Bed Frame - Iron Beds

Iron Beds

Iron beds are beds in which the headboard and footboard are made of iron; the frame rails are usually made of steel. Iron beds were developed in 17th century Italy to address concerns about infestation by bed bugs and moths. An iron cradle (with dangerously pointed corner posts) has been dated to 1620-1640. From the start of their production in the 1850s until World War I, iron beds were hand-made. The manufacturing process included hand pouring and polishing intricately detailed casting and hand applying finishes. In the many small foundries of the time that employed only a handful of employees, it could take days to produce a single bed.

After the end of World War I, the mass-production methods used for war time affected the iron industry as well. The hand-made quality gave way to cost-effective mass production.

Today’s iron beds are constructed of cold roll, heavy-gauge steel tubing and solid bar stock.

Almost all iron beds now have a beech wood sprung slatted base in a steel framework which gives support to all types of mattresses.