Pehmust

Pehmust is a term used in Finnish contexts to denote cushioning material or padding that provides softness, comfort, and impact protection in a range of products. It can refer to a standalone cushion, a foam insert, or a sewn padding layer inside upholstery. In industrial settings, pehmust materials are selected for energy absorption, weight, and durability.

Common materials include polyurethane foam, polyethylene foam, latex foam, and fibrous batting. In more advanced designs, memory foam, viscoelastic layers, gel pads, or air-filled cushions are used to improve contouring and damping. The choice depends on the required stiffness, fatigue resistance, and environmental conditions. Pehmust can be molded into shapes, extruded as sheets, or formed as layered assemblies and is often covered with textile, leather, or other coverings or placed inside rigid shells.

Production methods involve foam synthesis, molding, lamination, and machining, followed by integration into upholstery, packaging systems, or product housings. Important properties include density, indentation force deflection, compression set, resilience, thermal stability, moisture resistance, and fire behavior.

Applications span furniture and seating, bedding and mattresses, automotive interiors, protective sports gear, packaging of fragile goods, electronics housings, medical devices, and footwear. Pehmust design aims to balance comfort, protection, weight, and cost while meeting safety and durability standards. Etymology-wise, pehmustus or pehmuste is the common Finnish term for padding, with pehmust appearing in some technical or shorthand usages.