Mattress Upholstery
January 2020Mohair as a mattress fibre
Mohair is one of the premium natural fibres you may see in your search for a new mattress. As with all natural fibres, there are a number of key details you need to watch out for. Retailers will use a number of tricks to avoid telling you these details which you really need to know. If you don’t know these then you’re simply buying by guessing which is not going to help you find the perfect mattress. We’re going to help you though so don’t panic!
We aim to explain why Mohairs such a great fibre for mattress construction and how to tell if its really inside your new bed or not!
What is Mohair fibre?
Mohair is a wool-like upholstery fibre produced as a fleece on Angora goats. The Angora breed originated in Turkey. Like regular Wool, Mohair is a protein fibre.
A single Angora goat can produce between four and five kilograms of hair for fibre per year. Angora goats only shorn twice a year which increases the price and availability considerably of their coats.
The distinctive properties of Mohair have made it a highly- sought after fibre. It is centuries old and is used for or both clothing and home furnishings. Its soft luxurious feel and rich lustre combine with great durability make it a wonderful comfort layer in a mattress.
Why use Mohair in a Mattress?
So why do we use Mohair in high-end mattress construction? The answer is two-fold.
Firstly Mohair is really resilient even though it is a softer fibre. Meaning it makes an excellent medium feel comfort layer. It is also an excellent mattress spring insulator bridging the gap between the pocket spring uni and other softer upholstery above it.
Secondly, it’s incredibly breathable as Angora goats coats have evolved to cope with extremes in temperature in their native habitat.
Mohair Mattresses
We use Mohair in our dual spring Artisan Tailored Pocket 2000 mattress as an insulator. Adding breathability and a bridge between the pocket springs and upholstery. This mattress has a total of 3950GSM of fibres.
We also use it in our Best Selling mattress model the Artisan Naturals which has our lowest return rate of all of our range. Great if you’re unsure of which mattress to buy even after doing your research. The Mohair and 3950GSM of Natural fibre fillings provide a medium feel in the upholstery layers. It also boasts a vanadium coated calico encased pocket spring unit in 3 tensions depending on your bodyweight.
Both these models show the amount of GSM and construction details you should expect when looking for a mattress that uses Mohair.
Spring Tension | Wire diameter (Gauge) | Weight Range |
---|---|---|
Soft | 1.2mm | Bespoke Tension (Please Call) |
Medium | 1.4mm | Upto 16 stone |
Firm | 1.6mm | 16 stone plus |
Extra Firm / Orthopaedic | 1.9mm | 20 stone plus |
What to look for with a Mohair mattress?
The biggest issue with Mohair in bed construction is that retailers will actively hide the GSM or Grams per Square Meter of the fibres they use, read our guide here. The issue with this is that a retailer may claim their bed ‘contains Mohair fibre’ but without telling you the amount. Knowing how much is contained in the mattress is essential to work out what the value is or how the fibre will behave.
You also need to know if it is blended and what with. You are really just guessing if the retailer can’t or won’t tell you these details. Some blended fibres, for example, can contain just 1-3% Mohair and the rest polyester!
100% Mohair will be soft to the touch but provide a medium feel. 1%-3% blended Mohair will provide zero benefits to you and simply up the price tag of that mattress. So watch out!
How expensive are Mohair mattresses?
Mohair is only used in high-end mattresses at the £1,000 price point plus. It’s simply not feasible for a retailer to make and sell a mattress with pure mohair for less than this. If you do see a mattress advertised as containing Mohair for less than this, it will be a blend like discussed above.
Upholstery Layer | Fibre Type | How it will feel? | Price Point |
---|---|---|---|
Polyester | Synthetic | Soft | Cheap |
White Fibre | Synthetic | Soft/Medium | Cheap |
Recycled Fibre / Eco Fibre | Synthetic | Medium | Cheap |
Memory Foam | Synthetic | Medium/Firm | Mid Price |
Igel / Hybrid Foam | Synthetic | Medium/Firm | Mid Price |
Polycotton | Synthetic/Natural Blend | Soft/Medium | Mid Price |
Linen | Synthetic/Natural Blend | Medium | Mid Price |
Wool (Pure) | Natural | Soft/Medium | High-End |
Cotton (Pure) | Natural | Soft | High-End |
Silk | Natural | Soft | Expensive |
Horsehair | Natural | Medium | High-End |
Mohair | Natural | Medium/Firm | High-End |
Hemp | Natural | Medium | High-End |
Latex (100% Natural) | Natural | Medium/Firm | High-End |
Coir | Natural | Firm | High-End |
Flax | Natural | Firm | High-End |
Coarse Cashmere | Natural | Firm | High-End |
Bamboo | Natural | Super Soft | Expensive / Exclusive |
Horsetail | Natural | Firm | Expensive / Exclusive |
Alpaca | Natural | Soft | Expensive / Exclusive |
Cashmere (Pure) | Natural | Soft | Expensive / Exclusive |
Vicuna | Natural | Super Soft | Expensive / Exclusive |
Mohair compared to other Natural Fibres
Natural fibre | Cost / Availability |
---|---|
Alpaca | Very expensive (low supply chain) |
Bamboo | Average price (good supply chain) |
Camel | Very expensive (low supply chain) |
Cashmere | Expensive (good supply chain) |
Cattle Hair | Average price (good supply chain) |
Coir | Average price (good supply chain) |
Cotton | Very expensive (good supply chain) |
Flax | Average price (good supply chain) |
Hemp | Average price (good supply chain) |
Horsetail | Very expensive (low supply chain) |
Horsehair | Less expensive (good supply chain) |
Mohair | Expensive (low supply chain) |
Silk | Very expensive (low supply chain) |
Vicuna | Very Expensive (Most expensive natural fibre in the world) |
Wool | Moderate to expensive (good supply chain) |
Summary
Mohair fibre in mattress upholstery is where you start to move into seriously well-made bed territory! It’s soft, breathable and gives a medium feel to mattress upholstery. Far outperforming synthetic polyester or foam alternatives.
You’re simply not going to find 100% Mohair in a mattress that under £1000, so if you’re looking at models which claim to contain it then be careful!
Establishing the blend and GSM is the only way to see if a mattress you are looking at contains pure Mohair.
Why not get in touch with our small team of experts to help see if the model you’re looking at is good value? 0161 437 4419.
Ask us a question
There are over 6000 questions and answers submitted by you on all questions about mattresses and bed problems. Enter a keyword such as Vi Spring, John Lewis beds, bad back or Memory Foam and see if your question has already been answered.
If you can’t find an answer in knowledge hub, ask a new question. We aim to respond to all questions within one working day.
Newsletter
Enter your email to join our newsletter. We’ll send you occasional news and mattress expertise.