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Advantages of down and feather bedding

What feather- and down blends are suitable for pillows?

A filling material suited for pillows should be able to support the head and possibly the upper part of the body for any length of time (cushioning) while asleep.

Therefore blends consisting of down and feathers are favourable, but more and more people prefer a soft down pillow.

Pillows with several compartments containing down or feathers are very popular as well. The feathers have a supporting function and the down filling ensures a comfortable feeling during the sleep.

A filling material suited for pillows should be able to support the head and possibly the upper part of the body for any length of time (cushioning) while asleep.

Therefore blends consisting of down and feathers are favourable, but more and more people prefer a soft down pillow.

Pillows with several compartments containing down or feathers are very popular as well. The feathers have a supporting function and the down filling ensures a comfortable feeling during the sleep.

Source: Verband der Deutschen Daunen- und Federnindustrie e.V.

What is the right size of a pillow?

Example of a 40x80 pillow.
Source: ARO Artländer GmbH, Kettenkamp.

Current pillow sizes in Germany are 40 x 80 cm and 80 x 80 cm, but pillow sizes vary a great deal from country to country according to traditions.

Example of a 40x80 pillow.
Source: ARO Artländer GmbH, Kettenkamp.

Current pillow sizes in Germany are 40 x 80 cm and 80 x 80 cm, but pillow sizes vary a great deal from country to country according to traditions.

The pillow size should be selected following the individual preferences.

The pillow should be able to adjust the difference between head and shoulders,
i.e. support the natural curvature of the spine.

The shoulders should be placed on the mattress whereas the head should be placed in a slightly higher position ensuring that the neck is relaxed and set in a straight position.

Source: Verband der Deutschen Daunen- und Federnindustrie e.V.

What blends of down and feathers are most suitable?

The appropriate blend depends in particular on the individual need for warmth when asleep. Nowadays, most people usually prefer a high percentage of down.

Lightweight down provide best fill power values and a high degree of thermal insulation. With a higher percentage of feathers, the weight of the duvets increases, because feathers are heavier than down.

Due to large fill power values down are capable of being able to keep the body warm without much weight, that is to say the bulking capacity.

The appropriate blend depends in particular on the individual need for warmth when asleep. Nowadays, most people usually prefer a high percentage of down.

Due to large fill power values down are capable of being able to keep the body warm without much weight, that is to say the bulking capacity. A down-filled duvet always contains a blend of down and insulating air-filled pockets. The air-pockets among the single down make the duvet lightweight in relation to its volume. Thus, a down-filled duvet can keep the body warm and comfortable with very little weight.

Therefore, down satisfy all requirements for a perfect sleeping comfort: They are light and assure an excellent climate regulation. Pleasant warmth is quickly created and the perspiration absorbed is steadily being eliminated.

There are different types of down-filled duvets available. Depending on the filling weight they are manufactured for summer or winter.
Especially, a duvet containing 100 % of down keeps the sleeper pleasantly warm and cosy with very little weight at the same time. Another favoured blend consists of 90 % down and 10 % feathers.

Pillows, however, require a filling material which is able to support the head. In this case, feather-down blends are preferred, but more and more people, however, prefer a soft down-filled pillow.

Further information at :

What feather-down-blends are most suitable for pillows?

Source: Verband der Deutschen Daunen- und Federnindustrie e.V.

How can I select top-quality down-and-feather-filled duvets?

Here is one point to remember: Pay attention to the labelled facts and the various brand names.

The labelled facts are very helpful, especially as regards the filling which is usually invisible to the eye. The label provides information on colour and origin of the down and feathers, indicates whether the down and feathers are new or have previously been used, the fowl species (goose or duck) and finally also the mixing ratio of down and feathers. The filling composition is a crucial factor, since compared to feathers, down provide a higher degree of thermal insulation with very little weight. Moreover, down are ten times more expensive than feathers. Hence, the down percentage of a duvet is one of the most important criteria to evaluate it. Usually, duvets containing a large percentage of down are more valuable and more expensive than duvets with a lower down percentage (that is a large percentage of feathers).

In December 1999, the new European standard DIN EN 12934 came into effect for labelling of duvets and pillows filled with down and feathers which has replaced the labelling system in accordance with RAL (in Germany) (half down, three-quarters down). The standard provides information on the most crucial properties of a filling:

the composition of the filling material – down percentage, feather percentage,
whether the merchandise consists of new material or of down and feathers which have previously been used. The term new has replaced the old term “original” and states that the filling material has been categorized as class I.,
fowl species – waterfowl, that is to say goose or duck, or landfowl (like for instance chicken or turkey).

Moreover, the filling material is categorised in quality classes. Class I stands for top quality filling material. The quality classes range from class I to class VII.

In this regard, class I signifies new waterfowl fillings with at least 95% of new goose or duck feathers and - down. The term New fillings class I corresponds to the term original merchandise specified in the previous RAL-labelling system.

Fillings categorised as class II or III also consist of waterfowl down and feathers, though they contain – depending on the class – different percentages of other elements. Starting from class IV the fillings may also contain landfowl feathers (chicken or turkey do not possess any down) with considerably less insulating properties.

Colour (e. g. white) and provenance (e. g. Poland or Hungary) are optional declarations. However, usually these indications are labelled.

The TRAUMPASS trademark stands for new fillings belonging to class I.

Moreover, the Daunasan^® / Downafresh^® brand signifies that the filling material has been processed in accordance with hygienic standards. The NOMITE brand indicates that the bedding product is suitable for persons suffering from allergy to house-dust-mites.

Finally, the KIS^®Komfort Information System helps you to choose your ideal duvet providing information about the thermal comfort and the duvet comfort of down-filled duvets.

Further information at :

Source: Verband der Deutschen Daunen- und Federnindustrie e.V.

I want to purchase a down-and-feather-filled bedding product. What do I have to consider?

With the purchase of bedding products it is generally advised to look out for good quality articles.

In this regard, the different trademarks Daunasan^® / Downafresh^®, NOMITE^® and KIS^® Komfort Information System play an important part.

With the purchase of bedding products it is generally advised to look out for good quality articles.

In this regard, the different trademarks Daunasan^® / Downafresh^®, NOMITE^® and KIS^® Komfort Information System play an important part. These trademarks ensure that your top-quality bedding product meets various requirements.

The brands Daunasan^® / Downafresh^® refer to proper labelling and processing of the filling according to hygienic criteria, respectively. NOMITE^® indicates that the duvet is suitable for house-dust-mite-allergy-sufferers.

The colour of down and feathers does not affect the quality, though. So-called “half-white“ or “grey“ down and feathers (including also brown ones) have the same usage properties as “white“ down and feathers. The premium down, the eiderduck down, has even a dark brown colour.
Further information at :

Source: Verband der Deutschen Daunen- und Federnindustrie e.V.

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