Latex pillows compared
Each comparison here states what it rests on before what it concludes, and every figure links to the page it came from. Two questions carry most of the weight: how shredded latex differs from solid, with Talalay and Dunlop inside that split, and how latex foam differs from memory foam.
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How do shredded and solid latex differ?
Solid holds one fixed height. Shredded lets the owner take fill out until the height fits, but most shredded pages give no weight or height.
One molded standard is listed at 25 by 16.5 by 5 inches and 3.1 pounds (Avocado), and one shredded standard at 15 by 22 by 5 inches and 4 pounds (Turmerry). Of 11 shredded pillow pages this site read, 8 stated neither a fill weight nor a height. Weight matters to a sleeper, because a 4 pound pillow stays put but takes two hands to plump, and fill weight is the one figure that lets two shredded pillows of the same size be compared.
The trials we found tested molded pillows, never shredded fill. Latex as a material did well in them. Whether loose pieces hold a neck the way a molded block does is a question no trial has answered.
The full comparison is How do shredded and solid latex differ in a pillow, and where do Talalay and Dunlop fit?
How do Talalay and Dunlop differ?
In process and density. Both start as the same sap; Talalay adds a vacuum and a freeze before curing, and Dunlop comes out denser.
The Dunlop method dates to 1929, and a Dunlop block can be firmer at the bottom than at the top (Sleep Foundation). Either process can be made soft or firm, so the stated firmness says more than the process name (SleepOnLatex). Talalay costs more to produce and cannot be certified organic, according to one guide (NapLab).
Process names also turn up unevenly on product pages. All 6 solid pillow pages this site read named their process, against 1 of 6 shredded pages, and that one named a mix of the two.
Talalay and Dunlop are covered inside the shredded and solid guide above, because many pillows mix the two and the form changes more about a pillow than the process does.
How does latex foam differ from memory foam?
Latex springs back at once and carries natural rubber proteins. Memory foam sinks slowly, recovers over seconds and carries none.
A 2021 meta-analysis pooled nine high-quality studies with 555 participants and found rubber pillows reduced neck pain by a small margin (Chun-Yiu et al., 2021). None of the trials we found tested a named memory foam pillow against latex.
New memory foam gives off volatile organic compounds that fade over weeks. In a 32-day study of two new memory foam mattresses, airborne levels peaked on the first day and stayed well below health-based benchmarks (Beckett et al., 2022, via EPA HERO). A latex allergy is the one difference about health rather than feel.
The two foams are set side by side in How does latex foam behave differently from memory foam in a pillow?
Which latex pillow figures can be compared across sellers?
Stated size, stated weight and height in use compare fairly. ILD and firmness words compare only inside one seller's own range.
Some figures mean one thing on every page. A size in inches, a weight in pounds and a height in use are physical facts, so two sellers' figures can sit side by side. One maker prints its soft core at 15 cm unused and 9 to 11 cm in use (Talatex), and that drop says more about where a head ends up than the firmness label beside it.
Other figures do not travel. ILD comes from a slab test, and a summary of the related ISO method says its results apply only to the stated test conditions (STEP Lab). One seller's soft pillow is listed at 24 ILD (Avocado), above the 17 to 20 another lists for its most supportive core. Words such as plush, medium and firm rank pillows inside one line only.
How to read a printed ILD, and why the same number can feel different, is in How do you read a pillow's ILD, and why can the same number feel different in two pillows?
How do latex pillow sizes compare with the case on the bed?
Most molded latex cores are narrower than a 20 by 26 inch standard case. Shredded pillows are more often cut to the full size.
A US standard pillow measures 20 by 26 inches. Of 11 seller pages for natural or organic latex pillows that this site read, 2 stated that full size, both shredded, and every solid core with a stated size was 15 to 16.5 inches wide. One shredded pillow is listed at 20 by 26 inches (The Natural Sleep Store), and one molded core at 25 by 16.5 inches (Avocado).
A core that size leaves about 4 inches of spare fabric across a standard case. The slack changes how the bed looks and lets the core slide inside the case. It does not change how the latex holds a head, and a case cut to the core's own size takes up the slack.
Size, weight and the other figures on a latex label are covered in How do you read a latex pillow label, from the natural percentage to the organic claim?
What does a comparison on this site rest on?
Published trials, published standards, and counts of what seller pages state. No pillow is pressed, weighed or measured for these pages.
Each comparison draws on three kinds of source. Trials and reviews give what is known about neck pain and sleep. Standards give what a label or a test number means. Counts of seller pages give what buyers are told, with the number of pages read and the day.
No pillow is tested on this site. Where a trial is missing, as it is for shredded fill and for heat, the comparison says so rather than filling the gap. The method page sets out how the counts are made.
Which latex questions have their own page?
- How do shredded and solid latex differ in a pillow, and where do Talalay and Dunlop fit?
- How does latex foam behave differently from memory foam in a pillow?
Common questions
Is shredded latex softer than solid latex?
Usually it feels softer at first, because the pieces slide apart under a head, and then firms up as they pack together. The blend of Dunlop and Talalay pieces changes it too.
Is Talalay always softer than Dunlop?
No. The two differ in density, and each maker sets its own firmness. The stated firmness of the pillow in question says more than the process name.
Does latex hold less heat than memory foam?
Sellers say so and point to pinholes and open cells. We found no controlled test that compared the two materials for heat in pillows, so it stays a seller claim.
Can a solid latex pillow be made lower?
No. A solid block keeps the height it was molded to. A shredded pillow can be lowered by taking fill out through its zip.
Sources
Section 9 of this spec: references, numbered in the order they first appear, each tagged with its citing section.
- Avocado (avocadogreenmattress.com), cited in “How do shredded and solid latex differ?”; “How do latex pillow sizes compare with the case on the bed?”.
- Turmerry (turmerry.com), cited in “How do shredded and solid latex differ?”.
- Sleep Foundation (sleepfoundation.org), cited in “How do Talalay and Dunlop differ?”.
- SleepOnLatex (sleeponlatex.com), cited in “How do Talalay and Dunlop differ?”.
- NapLab (naplab.com), cited in “How do Talalay and Dunlop differ?”.
- Chun-Yiu et al., 2021 (research.polyu.edu.hk), cited in “How does latex foam differ from memory foam?”.
- Beckett et al., 2022, via EPA HERO (hero.epa.gov), cited in “How does latex foam differ from memory foam?”.
- Talatex (talatex.com), cited in “Which latex pillow figures can be compared across sellers?”.
- STEP Lab (step-lab.com), cited in “Which latex pillow figures can be compared across sellers?”.
- Avocado (avocadogreenmattress.com), cited in “Which latex pillow figures can be compared across sellers?”.
- The Natural Sleep Store (thenaturalsleepstore.com), cited in “How do latex pillow sizes compare with the case on the bed?”.