Mattress Ratings > Latex Mattress Ratings
What Is a Latex Mattress?
Latex is a rubber particle suspended in liquid. Latex can be natural or synthetic.
Natural latex comes from the sap-like extract of rubber trees.
Synthetic latex is made by polymerizing a monomer that has been
emulsified with surfactants. Synthetic latex has, however, the
same basic properties of natural latex. All latex is either
a natural / synthetic blend or 100% natural latex.
In addition there are two types of latex processing, Dunlop and Talalay.
Latex cores are the piece of latex used to make a mattress. They tend to be 5-6 inches thick and typically have a density of 4 lb/cubic foot or higher. They are made with pincore construction, meaning that the cores have hundreds of small holes in them. These holes help to circulate air within the latex core and soften the core by making it less dense.
It is not uncommon for latex beds to have at least one layer of another material, such as memory foam, on top of the latex core to provide a softer and more compliant feel.
Latex mattresses have become increasingly popular in recent years. Mattress manufacturers
have been adding latex mattresses, or at least mattresses with
a layer of latex, to their product lines. This increase in latex
mattress popularity is likely due to various and fairly recent
improvements to latex processing which have helped to make mattresses
made with latex highly competitive with other mattress types.