Details - WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

Most industries have a vocabulary unique to their product or service.

Foam also has a language all it's own. We have tried with both visual and verbal descriptions to make the process of selecting and buying our foam products as simple as possible but some very important descriptive characteristics of foam defy simplifying.

This short page of definitions should quickly cut through the jargon and help everyone to understand FOAM.

• CELL - The hole created by air pockets when foam is manufactured. Usually, the smaller the cell, the higher the density.

• COMPRESSION "firmness" - Compression (not density) is what determines firmness. If you don't want a cushion that's hard as a rock or a mattress that is sinks when you sit on it , you have to check the compression or ILD number. Compression means the number of pounds necessary to compress a piece of foam 25% and still bounce back to the original thickness. For example, a 4" thick piece of foam that requires 35 lbs. to pack it down 1" and have it return to its full 4" thickness has a 35 lb. compression rating or ILD -Indention Load Deflection.

• DENSITY "durability" - Density is the characteristic that makes foam last. It also makes it more expensive. That is precisely why we call the least durable foam Economy Grade, the more durable Residential Grade and the most durable foam Commercial Grade. Foam for residential projects will almost always be used less than commercial projects. Density measurement of the mass per unit volume. It is measured in pounds per cubic foot and tells the ratio of foam to air. The higher the density, the less air is in the foam and the longer it will last. Most furniture-grade foams have a minimum density of 1.8 pounds.

• MEMORY FOAM - Actually visco-elastic memory foam is a high density foam, that responds to temperature and weight.