Independent Testing: What LGA and SGS Actually Measured

Most claims about a mattress are made by the company selling it. A smaller number are made by an outside laboratory that was paid to test the product against a published method. This article is about the second kind. It covers what independent testing measured on KITA Solid Foam, what the numbers mean, and what they do not tell you.

Why an outside test is different

A brand can describe its own mattress in whatever terms it likes. Durability and chemical emissions are different, because both can be measured against a published standard by a laboratory with no stake in the outcome. That is the difference between a description and a result. It also means the claim can be checked, because the reports exist as documents with report numbers rather than as sentences in a brochure.

The durability test

KITA Solid Foam was tested against EN 1957:2012 clause 7.2, the European standard method for bed durability, by TÜV Rheinland (Guangdong) Ltd.

Three notes for anyone comparing this against the certificate itself.

• The roller crosses the mattress and returns, so one cycle is two strokes. The report's 30,000 cycles and our 60,000 strokes are the same thing.
• We give height in inches because that is how mattresses are measured and how our guarantee is written. The report records 3.9 mm, which is the same 0.16 inch.
• The sample was submitted before the material was named KITA Solid Foam, so the certificate calls it Reflex Foam, type number KITA.

Height loss is the number worth watching, because losing height is what sagging actually is. A mattress that keeps its height keeps its support.

How that number relates to our guarantee

Our guarantee replaces a non-spring mattress one to one if it sags more than 1 inch, and a spring mattress if it sags more than 1.5 inches, for 10 years. The tested loss, after the equivalent of ten years of nightly use, was 0.16 inch. That is why the two numbers are quoted in the same unit: you can hold the tested result against the guarantee threshold without converting anything.

The emissions test

KITA Solid Foam was tested against ISO 16000-9, a standard method for measuring emissions from building products and furnishings, by SGS.

This matters more than it sounds. A mattress sits under your face for roughly a third of every day, and the cheapest way to hold shredded foam together is a large amount of synthetic glue. An emissions test is how you tell the difference between a mattress that is odourless and a mattress that is clean. KITA Solid Foam is 20% lightweight aggregate and 80% high-density polyurethane, with no rebond and no leftover foam.

What these reports do not cover

Both reports are specific, and it is worth being clear about their edges.

• They cover the foam that was submitted. They are not a statement about every mattress we sell.
• The durability test measures height loss under a defined load. It does not measure comfort.
• The emissions test covers the compounds it names, by the method it names. It is not a general claim of health benefit.
• Neither report can tell you whether a mattress suits you. Firmness preference is personal, and no laboratory can test it on your behalf.

Where to go from here

If you want to understand the trade-off you are actually making, soft, medium or firm is the place to start, and thickness explains why the most quoted number on a spec sheet is the least useful one. For what the outside research says about firm surfaces generally, including the claims made for sleeping on the floor, see what the evidence says.

Or come and lie on them. You can test the range at our KITA Sleep Studio in JB.