Short answer. A UK single is 90 × 190 cm (3 ft × 6 ft 3), a double is 135 × 190 cm (4 ft 6 × 6 ft 3), a king is 150 × 200 cm (5 ft × 6 ft 6) and a super king is 180 × 200 cm (6 ft × 6 ft 6). Up to the double, UK beds are 190 cm long; the king and super king are 200 cm. These are mattress sizes: the frame and headboard add more. Leave about 60 to 80 cm beside the bed on each side you get in from, and 50 to 70 cm at the foot.
Standard room sizesWill it fit through the door?See furniture in your room
UK bed and mattress sizes
| Bed | Size in cm | Size in feet and inches | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small single | 75 × 190 | 2 ft 6 × 6 ft 3 | Children's rooms and box rooms |
| Single | 90 × 190 | 3 ft × 6 ft 3 | The standard single |
| Small double | 120 × 190 | 4 ft × 6 ft 3 | Also sold as a "queen" by some brands |
| Double | 135 × 190 | 4 ft 6 × 6 ft 3 | Often called the most popular size for UK couples |
| King | 150 × 200 | 5 ft × 6 ft 6 | 10 cm longer than a double |
| Super king | 180 × 200 | 6 ft × 6 ft 6 | The width of two singles |
| Emperor | 200 × 200 | 6 ft 6 × 6 ft 6 | Sold by a few specialist makers |
A "4 ft 6" double is exactly 137 cm, so some makers list 137 × 190 and others 135 × 190; kings and super kings vary the same way. Check the centimetres before you buy a mattress for an old frame.
How much bed each of you gets
A double gives each of you three quarters of a single, a king the width of a small single, a super king a whole single. Waking each other up in a double? The king is 15 cm wider and 10 cm longer.
The room each bed needs
The bed and its walkways alone, head against a wall: a walkway on both sides from a double up, one for a single. "Snug" is 60 cm beside and 50 cm at the foot; "comfortable" 80 and 70 cm.
| Bed | Snug | Comfortable |
|---|---|---|
| Small single | 1.35 × 2.40 m (4 ft 5 × 7 ft 10) | 1.55 × 2.60 m (5 ft 1 × 8 ft 6) |
| Single | 1.50 × 2.40 m (4 ft 11 × 7 ft 10) | 1.70 × 2.60 m (5 ft 7 × 8 ft 6) |
| Small double | 2.40 × 2.40 m (7 ft 10 × 7 ft 10) | 2.80 × 2.60 m (9 ft 2 × 8 ft 6) |
| Double | 2.55 × 2.40 m (8 ft 4 × 7 ft 10) | 2.95 × 2.60 m (9 ft 8 × 8 ft 6) |
| King | 2.70 × 2.50 m (8 ft 10 × 8 ft 2) | 3.10 × 2.70 m (10 ft 2 × 8 ft 10) |
| Super king | 3.00 × 2.50 m (9 ft 10 × 8 ft 2) | 3.40 × 2.70 m (11 ft 2 × 8 ft 10) |
| Emperor | 3.20 × 2.50 m (10 ft 6 × 8 ft 2) | 3.60 × 2.70 m (11 ft 10 × 8 ft 10) |
A wardrobe and the bedroom door need their own room on top, so a room that just fits on paper is often a squeeze.
Other countries: see bed sizes by country, with a page for each country in its own language.
UK sizes against US and European sizes
- A UK double is a US full. 4 ft 6 × 6 ft 3 against 54 × 75 in: the same bed.
- A UK king is not a US king. It is a little smaller than a US queen (60 × 80 in, 152 × 203 cm).
- A US king is 13 cm wider than a UK super king: 76 in (193 cm) against 180 cm.
- "Queen" means two different beds in the UK. Some shops use it for a small double (120 cm), others for a European 160 × 200.
- European beds are 200 cm long. A 140 × 200 or 160 × 200 mattress does not match a UK double or king frame.
- IKEA UK sells UK sizes and says it does not stock European ones, so an older 160 × 200 IKEA frame may need a mattress from elsewhere.
How to measure
UK sizes are mattress sizes: measure the old mattress, or the inside of a frame you keep, rail to rail and headboard to footboard. Measure the room wall to wall at floor level, with the radiator, window and door marked. A super king base often comes in two halves and big mattresses must bend round the stairs: see "Will it fit through the door?".
Common mistakes
- Buying by the name. "Queen", "king" and "double" mean different sizes in the UK, the US and Europe. Buy by the centimetres.
- Forgetting the frame. A headboard and a chunky frame can add 10 to 20 cm to the length.
- Measuring the room empty. The wardrobe doors, the bedside tables and the door swing all take the space the bed seemed to have.
See the bed in your own room
In Flatwalk you draw or photograph your flat's plan and walk through it in 3D, with beds from real shops at their true size: see whether a king leaves room for the wardrobe door. It does not choose a bed for you, and your plan is only as true as your measurements.
Also for the UK: door widths.
What Flatwalk does that older planners skip
Lights
Add ceiling lights, lamps and LED strips and see each room in the evening, not only by day.
Your flat in its city
Enter your address and the street and buildings around you appear in 3D, wherever the map has them.
Sun for your address
See where the sun falls on any date and at any hour, before a new piece spends all summer in it.
One piece, in your own room
Through the live camera or in a photo of the room, stand it on your own floor at its true size before you buy.
Detail
Doors, radiators, kitchens, wardrobes and bathrooms built piece by piece, so new furniture sits against what is really there.
Made for a thumb
Tap a piece and its choices appear: move it, turn it, swap it for another.
Swipe for more. Every picture is the app itself.
One flat, free
Most people plan one home. For that, Flatwalk costs nothing: no time-limited trial and no card needed. Drawing your flat, furniture at its true size, the tape measure, lights, sun and walking are all part of it, and each AI tool comes with one free try. A membership is for people who want more flats or more AI.
Questions people ask
What size is a double bed in the UK? 135 × 190 cm, sold as 4 ft 6 × 6 ft 3. Some makers list it as 137 × 190 cm, the exact conversion of 4 ft 6.
What size is a king size bed in the UK? 150 × 200 cm (5 ft × 6 ft 6). It is smaller than a US king, which is 193 × 203 cm.
What size is a super king bed? 180 × 200 cm (6 ft × 6 ft 6), the width of two UK singles side by side.
Is a UK king the same as a US queen? Nearly. A US queen is 152 × 203 cm, so a UK king is 2 cm narrower and 3 cm shorter. Buy sheets and mattresses by the UK size.
What size room do you need for a double bed? For the bed and walkways alone, about 2.55 × 2.40 m (8 ft 4 × 7 ft 10) with 60 cm on each side and 50 cm at the foot. A wardrobe and the door swing need more space on top of that.
Flatwalk lets you place real beds at their true size in a 3D plan of your own flat, free for one flat. It is coming soon to Google Play; join the waiting list at flatwalk.app.
Join the waiting list