Best Extra-Firm Mattress of 2024

Testing mattresses is what we do. With over 200 mattresses under our belt, we’ve spent thousands of hours testing and rating beds. During our years of testing, we’ve established various procedures that assess each mattress on factors like firmness, motion isolation, durability and edge support. 

Firmness and feel

We assign each mattress a number on our 1 to 10 firmness scale, corresponding with industry terms like “medium” or “medium firm.” When testing firmness, we get the perspective of different body types to get the complete picture of a mattress. 

When assessing the feel of a mattress, we pay attention to how it feels as we test. Do we sink in or sit on top? Additionally, we note how the materials respond when we remove pressure. Some foams snap back quickly, like latex foam, while more traditional memory foams take a while to respond, which makes it harder to change positions. 

Motion isolation

Motion isolation may not seem like a big deal, but if you sleep with someone who moves around at night, you know how crucial it can be for good sleep. We have a few methods for testing motion isolation. First, we note if our tester can feel the movement of the person tossing and turning next to them. Then, we use a glass of water near the end of the bed and roll around to see if it topples over. If it does, the bed doesn’t have the best motion isolation. 

Durability 

We look to the construction for how durable and supportive a bed will be. We do this by cutting the bed open and checking the layers inside. Beds with an innerspring system or pocketed coils tend to last longer and be more supportive. 

Edge support

Edge support is another one that may not seem like a big deal, but it matters if you need access to the entire sleeping surface. Edge support is how strong the bed’s perimeter is. We test this by sitting on the edge of the bed. If the edge sinks under our weight, then it doesn’t have good edge support. 

CNET editors pick the products and services we write about based on editorial merit. When you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Read more on how we test mattresses.