thumb|Single-size beds are usually intended for one person.

thumb|Double-size beds are usually intended for two people.

Standard bed sizes are based on mattress dimensions, which vary from country to country. Bed sizes may also vary depending on the design and ornamentation of the bed frame. Dimensions and terminology differ worldwide, as most countries maintain their own standards. In addition, two mattresses with the same nominal size may have slightly different dimensions due to manufacturing tolerances, padding, and support type. Mattress and bedding sizes may not always correspond.

Nomenclature

Naming standards on different bed sizes and their corresponding actual measurements can vary across national standards. Examples of such nomenclature are names like "Single", "Full" or "Double", "Queen" or "King" size. Sometimes the naming standards are further divided by adding adjectives such as "Narrow", "Long", "Extra Long", "Wide", "Extra Wide", and so on, which also can vary across national standards.

For example, a King size bed may measure (in width by length):

  • in the UK.
  • in Portugal, but is also available in lengths.
  • in Indonesia.
  • in Singapore and Malaysia.
  • in Australia.
  • in India.
  • in the US.

Because of the growth of international trade and the above potential cause of confusion, bed sizes are becoming more standardized. In most countries, using the International System of Units, bed dimensions most often appear in centimeters, and often only by width and length. In the United States, Canada and other regions influenced by the former British Empire, dimensions are often in inches.

Africa

South Africa

In South Africa, bed sizes have standard lengths of either , with the latter being called "XL" variants. XL mattresses have the same widths as their non-XL counterparts. The XL length is recommended for persons over tall.

  • Single: wide
  • Three-quarter: wide
  • Double: wide
  • Queen: wide
  • King: wide. Equal to the width of two single mattresses.
  • Super king: wide. Available in XL length only.

Europe

thumb|right|Comparison diagram of some of the most common European single and double bed sizes.

Europe may traditionally have had more variations in national bed size standards than any other part of the world, but in the recent years a few sizes have become more common than others. Bed sizes are defined in centimeters in all European countries, although supplementary Imperial equivalents are sometimes shown in the United Kingdom.

Today, the most common widths sold by pan European retailers are:

  • for single beds.
  • for double beds.

Other sizes are also available in some European countries (e.g., ), but the widths listed above are the most common when looking at the European market as a whole, while and (nominal) are more typical in the UK and Ireland.

Today, the length is the most common bed length sold by pan-European retailers. Lengths of are often also available by special order. The longer beds are intended for taller people, and as a rule of thumb beds may be recommended for people or taller, while beds are recommended for people over tall.

France

In France, single size beds are usually:

  • or .

The most common sizes for double beds are:

  • Valet size
  • Queen size
  • King size

Italy

In Italy, beds are classified by name and use the term as in "place". Standard sizes are:

  • (literally "one place") or ("single"): and
  • (literally " places") or (literally "priest's bed"):
  • (literally "French places"):
  • (double, literally "two places") or (literally "matrimonial bed"): and

Northern Europe

These sizes are for Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, Poland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. There are some variations between different countries, but these are the most common sizes. Until the 1980s the most common mattress length was .

  • Single:
  • , uncommon, mainly for double beds with two separate mattresses.
  • , mainly for young peoples beds/ bunk beds and double beds with two separate mattresses.
  • , common single bed. Extended variants are typically .
  • , larger single bed size.
  • , uncommon, mainly for teen beds.
  • Small Double:
  • , common, especially among young people and/or single households.
  • Double:
  • , common, often with two separate mattresses.
  • , most common double bed, often with two separate mattresses.
  • , a common extra-wide bed, often with two separate mattresses.
  • , a common extra-wide bed, often with two separate mattresses.

Netherlands

Sizes listed refer to mattress sizes.

  • Single:
  • , small single bed.
  • , average single bed.
  • , tall, average single bed.
  • , extra tall, average single bed.
  • , large single bed.
  • , tall, large single bed.
  • , extra tall, large single bed.
  • Double:
  • , small double bed ("twijfelaar").
  • , average double bed.
  • , large double bed.
  • , tall, large double bed.
  • , extra tall, large double bed.
  • , extra large double bed ("Lits Jumeaux").
  • , tall, extra large double bed.
  • , extra tall, extra large double bed.
  • , extra wide double bed.
  • , tall, extra wide double bed.
  • , extra tall, extra wide double bed.

Portugal

In Portugal, the most common widths for beds are:

  • (single): or
  • (double):
  • Queen size:
  • King size:
  • Super king size:

Beds are typically or long, but have become more common.

Spain

In Spain, standardized lengths are , with being the most common. Standardized widths are . The most common bed sizes are:

  • individual (single):
  • matrimonio (Spanish) or matrimoni (Catalan) (double, literally "matrimonial"):

UK and Ireland

Customary UK and Ireland sizes|right|thumb

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, beds are measured according to the size of mattress they hold, not the dimensions of the bed frame itself; bed frame sizes are not standardized and may differ between manufacturers. Listed below are the typical bed sizes from the National Bed Federation, which is the trade association for the majority of British and Irish bed manufacturers and their suppliers. Most NBF manufacturers use designs dimensioned in feet and inches with the metric indicators not being exact equivalents. There can legally be a tolerance of up to ± between the quoted measurements and the size of the mattress itself.

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! rowspan="2" scope="col" | Size

! colspan="3" scope="col" | Dimensions

|-

! Feet and inches

Some UK retailers may have a "queen" size which refers to one of the above standard sizes, but there is inconsistency around which size specifically, with both the small double and super king being prevalent.

As well as customary UK sizes, some common European sizes can be found in the UK from imports and IKEA. The typical length of an IKEA and other European mattresses is , whereas UK lengths vary depending on the width of the mattress, being usually either . In 2015, IKEA started offering beds and mattresses in customary UK sizes alongside their standard European sizes.

Adjustable beds or electric adjustable bed sizes differ from the standard bed size. The length of these beds differs from a standard size because the beds need to bend. So they are in length rather than . King size and super king size are normally two or two adjacent beds.

Turkey

In Turkey, single size beds are usually ;

long single size ;

large single size .

There is also an intermediate size used for one and a half people in Turkey: .

The most common sizes for double beds are:

small double size ;

young size ;

double size ;

double size ;

double large size ;

double XL size .

Asia

China

In China, the following sizes are standard:

  • Lengths:
  • Single bed widths:
  • Double bed widths:

In practice, bed sizes are usually categorized by the width. The length is typically , but this may vary. The most common sizes are:

Other bed sizes are available, which are less common however.

Indonesia

In Indonesia, the standard length is always . The following market-standard sizes are commonly available in Indonesia:

; Single:

; Double or twin:

; Queen:

; King:

; Super king:

Japan

Standard Japanese bedding sizes are described in the standard JIS S 1102:2017 Beds for domestic use by the Japanese Standards Association.

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! rowspan="2" scope="col" | Size

! colspan="2" scope="col" | Dimensions

|-

! Centimeters

! Inches

|-

| Single

|

|-

| Semi-double

|

|-

| Double

|

|-

| Wide double

|

|-

| Queen

|

|-

| King

|

|-

| King long

|

|}

Malaysia

Standard bed sizes in Malaysia

{| class="wikitable"

|+

! rowspan="2" |Size

! colspan="2" |Dimensions

|-

!centimetres

!inches

|-

|Single

|91 × 191

|36 × 75

|-

|Super single

|107 × 191

|42 × 75

|-

|Queen

|152 × 191

|60 × 75

|-

|King

|183 × 191

|72 × 75

|}

Pakistan

Standard bed sizes in Pakistan include Single, Queen 1, Queen 2, and King

  • Single:
  • Queen 1:
  • Queen 2:
  • King:

Singapore

Standard bed sizes in Singapore

{| class="wikitable"

|+

! rowspan="2" |Size

! colspan="2" |Dimensions

|-

!centimetres

!inches

|-

|Single

|91 × 190

|36 × 75

|-

|Super single

|107 × 190

|42 × 75

|-

|Queen

|152 × 190

|60 × 75

|-

|King

|183 × 190

|72 × 75

|}

Taiwan

There are five common bed sizes in Taiwan, locally known as 3 footer, 3.5 footer, 5 footer, 6 footer and 7 footer. They are also known as Taiwanese small single, twin, full, queen and king respectively.

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! rowspan="2" scope="col" | Size

! colspan="2" scope="col" | Dimensions

|-

! Centimeters

! Inches

|-

| Small single

|

|-

| Twin

|

|-

| Double

|

|-

| Queen

|

|-

| King

|

|}

However, American beds are also popular in Taiwan. Bedroom furniture and bedding of U.S. standard sizes can be purchased in major cities there. In addition, American sizes also include the 3/4 size bed of 48 x 75.

Oceania

Australia

The following bed sizes are available in Australia.

thumb|right|Traditional Australian bed sizes.

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! rowspan="2" scope="col" | Size

! colspan="2" scope="col" | Dimensions

|-

! Centimeters

! Inches

|-

| Single

|

|-

| Long single

|

|-

| King single

|

|-

| Double

|

|-

| Queen

|

|-

| King

|

|-

| Super king

|

|}

New Zealand

The following bed sizes are available in New Zealand.

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! rowspan="2" scope="col" | Size

! colspan="2" scope="col" | Dimensions

|-

! Centimeters

! Inches

|-

| Single

|

|-

| Single XL

|

|-

| King single

|

|-

| Double

|

|-

| Queen

|

|-

| King

|

|-

| Super king

|

|-

| California king

|

|}

North America

thumb|Standard North American bed sizes

thumb|right|An American hotel room with two queen-size beds

The sizes of mattresses use non-numeric labels such as "king" or "full", but are defined in inches. Historically, most beds were "twins" or "doubles", but in the mid-1940s, larger mattresses were introduced by manufacturers. These were later standardized as "queen" and "king", and first made a significant impact on the market in the 1950s and 1960s. Standard mattress depth ranges from the "standard" size of to "high contour" of up to . Below are the standard ISPA widths and heights in the United States and Canada.

While the dimensions are specified to the half-inch below, the actual dimensions used by manufacturers or various websites may be half an inch larger or smaller.

Less common sizes

Less common sizes include:

{| class="wikitable"

! rowspan="2" scope="col" | Size

! colspan="2" scope="col" | Dimensions

|-

! Inches

! Centimeters

|-

| Crib

|

|-

| Junior

|

|-

| Cot or Small Single

|

|-

| Antique Single

|

|-

| Twin XXL

|

|-

| Antique Double or Three-quarter

|

|-

| Full XL or Double XL

|

|-

| Super Queen, Olympic Queen, or Expanded Queen

|

|-

| California Queen

|

|-

| Super King, Grand King, Athletic King, or Texas King

|

|-

| Wyoming King

{| class="wikitable"

! rowspan="2" scope="col" | Specialty size

! colspan="2" scope="col" | Dimensions

! rowspan="2" scope="col" | Use case

|-

! Inches

! Centimeters

|-

| Half Queen or Split Queen

|class="nowrap"

| For adjustable Queen size beds where each half moves independently.

|-

| Half California King or Split California King

|

| For adjustable California King size beds where each half moves independently.

|-

| Short Queen or RV Queen

|

| Typically found in recreational vehicles and campers

|-

| Short King or RV King

|

| Typically found in RVs. Narrower and shorter than a standard King.

|-

| RV King

|

| Typically found in RVs. Narrower than a standard King.

|-

| Single Waterbed

|

| Used for conventional mattress inserts inside a Single/Twin waterbed frame.

|-

| Super Single Waterbed

|

| Used for conventional waterbed insert inside a Super Single waterbed frame.

|-

| Queen Waterbed

|

| Used for conventional waterbed insert inside a Queen waterbed frame. (Subtract from California Queen size)

|-

| King Waterbed

|

| Used for conventional waterbed insert inside a King waterbed frame. (Subtract from California King size)

|-

| Medium Family Bed

|

| For co-sleeping with multiple partners, children, or pets.

|-

| Large Family Bed

|

| For co-sleeping with multiple partners, children, or pets.

|-

| XL Family Bed

|

| For co-sleeping with multiple partners, children, or pets. Is the same as two California Kings side-by-side.

|-

| rowspan="5" |Truck Sleeper Cab common mattress sizes (without specific names)

|

| rowspan="5" | Many additional sizes are considered Standard for trucks, and custom sizes are available as well.

|-

|

|-

|

|-

|

|-

|

|}

Bedding in the United States must state the type of bed it is intended for, in addition to the dimensions in both inches and centimeters.

In addition to the horizontal dimensions of beds, another aspect of bed size is the vertical height of the bed. This is particularly relevant for bunk beds, loft beds, Murphy beds, and canopy beds, which require more vertical space than other beds.

For both bunk beds and loft beds, it is generally recommended that there be at least 40 inches (1 meter) of vertical space between the top of the mattress and the ceiling. This allows the average-sized adult to sit up comfortably in bed.

For vertical Murphy beds that fold up against the wall, the ceiling height must accommodate the full length of the Murphy bed's wall frame.

For canopy beds, there needs to be suitable clearance between the top of the canopy point and the ceiling.

See also

  • Bed sheet
  • Infant bed
  • Toddler bed

References