Standard Grade Foam

Standard grade foam is preferred in so many applications because it can be formulated with a wide variety of performance characteristics. These ranges from the comfort and support needed for upholstered seating to the shock-absorption used to protect packaged goods, to the long-term recovery and abrasion resistance demanded by carpet cushion. The properties of foam can be measured and specified very precisely to allocate the right grade of foam to the right application.

Foam is measured by two standards: density and compression. Density refers to the amount of material in one cubic foot of foam; the denser the product, the more the cubic foot will weigh. Compression refers to the amount of force required to compress that cubic foot by 25 percent. The two figures together describe the softness to hardness of the foam. For example, a 2735 rated foam is 2.7 pounds per cubic foot and requires 35 pounds of pressure to compress it 25 percent. This is medium-firm foam suitable for couch cushions. If you want your cushions a bit softer, as you would for a back cushion, you could use 2720 foam, which would be much softer, requiring only 20 pounds of pressure to compress it 25 percent. Very dense foam -- 4 to 5 pounds per cubic foot -- can also be found with low compression ratings.

Standard grade foam is a product of the petroleum industry and is the most common foam used in couch cushions. Available in multitudes of grades which can indicate the expected number of years of wear and various stages of firmness and in a wide price range, it can be found in retail stores or purchased through specialty foam distributors, upholsterers and some drapery construction workrooms.

Standard grade foam is also rated by expected years of use. A 5-year foam, for example, should not begin to deteriorate for at least five years of everyday use, similarly 10- and 15-year foam should last at least 10 or 15 years.

Cushions with a foam core wrapped with down or poly-fill can provide the best of both worlds -- they give the look of a down-filled seat cushion with some of the rebounding properties of foam. The inner core of foam determines, in part, the softness or firmness of the couch cushion, while the down or fill wrap provides the softness and slightly rumpled look of down. The foam core provides the rebounding effect that is absent in down- or fibre fill-only cushions, both of which require fluffing each time they are used.