Pillow Filling Guide | Types of Pillow Filling

The short answer: pillow filling is what decides how a pillow feels, how long it lasts and how you wash it. For most people the real choice is between polyester hollow fibre and natural feather and down — the other fillings are specialist, and usually more expensive for less benefit.

Types of pillow filling, compared

Filling	Feel	Lifespan	Washing	Cost
Polyester hollow fibre	Springy, pushes back. Available soft through to firm	18 months to 2 years	Machine washable, dries fast	Low
Feather and down	Moulds to your head, soft to medium	3 to 5 years	Machine washable at 40°C, slow to dry	Medium
Wool	Dense and firm, temperature regulating	3 to 5 years	Spot clean or dry clean only	High
Cotton	Firm and flat, very little loft	2 to 3 years	Machine washable, very slow to dry	Medium
Memory foam	Slow-moulding, holds a shape	2 to 3 years	Cover only — the core cannot be washed	High
Buckwheat husk	Firm, heavy, shifts as you move	5 years plus	Husks must be emptied out first	High

Polyester hollow fibre

Hollow fibre is fine polyester strands spun with a hollow core, which is what traps air and gives loft. It is the most common pillow filling in the UK for good reason: it is supportive, hypoallergenic, machine washable, dries quickly and costs a fraction of natural fill.

The catch is that not all hollow fibre is equal. Recycled or mixed fibre — often sold as simply “polyester filling” — compresses permanently within months. Pure virgin hollow fibre has never been used before, so the strands are intact and recover their loft when you plump them. It is the difference between a pillow that lasts two years and one that is flat by spring.

Feather and down

Feather gives structure; down, the soft quill-free clusters from beneath the outer feathers, gives loft and softness. Most natural pillows use a blend of the two. Feather and down moulds around your head instead of pushing back, and it breathes better than any synthetic fill, which is why hotels have used it for a century.

It is softer than most people expect, so it suits back and front sleepers better than side sleepers, and it takes considerably longer to dry after washing.

The specialist fillings

Wool regulates temperature well and resists dust mites naturally, but it is firm, heavy and usually cannot be machine washed. Cotton is breathable and natural but has very little loft, so it flattens quickly and holds water for a long time. Memory foam holds a fixed shape, which some people find supportive and others find airless — and the core can never be washed, only the cover. Buckwheat husk is firm and long-lasting but heavy and noisy, and it is a niche preference rather than a mainstream one.

These are all real options, and we are not going to pretend otherwise just because we do not make them. We do not sell wool, cotton, memory foam or buckwheat pillows.

What we fill our pillows with

Two fillings, both made up at our own base in Rochdale: 100% pure virgin hollow fibre — pure white, never mixed, never recycled — and natural duck feather and down. Because we are manufacturers rather than resellers, we can tell you exactly what is inside every pillow we sell, which is not something most sellers can say.

Which should you choose?

Pure virgin hollow fibre
Choose this if you want firmer support, easy washing, a hypoallergenic fill or the lower price. It is the right answer for most people, and the only one of the two that comes in a genuinely firm feel.
Duck feather and down
Choose this if you want a pillow that moulds to you, sleeps cooler and lasts longer — and you are happy with a softer feel and a slower dry.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best filling for pillows?

There is no single best filling — it depends on how you sleep. Pure virgin hollow fibre is the best all-round choice for support, washability and price, and it is the only common filling that comes in a genuinely firm feel for side sleepers. Feather and down is better if you want a pillow that moulds to your head and breathes well, and you do not mind it being softer.

What is a pillow made of?

Two parts: the casing and the filling. The casing is usually cotton, poly cotton or microfibre, and it is what stops the filling working its way out. The filling is what you actually sleep on — most commonly polyester hollow fibre or natural feather and down, and less often wool, cotton, memory foam or buckwheat husk.

Pillow Filling Guide — Types of Pillow Filling Compared