A pocket spring mattress sews each spring into its own fabric pocket, so every spring moves on its own. A Bonnell mattress links its coils into one unit, so it moves more as a single surface. Memory foam sits on top as a comfort layer that contours to you. Zoning tunes springs along the body, often firmer in the middle.
- If you share the bed: start in our pocket spring mattress range, with a supportive all-rounder like the Posture Delight Pocket Spring Mattress.
- If it's for a guest room or a child's bed on a budget: a Bonnell coil mattress like the Sleep Essence Bonnell Spring Mattress keeps it simple.
- If you sleep warm but want a contouring top: look at gel memory foam over pocket springs, like the Cool Night Gel Memory Foam Mattress.
In this guide
Inside the mattress: springs, coils and foam layers
Every mattress has two jobs, done by two parts. The support core underneath holds you up. The comfort layers on top decide how the surface feels when you lie down. "Pocket spring", "Bonnell" and "memory foam" describe different parts, which is why the labels get confusing.
Pocket springs
Each spring is wrapped in its own fabric pocket, and the pockets are joined side by side into a sheet. Because the springs are not wired to each other, the ones under your shoulders can compress more than the ones under your legs. That independence is the reason pocket springs are the usual pick for couples: the springs respond mainly under each sleeper, which helps limit partner disturbance. You will also see it called a pocket sprung or pocket coil mattress. Our pocket spring mattresses run from slim, soft builds to zoned and firmer ones.
Bonnell springs
Bonnell is the traditional innerspring: hourglass-shaped coils linked together as a single unit. The linked coils give a firm, responsive and breathable base, and it is a long-established, value-friendly way to build a spring mattress. The trade-off is that linked coils move together, so the surface behaves more as one piece. Our Bonnell mattresses run from soft pillow tops to very firm builds; browse them in the Bonnell spring mattress range.
Foam comfort layers
Foam is what you feel first. Comfort foam, convoluted (egg-crate) foam, high-density foam and memory foam are layered over the springs in different depths. Memory foam contours to your body and gives a slower, settle-in feel. Gel-infused memory foam is designed to feel cooler than standard memory foam. In the mattresses covered here, foam is always a comfort layer over springs, not the whole mattress.
Pieces in this guide
Pocket spring vs Bonnell vs memory foam: side by side
Here is how the three compare across the things people actually ask about in our showrooms. The memory foam column describes the memory-foam-topped pocket spring mattresses in our range.
| Feature | Pocket spring | Bonnell spring | Memory foam top |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it works | Individually wrapped springs that move on their own | Hourglass coils linked into one unit | Contouring foam layer over a pocket spring core |
| Partner movement | Helps limit partner disturbance | Surface moves more as one piece | Pocket springs underneath help limit disturbance |
| How it feels | Responsive, follows the body | Firm, springy, even base | Slower, settle-in surface |
| Can it be zoned? | Yes, 3 or 5 zones in the mattresses covered here | Not in the Bonnell mattresses we cover here | Yes, when the spring core is zoned |
| Feel (1 soft to 10 firm) | From soft (4) to firm | From soft pillow tops (4) to extra firm | From soft (4) to firm (7) |
| Good fit for | Couples and main bedrooms | Guest rooms, kids' rooms, spare beds | Anyone who likes a cushioned, contouring top |
Notice what the table does not say: none of the three is automatically firmer than the others. The soft Sleep Essential III Pocket Spring Mattress sits around 4 out of 10, while the Posture Delight, also pocket spring, sits around 7. Firmness is a feel, set by spring wire gauge and the comfort layers, not by the construction name.
Mattress zones explained: 3 zone, 5 zone and beyond
A single-firmness spring layer treats your whole body the same. A zoned mattress splits the spring core into sections along the length of the bed, so each part of the body gets support suited to it. In the Supreme Care and the Sleep Bliss, for example, the springs are firmer through the centre to hold up the lower back, with a little more give at the shoulders. The aim is a more even line through the spine.
- 3 zone. Shoulders, a firmer lower-back section, and legs. The Sleep Bliss Memory Foam Mattress uses a 3-zone pocket spring core under a memory foam top, with two rows of firmer springs reinforcing the edges, for a firm feel around 7 out of 10.
- 5 zone. Head and neck, shoulders, lower back, hips and legs. The Cradle Rest 5 Zone Pocket Spring Mattress puts a plush quilted top over a 25 cm, 5-zone core at a medium 5 out of 10. The Supreme Care 5 Zone Memory Foam Mattress adds a memory foam quilted top and firmer edge rows over its 25 cm, 5-zone core; its page labels the feel Plush, 4 out of 10.
- 7 or 9 zone. The same idea, divided into more and narrower sections. The zoned mattresses covered here use three or five zones. Whatever the count, lie on it: how it feels to you matters more than the number.
Two things zoning is not. It is not a firmness tier: a zoned mattress can be soft or firm overall, as the Supreme Care and Sleep Bliss show. And it is not temperature zoning. "Zones" on a mattress almost always refers to support. If you sleep warm, look at the comfort layer instead.
Why most "memory foam" mattresses have springs
This is where names catch people out. Every memory foam mattress linked in this guide is built on pocket springs, with memory foam as the comfort layer. Browse our memory foam mattress range and check the construction line on each product page; the springs are listed there.
- Cool Night: 2 cm of gel memory foam over a 23 cm pocket spring core, labelled Medium-Firm at 6 out of 10, 28 cm tall.
- Chill Sleep: 2 cm of gel memory foam plus comfort and support foam over a 24 cm pocket spring core, soft at around 4 out of 10, 34 cm tall. The Chill Sleep Gel Memory Foam Mattress suits anyone who wants a softer, cushioned top.
- Supreme Care and Sleep Bliss: memory foam tops over zoned pocket springs, as above.
The practical upshot: if you want the contouring feel of memory foam and a partner who rolls over without waking you, these hybrids give you both.
Which construction suits your household
- Couples, or a restless partner: pocket spring, with or without a memory foam top. Then pick the feel.
- A guest room, a spare bed or a growing child: Bonnell is a practical, good-value choice. The Sleep Vital Pillow Top Mattress adds a plush pillow top over the same 17 cm Bonnell base as the Sleep Essence, and the Deluxe Sleep Bonnell Spring Mattress is another soft pillow-top Bonnell option.
- You sit on the edge to dress: look for reinforced edges, such as the firmer spring rows around the Supreme Care and Sleep Bliss.
- You sleep warm: a gel memory foam top over pocket springs, such as the Cool Night or Chill Sleep.
- You know you like it firm: the construction matters less than the feel. Our guide to sleeping position and firmness walks through the four firmness collections.
The quickest way to settle it is to lie on one of each. Our five showrooms are in Rocklea, Virginia, North Ipswich, Bundall and Beenleigh; ask which store has the mattresses you want to compare on display before you visit.
Spring and zone mattress questions
Is a pocket sprung mattress the same as a pocket coil mattress?
Yes. Pocket spring, pocket sprung, pocketed spring and pocket coil all describe the same thing: springs wrapped individually in fabric pockets so each one moves on its own.
Are pocket spring mattresses good for couples?
They are the usual pick for couples. Because each spring is wrapped and works on its own, the springs respond mainly under each sleeper, which helps keep one person's movement from carrying across to the other side.
What is a 5 zone pocket spring mattress?
It is a pocket spring mattress whose spring layer is divided into five sections along its length, each tuned to a different part of the body. In the Supreme Care, for example, the springs are firmer through the centre, with a little more give at the shoulders. The Cradle Rest and the Supreme Care are both 5-zone pocket spring mattresses: the Cradle Rest with a plush quilted top, the Supreme Care with a memory foam top.
Is a pocket spring mattress firmer than a Bonnell mattress?
Not by definition. Firmness comes from wire gauge and comfort layers. In our range the Sleep Essence Bonnell is soft at around 4 out of 10, while the Posture Delight pocket spring sits around 7.
Does a zoned mattress keep you cooler?
No. Zones refer to support along the body. A cooler feel comes from the comfort layer, such as gel-infused memory foam, which is designed to feel cooler than standard memory foam. Bedding and room temperature matter too.
Can I try a pocket spring mattress in store?
Yes. We have five showrooms in South-East Queensland: Rocklea, Virginia, North Ipswich, Bundall and Beenleigh. Ask which store has the mattress you want on display before you visit.