Hull with a wool layer, for support without the hardness
Your fill is a two-sided pillow, hull on one side and wool on the other, run a little lighter than a full pure hull pillow.
In short: Hull on one side for support, wool on the other for softness, about 7 lb in a standard case, turned to whichever side suits the night.
The fill, specified
| Item | Specification and source |
|---|---|
| Target height, lying on it | No published figure gives height under load, so these are the nearest. A systematic review found that a 7–11 cm pillow height had moderate evidence for improving sleep quality and spinal alignment (study). One seller's fill calculator says most people prefer 3 to 4 inches, measured fully flattened (calculator). |
| Fill weight for a standard 20 by 26 inch pillow | One hull-and-wool combo lists Standard: 20"x26" at 7 lbs (spec page). Another hybrid lists 2 to 8 pounds depending on size and fill (spec page). One pure hull standard pillow is listed at 10 pounds (spec page). |
| Hull volume, in litres | The hull-and-wool pages read for this result give no volume in litres. One fill calculator puts hulls at about 200 cubic inches per pound (calculator). |
| Polished or unpolished hulls | Unpolished suits this fill, because the wool side offers a quiet option on nights the sound bothers. A seller of unpolished hulls notes that wearing down their natural edges can reduce grip (product page). |
| Pure hull or hull with wool | Hull with wool, as two sides of one case. One combo maker describes one side as a buckwheat hull pillow and the other as a wool pillow (spec page). Another hybrid also puts wool on one side and hulls on the other (spec page). |
Every figure here is a published seller specification or published research, and this site did not weigh or measure anything for this page.
Why this follows from your answers
The quiz sent you here because you want support underneath and a softer surface. Hull alone cannot do both. One seller of pure hull pillows calls them about as firm as pillows come. The combo pillows read for this page offer both feels, one side at a time. Hull supports; wool softens. A review of buckwheat pillows notes that buckwheat pillows generally feel quite firm even when wool or cotton batting is added. Expect firm on the hull side.
A combo pillow is also easier to lift and turn at night. One maker lists its pure hull standard pillow at 10 pounds, and another lists its standard hull-and-wool combo at 7 pounds. Wool fills part of the case, so less hull goes in. That leaves about 3 pounds less to lift at each flip. It is still not a light pillow. The weight guide explains why some of that weight is useful.
Height still decides the fit. If you sleep on your side with broad shoulders on a firm mattress, aim toward the top of the 7 to 11 cm range. Back sleeping, narrow shoulders and a soft mattress each push toward the bottom of that range. The height guide sets out each position in turn. Too much height has a cost too. In a lab study of 10 adults, average cranial pressure on a 170 mm pillow was about 30% higher than on a 110 mm one.
What changes it
The layout decides the feel. With wool on one side and hull on the other, each night gets one feel, never both at once. If you need softness and support on the same night, a lower pure hull fill may suit you better.
Sound matters only on the hull side. On the wool side, the ear rests on wool rather than on shifting hulls. If you were unsure about sound, the noise guide covers who never adjusts to it. Polishing is the other lever, with a trade-off that the polished versus unpolished guide weighs. The hull side still moves under your hand, and a lower fill moves more freely.
What to check on your own bed
Lie in your usual position for a few minutes and ask someone to look along your spine. The head should sit level with the spine, tipped neither up nor down. On the side, the nose should line up with the middle of the chest. If your head tilts up, take out a little hull. If it drops, add some back. Change one thing at a time and give each setting a few nights. Small changes show quickly.
Keep the pillow dry, since damp hulls are where mould starts, as the moisture guide explains.