# How do I calculate the carbon footprint of a foam mattress?

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/foam-mattress-carbon-footprint-per-unit

Work out the foam weight from density and volume, multiply by the foam's footprint from the supplier or a published dataset, and add springs, fabric, adhesives, the plant's energy per mattress and the packaging. Polyol and isocyanate in the foam usually make up the largest share.

## Foam weight per mattress

Foam weight = density x volume. A queen mattress of 1.5 m x 1.9 m with 0.15 m of foam has 0.4275 cubic metres; at 32 kg per cubic metre that is 13.7 kg of foam. Do this for each foam layer, since memory foam, HR foam and rebonded foam have different densities.

## The other parts

- Pocketed or bonnell springs: steel wire by weight.
- Quilting fabric, fibre fill and border tape.
- Adhesives and fire retardants.
- Plant energy: foaming, cutting, quilting, bonding and compressing.
- Packaging: roll-pack film and cartons.

## Blowing agents

India phased out HCFC-141b in foam manufacturing from 1 January 2020 under its HCFC Phase-out Management Plan. Most slabstock foam is now water-blown, where the reaction of water with isocyanate forms CO2. If you use any other blowing agent, record the quantity and its global warming potential, because releases count in Scope 1.

## If you buy foam blocks

Many mattress makers buy blocks from a foamer and only cut, bond and cover. Then the foam is a bought-in input: ask the foamer for kg CO2e per kg of each grade and keep your own plant energy separate.

## Worked example: plant electricity per mattress (one month)

- Electricity: 20,000 kWh x 0.710 = 14,200 kg CO2
- Mattresses made: 2,500
- Plant electricity: 14,200 / 2,500 = 5.68 kg CO2 per mattress
- Foam: 13.7 kg per queen mattress x the foamer's factor per kg gives the larger part

Inputs are illustrative; use your own bills and production records.

## What Senseible does here

Senseible reads the plant's electricity bills (CEA grid factor 0.710 kg CO2 per kWh, CO2 Baseline Database version 21.0) and fuel invoices (IPCC 2006 defaults) into a fingerprinted Scope 1 and 2 record, the plant-level input to a per-unit figure. Bought-in materials go to the supplier evidence trail; product reports are self-declared drafts.

- [Product carbon footprint calculator](https://senseible.earth/calculators/product-carbon-footprint)
- [Refrigerant blend GWP calculation](https://senseible.earth/answers/refrigerant-blend-gwp-calculation)
- [Steel wire drawing footprint](https://senseible.earth/answers/steel-wire-drawing-carbon-footprint-per-tonne)

Sources: [GHG Protocol Product Standard](https://ghgprotocol.org/standards), [ISO 14067:2018, Carbon footprint of products (iso.org)](https://www.iso.org), [Ozone Cell, Ministry of Environment, HCFC Phase-out Management Plan](https://www.ozonecell.nic.in), [CEA CO2 Baseline Database, version 21.0](https://cea.nic.in/cdm-co2-baseline-database/?lang=en)

Last reviewed 2026-10-20.