What Is the Difference Between Baffle and Box Down Comforters?

Importance

• Both baffle and box structures work to keep down distributed evenly through the comforter. Without these additions, the soft feathers tend to clump together, creating a lumpy feeling blanket. The baffle and boxes keep the right amount of down in separate sections. Both also work to maintain the comforter loft, or thickness. The vertical walls of the two structures provide support to keep it from becoming squished and flat after a few months of use.

Similarities

• Baffle and box comforters overlap in meaning. The term baffle refers to a strip of fabric sewn vertically between the two sheets of the exterior, according to SuperComfort.com. A box structure involves four baffles sewn in a closed cube shape. All box comforters use baffles, but not all baffle comforters follow the box configuration. Both maintain the thickness and even spread of filling material better than comforters finished with other methods.

Differences

• The main difference between these two types of down comforters involves the box shape. Some comforters use the channel baffle that is common to feather beds, according to the Pacific Coast website. Feathers in these long chambers can slide to either end of the comforter and clump up there. Channels run horizontally or vertically across the piece. Because installing the extra baffles to form a box requires more work, vertical baffle comforters usually are slightly lower in price.

Alternatives

• Other forms of finishing offer some control over feathers shifting in the comforter without the price tag of true baffle boxes. Sewn-through down comforters are commonly used in warmer weather, according to Cuddledown.com, due to a thinner layer of insulation down. Stitches connect the top and bottom layers of fabric together around the filling. This holds most of it in place, but as the comforter ages and a few stitches snap, the down lumps together.