Best firm mattresses

The REM-Fit 4000 Ortho Elite Hybrid is the firm mattress we would point most back and front sleepers to first. Its 2,000 pocket springs sit over a second layer of 2,000 mini springs at a 9/10 tension, and REM-Fit rates it for sleepers up to 20 stone (127kg), so heavier bodies are covered too.

A double costs £649.99, and the terms are among the best on this page, with a 100-night refund trial that rises to 200 nights if you add a mattress protector and a guarantee of up to 15 years.

It is firm by any measure, so light side sleepers will find it too hard at the shoulder and hip.

If you want a traditional mattress made in the UK that you can turn, the Silentnight Comfort Breathe 1400 Pocket Ortho is the pick. It has 1,400 Mirapocket springs under a hand-tufted top on both sides, and Silentnight gives it a Firm rating for a heavier build.

Silentnight makes it to order in five UK sizes, and flipping it spreads the wear over both sides. A double costs £649 from Silentnight's own shop.

With a 5-year guarantee and a 60-night comfort exchange rather than a refund, its terms are not as good as several other options in this comparison, though they remain acceptable for a mattress you plan to keep. Anyone drawn to the brand but not to this model can browse our Silentnight mattress ranking.

The OTTY Extra Firm Hybrid tops out at 10/10 on OTTY's own scale, with a 9/10 side on the reverse, both over up to 2,000 encapsulated pocket springs. OTTY recommends it for people over 15 stone (95kg). If your weight is the main reason you want a firm bed, our guide to the best mattresses for heavy people has more options.

At £674.99 for a double, it comes with a 100-night trial that ends in a full refund if it is not right, which makes it the only extra firm mattress here you can return for your money back.

Choose the TEMPUR PRO SmartCool in its Firm feel if you want firm support with the slow, pressure-relieving give of TEMPUR foam and no springs at all. TEMPUR states a capacity of about 150kg per side and sells the model in Soft, Medium, Medium Firm and Firm at one price, so the firm version costs no more; a double lists at £2,299.

Our score is based on the Medium Firm version, which shares the Firm's build and price. The obstacle is cost: the double costs more than three times the REM-Fit's, a premium that only makes sense if you already know you prefer foam to springs.

The Sleepeezee Ultimate Ortho 2000 is for readers who want natural comfort layers on a firm spring unit, with wool and cashmere over 2,000 pocket springs in a hand-tufted, 25.5cm mattress handcrafted in the UK. Because it is single-sided it only needs rotating, not turning. Mattress Online rates it Firm and sells the double for £835, backed by a 10-year guarantee.

The catch is the trial small print:

• the 100-night comfort trial swaps the mattress rather than refunding it
• you can only use it after 30 nights
• it applies only if you buy a mattress protector alongside

Seven-turn pocket springs under cotton and British wool, handmade by Hypnos in Princes Risborough, make the Orthos Support 7 the extra firm pick with natural fillings. The 28cm mattress is double-sided, and you can order it in Firm or Extra Firm tension for the same price, £1,129 for a double at Bed Factory Direct.

Be aware that Hypnos offers no sleep trial of its own, so you buy on specification, and the 10-year guarantee depends on turning the mattress regularly. Hypnos makes softer handmade models too, compared in our Hypnos mattress ranking.

A 365-night trial, the longest on this page, is the headline reason to look at the IKEA Vatneström. Underneath is a firm 26cm pocket sprung mattress with 218 springs per square metre in five zones, topped with latex, wool and cotton, and the double comes in at £699 with a 10-year guarantee.

Before you order, note that the 365 nights let you swap the mattress, not return it for your money, and that IKEA sells it only in Double and King.

Where the TEMPUR gives firm support through foam, the Dunlopillo Firmrest does it with natural Talalay latex over a Ventra aerated foam core, and MattressNextDay rates it Firm for front and back sleepers. It is made in the UK.

Its 15-year guarantee is one of the longest here, but there is no home trial, so at £1,169 for a double it suits buyers who already know they like the springy, even support of latex.

At £499 for a double from Trio Furnishings, the Sealy Ortho Plus Grasmoor is the lowest-priced double in this ranking. It is a 29cm mattress, handmade in the UK, with a central Powerpack in its PostureTech spring unit for extra support under the lower back, and Sealy tufts it on both sides for a firmer feel.

The trade-off for the low price is plainer terms. The guarantee runs for 5 years, Sealy offers no sleep trial, and you need to turn and rotate the mattress regularly.

Not everyone searching for a firm mattress needs one. The Emma Original is our medium-firm alternative for side sleepers and for anyone buying because of chronic low-back pain (see the buying guide for why). Emma rates it 4 on its 1 to 5 scale.

In our hands-on test its five-zone pocket springs kept the middle of the bed from dipping, and a double costs £529 with a 200-night refund trial. It would rank higher on a general list; here it sits last only because it is not a firm mattress. If you sleep on your side, our guide to the best mattresses for side sleepers covers more options.