Are bed in a box mattresses good quality? Here's what two mattress manufacturers had to say

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Heres how it works.

The bed-in-a-box phenomenon has well and truly taken hold in the mattress industry.

Vacuum-packed, rolled and boxed is the way that most people buy their new mattress nowadays.

Mattress in a box on a bed frame

All kinds of mattresses can be packed into boxes – this is a hybrid model, with springs and foams

We’ve tried out both types, and both make appearances in the TechRadarbest mattressranking.

So are mattress in a box models actually any good?

What is a bed in a box mattress?

Mattress in a box vacuum packed and rolled up on a bed frame

All kinds of mattresses can be packed into boxes – this is a hybrid model, with springs and foams

A bed-in-a-box mattress is simply one that has been vacuum-packed and rolled up before shipping.

Unsurprisingly, the answer to this question depends on who you ask.

Piles of foams in a mattress factory

Foam at the 3Z Brands factory, waiting to be added into mattresses

So Byron is a little biased.

Fiberglass is sometimes used in mattresses as a flame retardant.

Person cutting open the plastic on a mattress in a box

Mattress in a box models arrive vacuum-packed in plastic, ready to be unfurled once in place

However, it’s not that straightforward.

Where there might be a bit of a difference is in the thickness of coil used.

Mattress coils being created at the 3Z Brands factory

Pocket coils at the 3Z Brands mattress factory

To make compression possible, bed in a box mattresses might uses higher-gauge (i.e.

thinner) coils, which are less durable than lower-gauge (thicker) coils.