Bed and mattress sizes
19 standard mattress sizes across North America, the UK and continental Europe, in inches and centimetres, with the room each one needs.
The names do not travel
This is the thing worth knowing before anything else. A UK King is 150 cm wide and a US King is 193.0 cm — a difference of 43 cm, which is more than the gap between a UK Single and a UK Small Double. The largest bed sold as standard in Britain, the Super King at 180 cm, is still 13 cm narrower than an ordinary American King.
The one pair that nearly lines up is the US Full and the UK Double: 137.2 × 190.5 cm against 135 × 190, so 2.2 cm apart in width and half a centimetre in length. Everything else with a shared name is a different bed, and bedding bought on the wrong side of the Atlantic will be visibly wrong rather than slightly wrong.
North America
| Name | Inches | Centimetres | Area | Room needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crib / Cot | 28 × 52 | 71.1 × 132.1 | 0.94 m² | 191.1 × 192.1 cm |
| Twin | 38 × 75 | 96.5 × 190.5 | 1.84 m² | 216.5 × 250.5 cm |
| Twin XL | 38 × 80 | 96.5 × 203.2 | 1.96 m² | 216.5 × 263.2 cm |
| Full / Double | 54 × 75 | 137.2 × 190.5 | 2.61 m² | 257.2 × 250.5 cm |
| Full XL | 54 × 80 | 137.2 × 203.2 | 2.79 m² | 257.2 × 263.2 cm |
| Queen | 60 × 80 | 152.4 × 203.2 | 3.10 m² | 272.4 × 263.2 cm |
| King | 76 × 80 | 193.0 × 203.2 | 3.92 m² | 313.0 × 263.2 cm |
| California King | 72 × 84 | 182.9 × 213.4 | 3.90 m² | 302.9 × 273.4 cm |
United Kingdom
| Name | Inches | Centimetres | Area | Room needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Single | 29.5 × 74.8 | 75 × 190 | 1.43 m² | 195 × 250 cm |
| Single | 35.4 × 74.8 | 90 × 190 | 1.71 m² | 210 × 250 cm |
| Small Double | 47.2 × 74.8 | 120 × 190 | 2.28 m² | 240 × 250 cm |
| Double | 53.1 × 74.8 | 135 × 190 | 2.56 m² | 255 × 250 cm |
| King | 59.1 × 78.7 | 150 × 200 | 3.00 m² | 270 × 260 cm |
| Super King | 70.9 × 78.7 | 180 × 200 | 3.60 m² | 300 × 260 cm |
| Emperor | 78.7 × 78.7 | 200 × 200 | 4.00 m² | 320 × 260 cm |
Continental Europe
| Name | Inches | Centimetres | Area | Room needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EU Single | 35.4 × 78.7 | 90 × 200 | 1.80 m² | 210 × 260 cm |
| EU Double | 55.1 × 78.7 | 140 × 200 | 2.80 m² | 260 × 260 cm |
| EU Queen | 63 × 78.7 | 160 × 200 | 3.20 m² | 280 × 260 cm |
| EU King | 70.9 × 78.7 | 180 × 200 | 3.60 m² | 300 × 260 cm |
Every size by width
| Name | Region | Width | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crib / Cot | North America | 71.1 cm | 132.1 cm |
| Small Single | United Kingdom | 75 cm | 190 cm |
| Single | United Kingdom | 90 cm | 190 cm |
| EU Single | Continental Europe | 90 cm | 200 cm |
| Twin | North America | 96.5 cm | 190.5 cm |
| Twin XL | North America | 96.5 cm | 203.2 cm |
| Small Double | United Kingdom | 120 cm | 190 cm |
| Double | United Kingdom | 135 cm | 190 cm |
| Full / Double | North America | 137.2 cm | 190.5 cm |
| Full XL | North America | 137.2 cm | 203.2 cm |
| EU Double | Continental Europe | 140 cm | 200 cm |
| King | United Kingdom | 150 cm | 200 cm |
| Queen | North America | 152.4 cm | 203.2 cm |
| EU Queen | Continental Europe | 160 cm | 200 cm |
| Super King | United Kingdom | 180 cm | 200 cm |
| EU King | Continental Europe | 180 cm | 200 cm |
| California King | North America | 182.9 cm | 213.4 cm |
| King | North America | 193.0 cm | 203.2 cm |
| Emperor | United Kingdom | 200 cm | 200 cm |
How much room a bed actually needs
The figures above allow 60 cm of clear floor on each side and at the foot, which is roughly the width of a person walking sideways past a bed frame. Less than that and the bed fits the room on paper while making it unusable in practice — the usual symptom is a wardrobe door that will not open, since a hinged door needs its own depth of clearance again.