How to Ship a Mattress

Shipping a mattress is more complicated than shipping a letter or small gift. Plus, it usually costs a few hundred dollars to get your mattress from point A to point B. If your mattress is too old, it may not be worth it to ship it across the country.

For those interested in shipping their mattresses, we put together this guide to break down the process and other considerations, such as alternatives to shipping your mattress.

How Much Does it Cost to Ship a Mattress?

There’s no set price for shipping a mattress, but services calculate the cost by considering:

• The distance the mattress is traveling
• The mattress’s size and dimensions
• How quickly the mattress needs to arrive (express shipping costs vs. standard)

Most people can expect to pay at least $300 to ship a mattress.

Don’t forget to factor in the costs of shipping materials like boxes and bubble wrap, along with shipping insurance. You can choose not to purchase shipping insurance, but you may enjoy the peace of mind that comes from knowing your mattress is protected if it’s lost or damaged in transit.

How Do I Calculate Shipping Costs?

No need to break out a calculator because most shipping services do the problem-solving for you. We recommend shopping around for free shipping quotes to make an informed decision. This should be your first step before you start packing up your mattress.

Most shipping services need the following information:

• The pickup location for the mattress.
• The address of the mattress’s destination.
• How much the mattress weighs and its dimensions (length, width, thickness).
• Your desired drop-off and delivery dates. In other words, when you want the mattress picked up and when you want it to arrive.

A delivery service can usually give you an accurate quote online or by phone. Here are a few helpful links for different services:

• UPS’s shipping costs calculator. However, for a mattress, you’ll likely need to inquire about UPS’s freight shipping options.
• FedEx’s shipping costs calculator.
• uShip’s price estimator.
• TSI has a fill-in-the-blank form to receive a free quote.
• Freight Pros’ form for a free quote.

Why is the United States Postal Service not on this list? Because the USPS has a weight limit of 70 pounds and a package size limit of 108 inches for total length and girth (130 inches for USPS Retail Ground®). These limits will keep you from shipping most mattresses with USPS.

If you can, ask how long the quote will remain accurate. You’ll often get a better estimate if you’re flexible about delivery dates and are willing to bring the mattress to a pickup location.

Understanding the weight and size dimensions of your mattress can help you compute the costs. We provide a rough range of mattress weights by size below.

How much your mattress weighs depends on its type and thickness. Memory foam and poly-foam weigh less than hybrid and latex mattresses. Naturally, a thicker mattress has more materials and weighs more than a thinner mattress.

For a more accurate weight number, reach out to the mattress manufacturer’s customer service. The manufacturer’s website may also list it on their product or in the FAQ section. If you have the mattress’s original packing slip, it may mention the product’s weight.

Should I Ship My Mattress?

Is it worth it to ship your mattress, or would you be better off buying a new mattress? Only you can answer this question, but here are a few more questions to consider to help you find the right answer:

• How old is your mattress, and what shape is it in? In other words, how much longer is this mattress likely to last? Many beds are ready to be replaced within 7 to 10 years of use, so if your bed is 5 or more years old, you might want to skip shipping it.
• What did you pay for your mattress? If you only spent a few hundred dollars on a budget mattress, it’s probably not worth it to spend a few more hundred dollars to ship it. However, if you spent between $1000 to $3000 on your mattress, shipping it provides greater value.
• Are you still getting a good night’s sleep on your mattress? If you’re waking up tired or sore, it’s probably time to replace your mattress.

When you’re comparing shipping costs, you may want to take a few moments and browse the wide selection of online mattresses. Not only is there a mattress available for everyone, but most companies will ship the mattress for free to anywhere in the continental U.S.

Steps for Shipping a Mattress

We’ve distilled the process of shipping a mattress into four steps.

1. Have Your Shipping Quotes Ready

As we mentioned earlier, the first step is to get shipping quotes and decide what service you will be using. After all, does it make sense to box up your mattress and only then shop around for a service to ship it?

As a pro trip, some delivery services offer white glove delivery, where they will come inside your home and pack the mattress for you before taking it away. Naturally, this increases your shipping costs. However, white glove delivery may be worth the cost if you have difficulty moving and carrying your mattress.

2. Prepare Your Mattress for Shipping

The next step is to clear all items off your bed. Pack away your blankets, sheets, pillows, comforter, and box spring. However, if you have a mattress encasement, go ahead and leave it on your mattress for protection. Disassemble your bed frame as well if you plan on packing and shipping it.

3. Pack Your Mattress

If your mattress isn’t in a protective encasement, you can improvise with bubble wrap or shrink wrap. Once it’s covered, you can slip it inside a large cardboard box.

Alternatively, you can compress your mattress at home to slip it inside a smaller box. We recommend compressing the mattress first, then measuring its dimensions to buy the correct box.

Fill any open spaces in the box with packing foam, then seal the box with strong tape. Double-check that all flaps and corners are secured before proceeding to the next step.

4. Coordinate the Pick Up

Will the shipping service pick the mattress up from your home, or will you be bringing it to a drop-off location?

If it’s being picked up, make sure you’re available at home at the scheduled time and that the package is ready. If you’re dropping it off at a specific location, make sure you’re careful when moving the box from your home to your vehicle.

After the mattress has been taken away, it’s important to follow up with the delivery company to ensure the mattress has been transferred to them. You may also be able to track the package’s status while it’s en-route with its order number.

I Don’t Want to Ship My Mattress

If you’ve decided shipping your mattress isn’t the solution for you, there are other possibilities you can consider.

Are you interested in keeping your mattress and just want to avoid the costs and complications of shipping it? Moving trucks and shipping pods allow you to transport multiple items to a new location. Often, these options are more cost-effective than shipping a mattress on its own. Renting a van, truck, or pod lets you move your mattress by yourself.

Not interested in holding onto your mattress? There are many ways to dispose and get rid of an old mattress:

• Charitable organizations like local homeless shelters and Habitat for Humanity may accept a gently used mattress. Furniture Bank is another organization that accepts used furniture, including mattresses.
• You can bring your mattress to a recycling center. Many accept whole mattresses, while others will accept mattress parts.
• If all else fails, you can look for junk removal services in your area to haul away your old mattress.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you fold a mattress?

No, it’s not a good idea to fold a mattress for shipping or transportation purposes. Folding a mattress can damage its springs and leave creases in the foam that compromise its feel. If you want to make your foam mattress more compact, you can compress it at home using a vacuum cleaner.

Once the mattress is compressed, simply roll it up and slide it into a box. Rolling places less stress on the materials than folding, which is why mattress in a box brands use this method. For extra protection, encase the rolled-up mattress in a layer of bubble wrap.

What size mattress fits in a truck bed?

It depends on what the truck bed’s dimensions are. A truck bed may be under 6 feet long or 8 feet long, and between 7 to 8 feet wide. Twin, full, and even queen mattresses will probably fit in most truck beds as is. You might be able to squeeze in a king mattress so that it leans against the side of the truck bed, instead of laying the mattress flat.

Can you strap a mattress to the top of your car?

We don’t recommend tying a mattress to the roof of your car when moving. Not only can this damage your mattress, but it can also damage your car. It’s only feasible if you have a roof rack, and even then, you need to seal your mattress in a mattress bag to protect it from the elements. You also need to make sure you can still see your surroundings clearly.

If your mattress is not properly secured to the roof of your car or it appears to be blocking your front or back views, you may be pulled over by authorities.

How long does a mattress last?

How long a mattress lasts depends on what type of mattress it is:

• Memory foam mattresses tend to last about 7 to 8 years on average, though high-quality ones may last more than 10 years.
• Organic latex mattresses tend to last longer than 10 years, while synthetic ones have lifespans comparable to memory foam mattresses.
• Innerspring mattresses usually last around 5 to 6 years before sagging.
• Hybrid mattresses often last about 7 years.

Do you have a mattress more than 5 years old, and you’re debating if it’s worth the costs of shipping it? You might be better off just buying a new one.

What do I do with a mattress I don’t want?

If you’re moving and you’ve decided it’s not worth the trouble of shipping your mattress, you can look into disposing of it. Mattresses still in usable condition can often be donated to local and nationwide charities. Mattresses unfit for donation can be recycled, repurposed, or sent to a landfill.

Conclusion

Mattress shipping can be simple if you follow our steps and take steps to protect your mattress while it’s en-route. Shipping your mattress is often costly, no matter what delivery method you choose. However, it might be worth the costs if your current mattress is still relatively new and likely to provide years of high-quality sleep.

Of course, after reading our article, you may have decided that shipping your mattress isn’t worth the trouble and money. If you’ve decided to devote your time to finding the best mattress instead, we have numerous guides to make your search easier.