Element provides expert mattress testing services to manufacturers in the consumer, medical, and institutional industries to evaluate the flammability, durability, and performance of their product, and help them to bring safer and quality products to the market.  

As regulations in the sleep industry constantly evolve, our experts keep abreast of the latest compliance requirements, supporting bedding and mattress manufacturers with a variety of testing services that ensure their product is fit for purpose and compliant with all industry standards and regulations.  

Some of the tests we offer include:

    • ASTM Hexagonal Roller Test
    • ASTM Cornell Test
    • Failure Analysis
    • Thermal Performance
    • Interface Pressure Mapping
    • Mattress Air Flow
    • Mattress Flammability and Open Flame Compliance
    • Motion Transfer
    • Point Elasticity
    • Specification Compliance
    • Medical Mattress Performance

Thanks to our extensive expertise in the field and our full-scale testing capabilities, we can test just about any kind of mattress, from hospital beds to consumer, military, and hotel mattresses. 

We test the flammability, durability and performance by simulating the conditions that the product may face in real-world environments and give you results closer to the product behavior in the application. Our tests are critical to establish benchmark performance standards and plan for optimal service life. 

The Element advantage

Element’s quality program meets the ISO/IEC Guide 17025 standards, equivalent to the relevant laboratory requirements of the ISO 9002 series of standards. Element is also approved by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to conduct mattress flammability testing to 16 CFR Part 1632/1633.

We are with you every step of the way, increasing our capacity and expertise to help you meet the appropriate quality and regulatory standards and efficiently address today’s challenges.

We leverage our deep knowledge in mattress testing to ensure quality and integrity in the supply chain and help you bring the most advanced and safest sleep systems to the market. 

For more information on our mattress testing services and the tests we perform, contact us today. 

Whether it is for hospitality, medical and healthcare, or retail, we can help you to establish compliance with a variety of industry standards, including:

  • ASTM Cornell Evaluation
  • ASTM D3574 Foam Testing
  • ASTM Foundation Impact
  • ASTM Hexagonal Roller
  • BFD IX-11
  • Boston IX-10 & IX-11
  • Buyer Specification
  • California TB 117, 117-2013
  • California TB 121, 129, 133
  • Computerized Firmness/ILD
  • 16 CFR Part 1633 open flame
  • 16 CFR 1632 cigarette
  • RESNA/ANSI SS-1 sections 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (note section 1 covers vocabulary)
mattress thermal performance
BEDDING AND MATTRESS TESTING

Mattress Thermal Performance

In step with a new national standard RESNA/ANSI SS-1, we evaluate a mattress thermal performance by conducting the Sweating Guarded Hot Plate method and the Body Analog method.

The Sweating Guarded Hot Plate method characterizes mattress, mattress topper, and pillow designs for how well they promote heat and moisture flow away from the body. The buildup of heat and moisture can contribute to “tossing and turning” as the body seeks to alleviate the issue. A sweating guarded hot plate simulates the heat and perspiration output of the human body, offering insight in terms of surface heat retention.

The Body Analog method evaluates the temperature and relative humidity between the fixture and the mattress surface. The build-up of heat and moisture between a sleeping person and a mattress can lead to discomfort and less restful sleep, eventually resulting in tissue breakdown. This test helps to assess a mattress thermal performance by quantifying the microclimate. 

mattress flammability testing
BEDDING AND MATTRESS TESTING

Mattress Flammability Testing & Open Flame

With extensive expertise in fire testing, Element provides manufacturers in the sleep industry with specialist flammability and open flame testing on mattresses in compliance with CPSC 16 CFR 1632, CPSC 16 CFR 1633, California TB 129, and Boston IX-11.

In 2007 the Consumer Products Safety Commission, a branch of the federal US government, enacted an open flame regulation applicable to all mattresses sold in interstate commerce. To support the bedding industry with this challenging issue, Element operates an advanced flammability laboratory that is one of only a few in North America and handles testing for mattress manufacturers worldwide.

Mattress durability testing
bedding and mattress testing

Mattress Durability Testing

Element’s experts perform durability testing on mattresses by applying the Hexagonal Roller test and the Cornell test in accordance with ASTM F1566 and ASTM F1566-99.

The Hexagonal roller is a 240 lbs. hex-shaped roller that moves back and forth across the width of the mattress simulating typical sleep movement. Testing is conducted on twin, full, or queen size mattresses or mattress sets. The results of this test give insight on change in height, firmness, and visually apparent degradation. 

The Cornell test represents the human posterior and applies a 230 lbs. load to the mattress surface in a cyclic pounding format, simulating everything from sitting in bed, reading a book to the occasional “trampoline” use. Firmness and thickness measurements are obtained to assess the amount of change that is brought on by the testing. A report summarizing the results includes a Compliance Percentage rating which gauges the sample’s performance compared with industry norms. 

At Element, we combine both of these procedures into a single durability test with a proprietary scoring system quantifying the sample performance in regard to industry criteria. The amount of change the sample experienced as compared to its initial state is also assessed. These values are especially helpful when comparing the results of other mattress designs tested in the same way as well as for future iteration changes. 

Bedding pressure map
bedding and mattress testing

Interface Pressure Mapping

Valuable to both medical and consumer applications, interface pressure mapping uses live subjects and state-of-the-art Xsensor® equipment to determine body interface pressures on a test sample. 

Mattresses, surgical tables, gurneys, pillows, and wheelchairs cushions have been tested with this method. Data generated from the tests can be used to predict a product’s ability to reduce discomfort and promote proper blood circulation.

Mattress performance testing
bedding and mattress testing

Mattress Performance Testing

Element's mattress testing laboratories conduct a variety of performance tests on bedding and mattresses to make sure that they fulfill their intended functions. 

Our performance testing services include:

  • The immersion test, based on RESNA/ANSI SS-1, used to characterize a mattress design for how deep a standardized anatomical mannequin sinks in after 5 minutes
  • The motion transfer test, used to capture the effect that movement on one side of a mattress has on the adjacent side
  • The point elasticity test, based on E DIN SPEC 68200:2016-05, used to measure how well the surface of a mattress adapts to the irregular shape of the body
  • The mattress airflow test, based on ASTM D3574 Part G, used to gauge how easily air passes through a mattress system when a specified level of suction is applied to the mattress surface.
Medical mattress testing to ANSI/RESNA SS-1
bedding and mattress testing

Medical Mattress Testing

Element is A2LA-accredited for ANSI/RESNA SS-1 testing protocols for medical mattresses.

GO TO THE MEDICAL MATTRESS TESTING PAGE

We offer best-in-class delivery, substantial project capacity, and precisely accurate data. Our technical guidance assists manufacturers in providing consistent quality information about their products.

For more information about Element's medical mattress testing capabilities, click here.

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Other Product Qualification Testing Services

Accelerated Aging Accelerated Weathering Testing Acceleration Testing Advisory Services Aircraft Ditching Testing Altitude Testing and Simulation Bespoke Fire Testing Bird Strike Testing Breath Alcohol Ignition Interlock Device Component High Cycle Fatigue Testing Cone Calorimetry Doors and Windows Testing Dynamics Testing Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Testing Electronics Test Methods Environmental Stress Screening (ESS) Test Environmental Testing Explosive Atmosphere Testing and Certification External Cladding Fire Resistance Flame Fire and Flammability Testing Fluid Susceptibility Testing
Fuel System Testing Hail Impact Testing HALT Testing and HASS Testing Hardware Testing High Cycle Fatigue Testing High Level Acoustic Noise Testing Highly Accelerated Stress Testing Hose Testing Humidity Testing Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Battery Testing Ingress Protection Testing International Certifications and Approvals Liquids and Fuels Testing Low Lubricity Aircraft Fuel Testing Marine Fire Testing MIL-STD-810 Testing Plastic Pipes Testing Pneumatics Testing Pressure Testing Product Assessment Reports Product Certification Services Product Compliance Services
Product Safety Testing Radiant Panel Testing Rail Fire Testing Reaction to Fire RTCA DO-160 Testing Salt Fog and Salt Spray Testing Sand and Dust Testing Seismic Testing Shock Testing Space Simulation Spin Testing Steiner Tunnel Testing Structures Testing Temperature and Thermal Testing Thermal Vacuum Testing Towing Trailer and Hitch Product Testing Vibration Testing VOC and SVOC Testing Water Mist Systems Wireless Radio Testing Zigbee Certification Services
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