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In this guide
IKEA lists the VALEVÅG pocket spring mattress in Queen at $399 under article number 505.118.57 for the medium firm version, with firm (705.118.56) and extra firm (606.118.04) offered at the same price. The mattress is 59 7/8 by 79 1/2 inches and 9 1/2 inches thick, arrives roll-packed, and IKEA's Good to know note says it is ready for immediate use but needs 3 to 4 days to fully regain its shape. The price puts it in the middle of IKEA's own spring range, above VESTERÖY at $299 and below VÅGSTRANDA at $549 in the same size.
Everything in this write-up comes from IKEA's US product page, its returns page, its Love it or exchange it page, and its limited warranty page, all read on 2026-09-11. No one slept on the mattress for this article, so the questions this research can answer are about construction, the size of the package, the care rules, and what IKEA's policies actually promise. The questions it cannot answer are about how the medium firm label feels under a specific body, which is exactly the gap the 90-day exchange is designed to cover.
Our verdict
A $399 Queen pocket spring mattress with a thin foam comfort layer, five support zones, and a 9 1/2 inch profile, sold in three firmness labels at the same price. The build is basic and the edges are a known weak point in owner reviews, but the 90-day one-time exchange and the ten-year warranty make a wrong firmness pick cheap to fix.
- A good fit for
- Guest rooms, first apartments, kids moving to a Queen, and side sleepers on a budget who want springs instead of all-foam and can wait three to four days for the roll to relax.
- We would skip it if
- You sit on the edge of the bed often, you want a tall or plush pillow-top profile, your bed base is adjustable, or you need to return for a refund instead of an exchange after sleeping on it.
Reasons to consider it
- Three firmness labels (medium firm, firm, extra firm) at the same $399 Queen price, so the choice costs nothing extra
- Individually pocketed springs with five comfort zones and firmer edge springs, per IKEA's product text
- Roll-packed at 76 lb 12 oz in a 65 3/4 inch tube, which fits in a hatchback and clears a stairwell without a delivery crew
The compromises
- IKEA does not publish a spring count for the Queen; the only figure given is 249 springs per square meter for the 90 x 200 cm size
- The comfort layer is 1.5 lb/cu.ft. polyurethane foam with a viscose/polyester wadding, a thin top for a spring bed
- Multiple IKEA reviewers report soft edges and early softening; the 4 out of 5 average across 3,462 reviews hides that pattern
What we have not verified: IKEA's page states firmness only as a label and gives no ILD, foam thickness, or coil gauge. The 249 springs per square meter figure is for a European single, so the Queen count is an estimate at best. No sleep, sag, or edge test was done for this research review; every claim comes from ikea.com/us and IKEA's own policy pages.
The things in this guide
A closer look at the products, who they may suit, and what to check before buying.
VALEVÅG Pocket Spring Mattress, Medium Firm, Queen (505.118.57)
At $399 the Queen gives you pocket springs with five zones, a knit cover, a limited warranty of ten years, and a package light enough for two people to carry. IKEA's own product text says the mattress suits all sleepers and side sleepers in particular, and the medium firm version is the one IKEA bundles in its MALM and NORDLI bed-plus-mattress sets, so it is the default variant.
Before you buy: Owner comments on the listing describe edges that dip and a surface that softened within a year on some units. The exchange is one-time and returns the difference on a refund card, not to your original payment, so the second pick has to be right.
Price checked September 11, 2026. Retailer prices can change.What is inside a $399 VALEVÅG: springs, thin foam, and a knit cover
IKEA's materials list for 505.118.57 reads, from the top down: a ticking of 100% recycled polyester on the top and sides with a 90% viscose, 10% polyester underside; a polypropylene lining; a top filling of 70% viscose and 30% polyester wadding; a second top filling of polyurethane foam at 1.5 lb/cu.ft.; and a pocket spring unit of steel and polypropylene. In plain terms it is a conventional pocket coil mattress with a light foam and fiber comfort layer, not a hybrid with a thick foam slab. The 1.5 lb density is the low end of what foam makers sell as comfort foam, which is consistent with the price and with the reviewer reports of softening.
IKEA's own feature text adds the useful details the materials list leaves out. The springs are individually pocketed so motion is not transferred across the bed, the unit is divided into five comfort zones with softer springs at shoulder and hip and firmer ones under the lower back, and the edge springs are firmer so the edge feels more stable when sleeping or sitting on it. The only spring density IKEA publishes is 249 springs per square meter in a 90 x 200 cm mattress, a European single. Scaled to a Queen's 3.1 square meters that would be somewhere around 770 coils, but IKEA does not state that number and this review will not claim it.
Three firmness labels, one price, and no numbers behind them
The Queen VALEVÅG is sold as medium firm (505.118.57), firm (705.118.56), and extra firm (606.118.04), all at $399 as of the check. IKEA does not publish indentation load deflection, foam thickness by variant, or coil gauge, so the labels are the whole specification. The one thing IKEA does say on the medium firm page is that it suits all sleepers, especially side sleepers, which matches the five-zone logic of letting the shoulder and hip sink deeper. Back and stomach sleepers who want a flatter surface are pointed, by IKEA's own comfort guide, toward the firm variants.
Owner reviews on the medium firm page pull in both directions and are worth reading as a firmness map. Several reviewers who bought the firm version describe it as much softer than the store display, while one reviewer who wanted firmness found the medium firm too soft until it was flipped over, which IKEA does not list as an intended use. Another reviewer reports the firm version caused back pain and the medium firm was the fix. None of that settles anything, and it should not; it establishes that the label is a rough guide and that the IKEA exchange window, covered below, is the real firmness selector.
Roll-packed: 76 pounds in a 66 inch tube, then 3 to 4 days of waiting
IKEA's packaging data lists the Queen as one roll 65 3/4 inches long, 16 1/4 inches in diameter, weighing 76 lb 12 oz. That is heavy for one person but the shape is the point: it fits across the back seat of most cars and up a narrow apartment stairwell, which a flat Queen box will not do. IKEA's product text says the mattress is roll-packed so it is easier to bring home, and the safety note tells you to open it on a flat surface with clear space around it and nobody standing in front, because it may expand quickly.
The Good to know section states that all IKEA mattresses are ready for immediate use but need 3 to 4 days to fully regain their shape, that the packaging can leave a smell which fades over a short period, and that your body can take a few weeks to adjust. Plan the delivery so the mattress has a couple of nights to relax before you judge it. IKEA also specifies the base: use with a mattress base or a non-adjustable slatted bed base. An adjustable base is outside what IKEA supports, and the limited warranty excludes products stored or installed incorrectly, so pairing VALEVÅG with a powered base is a warranty gamble.
The 90-day exchange and the ten-year warranty, read closely
IKEA's returns page states that mattress purchases may be exchanged for another mattress one time within 90 days, and the Love it or exchange it page spells out the terms: the mattress must not be dirty, marked, or damaged; you bring it back to the store with your receipt; if you trade up you pay the difference; if you trade down the difference goes onto an IKEA refund card for a future purchase. If the mattress was home delivered, collection and delivery of the replacement are free of charge. IKEA also notes that a new mattress can seem too firm at first and asks for at least one month before deciding. The policy covers new mattresses only and excludes bed bases, slats, and toppers. It is an exchange, not a refund, and one owner comment on the listing reports a slow pickup-then-credit process rather than a same-day swap.
The mattress limited warranty runs 10 years for residential use and covers defects in material and workmanship including split seams, damaged springs, broken handles, a broken mattress base, and substantial sagging. It does not cover normal wear, cuts or scratches, impact damage, wrong cleaning methods, or a mattress kept outdoors or in a humid environment, and IKEA does not define substantial sagging in inches on the policy page. Care rules on IKEA's page for 505.118.57 are strict: do not wash the cover, clean with upholstery shampoo, vacuum, no bleach, no tumble dry, no iron, no dry cleaning. A washable mattress protector is the practical way to keep the cover in a condition that qualifies for either policy. IKEA also states the mattress meets EN 1957 for durability and 16 CFR 1633 and 1632 for flammability.
When to skip the VALEVÅG
Skip it if edge support matters to you: IKEA advertises firmer edge springs, but owner comments on the listing include a parent whose toddler nearly slid off a dipping edge and an owner who says the usable surface shrank as the sides softened. Skip it for a thick, plush top; at 9 1/2 inches with a 1.5 lb/cu.ft. foam layer, this is a springy, low-profile bed, and one reviewer specifically wished it sat higher. Skip it if you sleep on an adjustable base, since IKEA only sanctions a fixed base or non-adjustable slats. And skip it if you need a cash refund after sleeping on it, because the 90-day policy is a one-time exchange with any downgrade paid out on a refund card.
Buy it if $399 is the budget, springs are the preference, and the bed is for a guest room, a first apartment, or a child's upgrade to a Queen. The roll pack solves a real logistics problem, the three firmness options cost the same, and the exchange plus the ten-year warranty mean a wrong first guess is recoverable. For a primary bed used every night by a heavier sleeper, IKEA's own VÅGSTRANDA at $549 or ÅNNELAND at $649 add thicker comfort layers, and the reviewer pattern of early softening on VALEVÅG is the reason to consider the step up. What this research could not settle is how the medium firm label feels under any particular person, and IKEA's policy pages are candid that only 90 nights at home will tell you.
How we put this together
Built from the product pages and listings below, without test scores or results we have not measured. Specifications and prices change, so check the original page for the exact model, current price, delivery, and returns.
- IKEA US: VALEVÅG pocket spring mattress, medium firm/white, Queen (505.118.57) (opens in a new tab)
- IKEA US: Love it or exchange it (mattress exchange policy) (opens in a new tab)
- IKEA US: Limited warranties (mattress section) (opens in a new tab)
- IKEA US: Return policy (opens in a new tab)
