A cover layer of a fleece material for an innerspring unit comprising a plurality of pocketed springs is manufactured by supplying at least two longitudinal fleece webs, which extend substantially parallel in a longitudinal direction and are spaced from one another, and repeatedly attaching a transverse fleece web, which extends between the longitudinal fleece webs in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, to the longitudinal fleece webs. The transverse fleece web segments are attached to the longitudinal fleece webs such that they form together with the longitudinal fleece webs a frame-like structure serving as the cover layer.