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Is Foam a Good Product for a Couch that Gets Daily Wear?

By Jeff Frank

Question:

I am thinking about purchasing a sofa online through an Italian furniture building firm. They use 30 kg/cubic meter high density polyurethane foam for the seats, pillows, and arms. 

Is this a good product for a couch that gets daily wear?

Lucinda

Oct. 9, 2020

Answer:

This foam is probably being used only in the seat cushions, not in the pillows, back cushions or arms.

If your back cushions are non-removable it is possible there could be a thin layer of this density foam, but this type of foam would never be used for pillows, removable back cushions or arms. Those parts are probably filled with very inexpensive polyester fiber.

  • 30kg/cubic meter is the same as 1.8 lbs./cu. ft.  This is the standard foam density used in most low and mid-priced mass produced sofas sold in the U.S.

If the foam used in this sofa is 12 – 14 cm. thick (an average cushion thickness equivalent to 5 – 5.5 inches) you can expect to get up to 5 years use from the cushions before the foam cores need to be replaced.

  • (The seat cushions will begin softening within one year of your purchase and gradually lose firmness and resilience from that point on.
  • If you use the sofa more than average or if anyone in your family is above average in weight you may get as little as 3 years use from this type of foam seat core.
  • As foam density increases, the lifespan of the cushion (and the cost of the cushion) also increases. A 50 kg/cubic meter foam should last 10 or more years for most people.

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