How do I record foam type and density in the product passport?

What you concretely must do

What is expected of you

Name foam type unambiguously

A mattress with cold foam, polyether foam, latex or a combination thereof must be recognisable in the digital product passport as what it actually is. Article 10 of the ESPR (Regulation (EU) 2024/1781) determines that the digital product passport contains the product information established for the relevant product group, and foam type is a characteristic in mattresses that directly affects composition, recyclability and service life. For a company with 10 to 100 employees, this means in practice that the designation which may currently only be internal or on a supplier datasheet must be recorded consistently and at product level — not as a marketing term ("comfort foam") but as a technically identifiable foam type. Which exact classification and terminology will become mandatory is determined by the delegated act for mattresses; until then, it is advisable to align now with the classification also described in what data will be included in the mattress product passport is described in.

Support density with a measurement method

Density (usually in kg/m³) is not a matter of writing down a figure, but of a figure that has been established in a traceable manner. Article 39 of the ESPR determines that values included in the passport must be based on the test, measurement and calculation methods designated for the product group. For the day-to-day practice of a manufacturer or importer, this means that the density of a foam block must not simply be taken from a supplier datasheet without knowing according to which method it was determined. A company that purchases foam from different suppliers is well advised to document per foam type which measurement method underlies the stated density; more information on that methodology is in according to which method must I measure the values for the passport.

Monitor coherence with other material data

Foam type and density are not separate from other mandatory data. A foam with a certain density may be linked to the proportion of recycled material, to the presence of flame retardants, or to the way in which the layer can be separated at end of life. For companies that produce multiple mattress models with variants in foam composition, this means that foam type and density must not be kept as a separate data point but as part of the total material file per model. Anyone processing recycled material in the foam is well advised to document those two data points in relation to each other; see for this how do I demonstrate the proportion of recycled material in a mattress.

Traceability to the production line

Because mattresses are often produced in different density variants of the same foam type (for example a firmer and a softer version), the recording in the passport must be traceable to the specific product variant or SKU. For a medium-sized manufacturing company, this means that the link between internal product codes and the passport data must be complete, so that a foam change in production does not accidentally lead to an outdated or incorrect passport for an already running series.

Where things go wrong in practice

Taking over supplier data without method. A manufacturer receives a density value from the foam supplier on a datasheet, without mention of the measurement method, and pastes that value directly into the passport. Upon inspection or a question from a customer, there is then no way to demonstrate how the value was determined.

Marketing name instead of foam type. In trade, commercial names are often used ("viscoelastic comfort plus") instead of the underlying foam type. This is confusing for the party compiling the passport and can lead to an incorrect or incomplete designation.

Density averaged only across a mattress with multiple layers. For mattresses with multiple foam layers of different densities, a single average value is sometimes provided, whereas the individual layers are relevant for recyclability and separation at end of life.

Foam recipe modification not implemented in the passport. A producer modifies the composition or density of the foam for production technical or cost reasons, but the existing passport of the model is not adjusted. This directly relates to the question of how often data must be updated, see how often must I update the data in the product passport.

No distinction between test report and production data. A density value from a one-time test report of a prototype is used for the entire production series, without having established whether series production yields the same value.

What you can record

• An internal material overview per mattress model with foam type, density and the corresponding SKU or product code.
• Documentation of the measurement method used to determine density, including reference to the test report or testing body.
• An overview of density values per layer for mattresses with a layered foam structure, instead of a single average value.
• Correspondence or specifications from the foam supplier in which foam type and density are unambiguously described, separate from commercial designations.
• A change log in which foam recipe or density modifications per model are recorded, so that it is clear which passport belongs to which production period.
• A link between the foam data and other material records, such as data on recycled material or fire retardants, so that the passport as a whole remains consistent.