Medium firm mattresses

A medium-firm mattress, graded 7 to 8 on our 1 to 10 firmness scale, is supportive with a little give on top. It suits most back sleepers, many couples and people with no strong preference, and each mattress page shows its exact number.

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What does medium-firm mean?

Medium-firm means supportive with a little give: graded 7 to 8 on our 1 to 10 firmness scale, a medium-firm mattress holds you near the surface while its top layer takes the edge off your shoulders and hips.

It sits between medium (5 to 6), where you settle in a little more, and firm (9 to 10), where there's very little give at all. Compared with a medium mattress, a medium-firm one usually has a thinner or firmer comfort layer over a strong core, so you feel the cushioning without sinking into it.

If you have no strong preference, medium-firm is a sensible default. It keeps the hips level on your back or front and still softens the surface a little, a balance that works for many couples too.

Who suits a medium-firm mattress?

Medium-firm (7 to 8) suits back sleepers best, along with front sleepers who find firm too hard, heavier people who need firmer support, and many couples looking for one feel that works for both.

Sleeper Medium (5 to 6) Medium-firm (7 to 8) Firm (9 to 10)
Back sleeper Good fit Good fit Firmer than most need
Side sleeper Good fit Can press at the shoulder Usually too firm
Front sleeper Usually too soft Good fit Good fit
Heavier build Can be too soft Good fit Good fit
Children Good fit Good fit Often feels hard

If you sleep on your back, our guide to mattresses for back sleepers explains why the hips need holding level. Lighter side sleepers often feel medium-firm pressing at the shoulder and usually do better on our medium mattresses.

Is a medium-firm mattress good for back pain?

A medium-firm mattress isn't a treatment for back pain, but it has come out ahead of firm in a trial: people with chronic lower back pain did better on medium-firm than on firm mattresses in a 2003 study by Kovacs and colleagues, published in The Lancet.

The useful lesson is that firmer isn't automatically better. The trial doesn't show that a mattress fixes back pain, and because firmness labels vary between makers, its medium-firm can't be matched to an exact number on our scale. If you have pain that lasts, see a GP or physiotherapist. Our page on mattresses for back pain covers choosing a mattress alongside that advice.

Should I choose medium-firm or firm?

Choose medium-firm (7 to 8) if you sleep on your back, or on your front and you're lighter; choose firm (9 to 10) if you're a heavier front sleeper or you like the feeling of lying on top of the mattress.

A firm mattress has almost no give, so your shoulders and hips stay on the surface. That suits front sleepers, whose hips mustn't sink, but most back sleepers are better served by the little extra give of medium-firm, and lighter adults often find 9 to 10 hard. If you're between the two, medium-firm is the safer starting point, and our firm mattresses are there if you know you like a harder surface.

Which types of mattress come in medium-firm?

Medium-firm is a feel rather than a type, so pocket sprung, hybrid, memory foam and reflex foam mattresses can all be medium-firm; the construction changes how that firmness behaves.

  • Pocket sprung: springy and responsive, with each spring moving on its own and air moving through.
  • Hybrid: pocket springs underneath with a foam comfort layer on top, for a slightly more cushioned surface.
  • Memory foam: moulds slowly to your shape and passes on little movement. Because it softens with body heat, it can feel firmer in a cold bedroom until it warms up.
  • Reflex foam: high-density foam that's springier than memory foam and quicker to recover when you move.
  • Open coil: one linked unit of springs, lighter and cheaper than pocket springs but bouncier, and it passes more movement across the bed. A sound choice for a guest room.

Stuck between two numbers? As a family business we'd rather help you choose than leave you guessing, so send us a message about how you sleep and roughly how firm your current mattress feels.

Written by the Mattress Town team. Last updated .

Medium firm mattresses: your questions answered

Can't see your question? Ask us and we'll get back to you.

Is medium firm good for side sleepers?

Medium-firm suits some side sleepers, mainly heavier ones, who sink further into the surface. Lighter side sleepers often feel it pressing at the shoulder and hip, and usually do better on medium-soft to medium (3 to 6 on our scale). If you do sleep on your side on a medium-firm mattress, a higher pillow keeps your neck in line.

Is a medium firm mattress good for kids?

A medium-firm mattress suits many children, since the usual advice for a child is medium to medium-firm: enough support for a growing body without a hard surface. Children and lighter adults often find very firm mattresses uncomfortable. On a bunk bed or high sleeper, check the depth against the maximum mattress line marked on the bed as well as the firmness.

Is medium firm good for back sleepers?

Medium-firm is one of the two firmnesses that suit most back sleepers; the other is medium. At 7 to 8 on our scale, a medium-firm mattress stops the hips sinking while giving a little at the surface. Heavier back sleepers often prefer medium-firm, and lighter ones may find medium (5 to 6) more comfortable.

What's the difference between medium and medium firm?

Medium (5 to 6 on our scale) gives a little more, so your shoulders and hips settle into the surface, while medium-firm (7 to 8) keeps you nearer the top with a thin layer of give. Medium suits combination sleepers and many side sleepers, and medium-firm suits back and front sleepers and heavier builds.

Is a medium firm mattress the same as an orthopaedic mattress?

A medium-firm mattress isn't necessarily orthopaedic. In the UK, orthopaedic isn't defined in law or medicine; it's a description that usually signals a firmer, more supportive build, which might be medium-firm or firm. Medium-firm is a firmness grade, so check the number on the mattress page rather than relying on the word orthopaedic.

Is a medium firm mattress good for couples?

Medium-firm suits many couples, especially where one or both sleep on their back or one partner is heavier. If one of you is a lighter side sleeper, medium (5 to 6) may be the better compromise. Pocket springs and memory foam both pass on less movement than open coil, which helps if you go to bed at different times.

Is a medium firm mattress good for heavier people?

Medium-firm is often a good starting point for heavier people, who usually need firmer support. Firmness is only part of the picture: look for more depth, a strong spring unit and firm edges as well. Heavier front sleepers, or anyone who wants a more solid surface, may prefer firm (9 to 10).

Is a medium firm single mattress good for a teenager?

A medium-firm single suits many teenagers, who are heavier and taller than younger children and usually need more support. Check the length as well as the firmness: a UK single is 90 x 190 cm, and a mattress should be about 10 to 15 cm longer than the person sleeping on it, so a tall teenager may need a 90 x 200 cm European single.

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