How do you cut mattress springs?

Before cutting, check collection, recycling, and reuse options and any maker advice for your mattress.

• Boston accepts memory foam, box springs, innerspring, hybrid, and latex mattresses for collection; roughly 75 percent of mattress and box-spring components can be disassembled and recycled.
• For a Tempur-Pedic mattress or topper, do not cut it: the maker says cutting affects performance and voids the warranty.
• Mattresses in good condition can be sold or given away, according to Hennepin County.

Before setting a mattress for disposal, check whether the service has special handling rules.

• Hennepin County says not to bring soiled or bedbug-infested mattresses.
• In New York City, seal mattresses and box springs in plastic bags to help prevent bedbug spread.
• Many communities may require scheduled bulky pickup, wrapping, tags, or separate disposal, so check the service's requirements first.

One recycling operator says to pull the edging off without tools; another guide recommends cutting along the edge seam.

1. To remove a pillow top, the Second Chance Recycling operator recommends cutting around the top seam with a utility knife, folding it up, and placing it in the appropriate recycling pile.
2. The same operator says to pull the edging off without tools and place it in the appropriate recycling pile.
3. WasteRemovalUSA's guide recommends cutting along the mattress edge seam.
4. The guide says you may need to cut threads, staples, or glued spots.
5. The Aizuwakamatsu municipal guide warns that dust may scatter during the work.

The removal method depends on construction: connected coils use linking wires, while pocket coils are enclosed in fabric.

Connected spring unit

Continuous-wire coils form lots of loose coils from one wire, connected by helical wires.

• Wikipedia says coil connections help mattresses retain their shape.
• Tom's Guide describes continuous-wire coils as durable and cheap, but says they do not provide contouring.

Remove pocket coils

Pocket coils are not wired together, so they work more independently than connected coils.

• Aizuwakamatsu's municipal guide directs removing each spring with its fabric separately.
• To separate them, Puffy recommends cutting the fabric pockets between springs.

The guides name bolt cutters, an angle grinder with a cutting disc, and hard-wire pliers for metal work.

• A recycling operator uses bolt cutters on steel rods; Puffy lists them for steel springs and also lists an angle grinder with the right cutting disc for metal.
• Maun says its pliers are designed for hard wire with hardened blades, and that its pliers multiply hand force by up to 25 times.

NYC permits breaking an oversized item into pieces if it will not fit a regular-sized, non-dual-bin collection truck.

1. After exposing the springs, Maun recommends marking the cut line to keep it straight.
2. Puffy recommends starting at the outer edge and working across the spring unit; coils may uncoil suddenly when cut under tension.
3. A recycling operator's process pulls steel rods completely free, repeats at the other corners, and gathers the steel.

One recycling operator advises separating foam and cotton; follow your local set-out rules.

• In New York City, mattresses and box springs must be sealed in plastic bags to help prevent bedbug spread and put out on trash-only day, not recycling day.
• A recycling operator says to remove foam and cotton, separate and fold each material, then place each in an appropriate recycling pile; sorted materials are sent for recycling or sold.
• Boston says some mattress components are turned into carpet underlayment or animal padding, while others are used in industrial oil filters and other textile applications.

Tempur-Pedic says its mattresses and toppers are designed and constructed for comfort and support; cutting its mattresses affects performance and voids the warranty.

Connections between the coils help the mattress retain its shape.

Tom's Guide describes continuous-wire coils as durable and cheap but says they do not provide contouring; it also says inflexibility can trigger pressure points and transfer movement across the sleep surface.

Pocket springs are not wired together and work more independently than connected coils.

With some invention, a large mattress can be split into 2 smaller mattresses for single beds.

Coil connections help a mattress retain its shape.

For custom Tempur-Pedic sizes, the maker advises contacting Sleep Experts.

Are pocket coils hard to separate from their fabric sleeves?

The guides describe removing pocket-coil springs and fabric one at a time or cutting the fabric between springs, but they do not assess how difficult either method is.

Is it worth cutting mattress springs just to save on disposal?

The NYC bulk-collection rule does not compare disposal costs, so it cannot show whether cutting is worthwhile; mattresses and box springs set out for that collection must still be sealed in plastic bags. Boston advises against cutting mattresses or box springs for its collection.

Can a saw cut mattress springs?

Puffy says a reciprocating saw with a metal-cutting blade can saw through springs, and also lists an angle grinder with the right cutting disc as a quick way to cut metal.

Are bolt cutters a better choice for mattress springs?

Bolt cutters are a listed option for steel springs, but the facts here do not compare them with other tools. A recycling operator uses bolt cutters on steel rods, and Puffy lists their leverage for steel springs.

We read 14 published pages from 11 sites (puffy.com, maunindustries.com, wasteremovalusa.com, content.boston.gov and 7 more), checked in October 2026. Every sentence in the answers above cites one of them; the offer card at the end names its own source. This page reports published sources only; we did not test mattresses in person.