SleepTech September 2020

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occurring on the surface of a
mattress over time, due to the
compression of materials by the
human body.
Bonnell: A knotted, round-top,
hourglass-shaped steel wire coil.
When laced together with crosswire
helicals, these coils form the
simplest innerspring unit, also
referred to as a Bonnell.
Border: The vertical side or edge
of a mattress or foundation. Prebuilt
borders are constructed by
stitching together the ticking, foam
or other filling materials and a
backing material. Commonly quilted
or vertical-stitched.
Border rod: A heavy gauge wire
rod attached to the perimeter of
the innerspring unit (top and bottom)
by means of a helical wire or
metal clips.
Boric acid: A chemical additive
applied during the garnetting of
cotton and/or other fibers to provide
cigarette ignition resistance
characteristics.
Box spring: Also referred to as
a “foundation.” A base for an
innerspring mattress, consisting
of coils or other forms of springs
mounted on a wood or metal frame
and secured with a wire-interlaced
or welded-wire grid, topped with
upholstery and insulating materials
(felt, urethane or other resilient
materials), and covered on the
top and sides with ticking and on
the bottom with a dust cover. It
is an important part of a bed set
since it serves as a shock absorber,
distributes weight, and supports
and interacts with the innerspring
mattress to properly support the
body.
Box-top mattress: A mattress
featuring a raised surface finishing
treatment where a separate, sided
and rectangular encasement of
soft materials–usually with a tape
edge–is attached via a welt to the
entire surface on top of existing
cover and upholstery.
Bunk bed: A two-tiered wood or
metal frame designed to accommodate
two mattresses, typically
twin-size, one above the other.
Some models allow the upper and
lower units to be detached and
used as separate beds.
Bunkie: A mattress, usually twinsize,
and platform base used on
bunk beds.
Cal 117: Refers to California Technical
Bulletin 117, which specifies a
vertical flame testing procedure for
bedding and furniture component
materials. Foam referred to as “Cal
117 foam” has passed this test.
Carbon: The principal hardening
element in steel. The higher the
carbon content, the harder the metal
and the more temper it will take,
thus giving longer “memory.”
Cellulose acetate pad: Woody fiber
compacted into a pad and used
as an insulator. May be glued or
sandwiched between plastic netting
to help hold it together.
Coil count: The number of coils in
an innerspring unit. Though the
count can effect weight distribution,
it is not the determining factor
for firmness. The count is usually
based on the number of coils in a
full-size unit.
Coils: The individual wire
springs that form an innerspring
unit. See Hourglass, Continuous
and Offset Coils.
Coir pad: An insulator pad