Dunlop mattress with talalay topper?

Hi Christina,

Thanks for your question. That's a really interesting question mixing Talalay latex and Dunlop latex.

The main difference between Talalay and Dunlop is the manufacturing method. Talalay is flash frozen and then baked. It's very expensive due to the small batch sizes and resources needed to cure it. Dunlop is made in much bigger moulds and then baked with rods. We have a detailed article on it here.

The feel difference is that Talalay is usually softer than Dunlop. Dunlop, however, is slightly more elastic so rebounds more. It's really a very fine distinction. To get the same feel in support as Dunlop you usually need a thicker Talalay mattress making it much more expensive. Talalay is therefore usually reserved for toppers, pillows and the top comfort layers of a mattress like our Origins Latex 1500.

We always advise you check that the latex is 100% natural latex, as the term 100% latex is often used as a guise to trick customers into thinking its natural. There are very few 100% Natural Latex suppliers, with us being one of them. A number of dubious retailers even use a 20% natural blend and hint that it is 'fully natural' so just double check!

To properly compare you would need to provide the densities such as 60kg, 70kg, 80kg which will tell you the firmness.

So our advice would be to maybe use the Talalay as the top layer if you have your heart set on Talalay but the Dunlop core will probably offer a better support unit for the price.

Our Fusion 3 mattress uses a solid 100% natural latex Dunlop core in 70kg density latex and matching topper. Both of which can be turned. It would be worth a look at that model to compare to the others you are looking at.

I hope this has answered your questions fully but for any other queries please don't hesitate to contact our office on 0161 437 4419. Our office is open Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday and Sunday 10am to 4pm.

Kind Regards, Lee.