What is PUR foam?

PUR foam (also PUR foam or polyurethane foam) is a foam made from polyol and isocyanate. By adding water, the latter reacts with the isocyanate, causing the material to foam. Depending on how much the material is foamed, different consistencies can be produced. The consistency also determines what the foam is used for. For example, it can be used as assembly foam in the construction sector, but in a different form it can also be used for shoe soles, hoses or packaging material. PUR flexible foam is the form used for the production of mattresses.

PUR foam mattresses

The term PUR flexible foam covers both polyether foams and polyester foams. Polyester foams are used in the industrial sector, while all foams used for mattresses are polyether foams. These have a higher point elasticity and higher resistance to ageing in humidity and heat and are therefore ideal for mattresses. These foams are further subdivided into other foam types:

HR-cold foam
Viscous foam
Gel foam
Hypersoft foam
Comfort foam

When looking for a high-quality mattress, you will also come across a number of other terms, some of which are very imaginative. However, all of these foams, which are used in mattress production and some of which are registered as brand names, can be assigned to one of the classes listed here.

What you should look for when buying a PUR foam mattress

Very often PUR mattresses are offered as comfort foam mattresses. However, two types can also be distinguished in this category: the highly elastic comfort foam and the standard comfort foam. The name suggests a particularly pleasant, high-quality lying feeling, but in this category only the highly elastic comfort foams can guarantee this.

For a long time, only cold foam mattresses with a volume weight of at least 40 kg/m³ were considered to be of high quality. The higher the volume weight, the higher the quality and durability of the mattress. Nowadays, however, modern PUR comfort foams have equally good properties and are therefore suitable for mattresses with superior quality and a long service life.

Decisive for the quality of PUR comfort foams is the question of adding fillers, such as chalk. Only if this is dispensed with can highly resilient comfort foam be produced that guarantees uncompromisingly excellent properties and durability. This makes highly resilient comfort foam far superior in quality to standard comfort foam, which is always made with fillers. Highly elastic comfort foam has a density of 35 kg/m³, whereas standard comfort foam usually only has a maximum of 30 kg/m³.

When buying a PUR foam mattress, you should therefore pay close attention to the type of foams used. For optimal sleeping comfort, mattresses with a combination of different foams are highly recommended. With the combination of highly elastic PUR foam with further functional layers of gel foam and cold foam, great comfort, optimal body adaptation and high point elasticity can be achieved, resulting in a particularly high-quality mattress.