sleep quality and spinal alignment, while noting there's no agreed "ideal" design for preventing back pain. In a smaller study in the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine (Jacobson, Boolani and Smith, 2009), 59 adults whose beds averaged 9.5 years old slept on new medium-firm bedding for 28 days and reported better sleep quality and less back discomfort. For a coil mattress, that points to two practical things: pick a medium-firm feel unless you have a reason not to, and replace a spring bed before the coil unit sags.
This information is educational. If you have ongoing back pain, talk to your family doctor, chiropractor or physiotherapist.
Coil Specs From Our Brantford Floor
The table below lists real coil specs from four coil mattresses on the Mattress Miracle floor in Brantford, taken from the product specifications we publish. Queen prices are current as of October 2026. We put it together because a shopper comparing coil beds online rarely gets count, zoning and wire side by side.
| Mattress (queen) | Coil system | Queen coil count | Build | Queen price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep In Ortho Comfort | Tri-zone pocket coil, 1.8 mm wire at head and legs, 2.0 mm at the lumbar zone | 900 | Flippable, Euro top both sides, foam-encased edge | $920 |
| Sleep In Whitney | Tri-zone pocket coil | 1,166 | Flippable, 12 inches | $972 |
| Sleep In Dream Catcher | Tri-zone pocket coil | 1,322 | Flippable, 12 inches, our firmest flippable | $895 |
| Restonic ComfortCare Dalton and Albany | Marvelous Middle zoned pocket coil, reinforced centre third | 1,222 | One-sided Euro top, gel memory foam | $1,619 |
Two things stand out. The Ortho Comfort has the lowest count of the four and still sells to back-pain shoppers, because its 2.0 mm lumbar wire (about 14 gauge) is thicker than the 1.8 mm (about 15 gauge) used elsewhere in the unit. And the Dream Catcher has more coils than the Whitney for less money, which tells you coil count alone doesn't set the price. Comfort layers, covers and one-sided versus two-sided construction move the number as much as the springs do.
"When someone tells me they want 'a coil mattress,' I ask how they sleep before I ask what they've read. A side sleeper on the Dream Catcher often says it pushes back too hard at the shoulder, and the same person lies on the ComfortCare Albany and relaxes. Same idea under the hood, very different top."
Talia Grose, sleep specialist, Mattress Miracle
Who a Coil Mattress Suits (and Who It Doesn't)
A coil mattress suits sleepers who run hot, people who like to move easily in bed, back and stomach sleepers who want lift under the hips, and heavier sleepers, since a steel unit holds up under weight better than most budget foam. Couples should look at pocketed coils specifically, and a zoned unit if one partner has lower-back trouble.
A coil mattress is a weaker fit if you want the "sink in and stay put" hug of memory foam, if a light-sleeping partner needs the absolute least motion transfer (dense memory foam still wins there, as our foam vs coil motion test explains), or if you have to carry the bed up a narrow staircase alone. A queen coil mattress is heavier than a comparable foam one and doesn't roll up into a box as neatly.
Trying coil mattresses in Brantford
Spec sheets get you to a short list, and lying down settles it. At Mattress Miracle on West Street, we line up a few pocket coil beds and a hybrid next to each other so you can feel the difference in a few minutes, and nobody on the floor works on commission. Paris, St. George and Hamilton are a short drive away, and we deliver across Ontario if you'd rather not haul a coil mattress home yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does every mattress have coils?
No. All-foam and all-latex mattresses have no springs at all; their support comes from a dense foam or latex base. Coil mattresses and hybrids use a steel spring unit for support, and some airbeds use adjustable air chambers instead.
Is a hybrid mattress a coil mattress?
Yes. A hybrid is a coil mattress with a thicker foam or latex comfort section on top of the springs, usually 3 inches or more. The support still comes from the coil unit, which is why hybrids keep the bounce and airflow of a spring bed.
How long does a coil mattress last?
A well-built pocket coil mattress usually gives 7 to 10 years of good support. Replace it when you see a dip you can measure with a ruler, hear the springs, or wake up stiffer than you went to bed. Flippable models like the Sleep In range last longer when you flip and rotate them on a schedule.
Is a coil mattress good for back pain?
A medium-firm coil mattress is a reasonable choice for many people with back pain, and a 2021 systematic review in the Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology found medium-firm mattresses did best for comfort and spinal alignment. A zoned pocket coil unit adds firmer support under the lower back. Talk to your doctor or physiotherapist about ongoing pain.
Where can I try coil mattresses near Brantford?
Mattress Miracle at 441 1/2 West Street in Brantford has Restonic and Sleep In pocket coil mattresses on the floor to try side by side. Call (519) 770-0001 for stock and delivery questions, or come in during store hours.
Visit Our Brantford Showroom
Mattress Miracle
441 1/2 West Street, Brantford
Phone: (519) 770-0001
Hours: Mon-Wed 10-6, Thu-Fri 10-7, Sat 10-5, Sun 12-4
Reading about coils only goes so far. Come lie on a pocket coil mattress next to a hybrid and you'll know which one you want in about five minutes. Call our team if you'd like us to have a few ready for you.
Related Reading
Sources
- Caggiari G, Talesa GR, Toro G, et al. "What type of mattress should be chosen to avoid back pain and improve sleep quality? Review of the literature." Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, 2021;22:51. doi:10.1186/s10195-021-00616-5
- Jacobson BH, Boolani A, Smith DB. "Changes in back pain, sleep quality, and perceived stress after introduction of new bedding systems." Journal of Chiropractic Medicine, 2009;8(1):1-8. PubMed 19646380
- Mattress Miracle product specifications for Sleep In Ortho Comfort, Whitney and Dream Catcher, and Restonic ComfortCare Dalton and Albany, mattressmiracle.ca, October 2026.