The Bed and Mattress Size Guide - Top Tips for Happy Sleepers!
“The bed has become a place of luxury to me! I would not exchange it for all the thrones in the world. ” - Napolean Bonaparte
Why is bed and mattress sizing so confusing?
There are mattresses, bed and bedding makers all over the world, and they often have their own naming conventions. In this global day and age, this means we might mix bedding from America, mattresses from Wales, and beds from Europe, so it's no wonder people become confused!
Are there any standards?
In general bed sizes are referred to by the mattress that they take, not the actual dimensions of the bed frame. So let's get mattress sizing straight first of all. Standard mattress sizes used to be just that – standard. But nowadays the name of a mattress is not only referred to by its width dimension, but also by the terms single, double, standard double, and so on. Using these names made sense when there wasn't so much choice, but now the world is your oyster when it comes to all things sleep related. Here's our translation which we hope clarifies it.
The low down on UK sizing...
There are currently four standard UK sizes. Yes, we know there are anomalies but these are the standards. Depending on who you talk to, however, you will find they might have different names. For example, some stores call a 5' bed a 'queen' and a 6' bed a 'king', whereas others may call a 5' bed a 'king', and a 6' bed a 'super king'. Their actual sizes are: 3' wide, 4'6” wide, 5' wide and 6' wide. The 3' wide is for one person, the 4'6” is the most common size of double bed, the 5' wide is just that little bit bigger and the 6' is the largest and arguably most luxurious choice. Be aware that the length of mattresses differ. the UK 3' and 4'6" widths are 6'3" long. The UK 5' and 6' are 6'6" long.
...and continental sizing
As the furniture market has become more and more globalised, continental bed frames have appeared, causing some confusion with both metric and imperial measurements on the market. Again these beds correspond to mattress size and are referred to by the width, not names. There is a 90cm wide, a 140cm wide, a 150cm wide, a 160cm wide and a 180cm wide. They are usually all 200cm long. Remember these bed sizes are still referring to the mattress which they take, not frame dimensions. Here on our website we try and make it simple.
Our names
We sell both continental and standard UK sizes and we can also make mattresses in custom sizes should you need that. We've listed both measurements so you can easily pair a mattress with a bed. Just use the measurements if you are uncertain of the names. Please be reassured that our mattresses will fit all of our beds regardless of the small discrepancy between metric and imperial sizes.
Is that it?
It's worth mentioning that mattresses now come in a range of thicknesses. It used to be that a standard 8” thick mattress was the norm, but now you can have much thicker mattresses, and some of these will just fit more snugly into a bed frame. This shouldn't present any problems as both beds and bedding fit most mattress thicknesses.
Still unsure about what size to buy?
We say go as big as your room allows! The Sleep Council recommends that you choose a bed 4-6 inches longer than the tallest person who will sleep in it. This means that anyone over the height of 6 foot tall should think more about investing in a larger size bed. And if two people are sharing a bed, there should be enough room to move about without disturbing each other.
Most importantly, don't forget to measure up beforehand! In addition to measuring to ensure the bed will fit into the room, we advise that you also consider how much space you will want around the bed. We recommend it's a good idea to have a good amount of space between both sides and foot of the bed and the walls so the furniture in the room doesn't appear too cramped.
Delivery & assembly
All of our beds dismantle for delivery. Our delivery team can install and assemble the bed for you should you choose that service. In any case we are always happy to assist in the selection of sizes over the telephone, in the shops or via our on line chat feature.