A full hull fill, for broad side sleepers on a firmer mattress
Fill the case to the top of its published range, about 12 to 13 pounds of hulls in a standard 20 by 26 inch pillow, and the shoulder-to-ear gap is held closed so your neck stays level through the night.
In short: A full standard case, roughly 12 to 13 pounds of pure unpolished hulls, set to about 12 to 14 cm of height under your head.
The fill, specified
| Line | Specification | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Target height, lying on it | 11.76 to 13.78 cm. In a study of side sleepers, that band scored the highest average comfort, while the 9.74 to 11.76 cm band gave a cervical curve closest to natural standing. Broad shoulders on a firm mattress belong in the upper band | Med Biol Eng Comput, 2024 |
| Fill weight for a standard 20 by 26 inch pillow | 12 to 13 lb. One seller lists a 20 by 26 inch pillow at 12 to 13 lb, 6 to 7 inches thick when fully filled, and states that 10 lb of loose hulls is enough to refill a pillow of that size | PineTales pillow, PineTales hulls |
| Hull volume, in litres | Sellers publish hull volume by weight rather than by finished pillow. One states about 200 cubic inches per pound. Another states that 1 litre of hulls weighs roughly 100 g and that a 10 kg bag, about 120 litres, fills approximately three standard pillows | Hullo, Sovereign Foods |
| Polished or unpolished hulls | Unpolished. Polished hulls are sold as the quieter option. Unpolished hulls keep their natural three-dimensional shape, so they interlock and hold support | PineTales |
| Pure hull or hull with wool | Pure hull. Wool-and-hull pillows split the two fills inside one cover, wool on one side and hulls on the other | Turmerry |
Why this fill follows from the answers
Side sleeping leaves a single space for the pillow to occupy, running from the outside of the shoulder up to the ear. Broad shoulders widen that opening. A firm mattress stops your shoulder sinking, so none of the gap disappears into the surface underneath. The pillow carries the whole remainder, which places this result at the upper end of the 11.76 to 13.78 cm comfort band. What pillow height does a buckwheat pillow need, by sleep position? sets out the position logic, including the adjustment if you spend part of the night on your back.
Weight and volume describe that same height in two other ways. Hulls barely compress. Height depends on quantity, so a case filled to the top stays high until morning. Starting at the top of the published range also lets you remove a handful later, which is the easier direction of travel.
Hull finish is a question about sound, and the quiz answers put sound low on the list. That leaves grip as the deciding property. Unpolished hulls hold the shape pressed into them, a consequence of their natural three-dimensional structure, explained here. Anyone still uncertain about the noise should read about polished hulls before settling the question. A fuller pillow also keeps more hulls moving under your ear.
Pure hull follows from wanting firm support that stays where it is pushed. Wool behaves differently. A dual-chamber design gives roughly half the interior volume to the wool compartment, and a wide shoulder gap needs that volume in hulls.
What changes it
Average shoulders rather than broad ones move the target toward the middle of the band. A medium mattress does something similar. The shoulder sinks a little, and the opening narrows with it. Reshaping the pillow at night, or preferring less weight to move around, is a reason to run a pound or two below capacity. Height drops with it, and that is usually the first difference anyone notices.
What to check on your own bed
Lie on your side and have someone look from the front. The nose should line up with the centre of the chest, tilted neither up nor down. Then judge by the morning. Soreness across the top of the shoulder usually means too little fill. An ache under the jaw or along the neck usually means the opposite. Adjust by a cupful, not a pound. Allow several nights before deciding, because the published 11.76 to 13.78 cm band is only a starting range and your neck settles the rest.