What size is a small double? UK bed and mattress sizes explained

Short answer: a small double is 4ft wide by 6ft 3in long, or 120cm by 190cm. It is the size people mix up most, because it is not a double. Here is the whole set.

UK standard bed and mattress sizes

Mattresses and divan bases are made to these sizes, so a king mattress fits a king base from any maker. Bed frames are made around them, so a king frame is a few centimetres bigger than a king mattress on the outside.

The ones people get wrong

Small double versus double. A small double is six inches narrower than a double. It exists for box rooms and for one person who wants space. Two adults on a small double is tight; two adults on a double is the standard. If you are buying online and the price looks too good, check it is not a small double.

King versus super king. A king is a foot wider than a double and three inches longer. A super king is another foot wider again, so wide that many bedrooms cannot take it with bedsides either side. It is also usually the size where the base and mattress come in two halves to get up the stairs.

Length. Single, small double and double are 6ft 3in long. King and super king are 6ft 6in. If someone in the bed is over six foot, a king is longer as well as wider, which is often the real reason to buy one.

European sizes. IKEA and some online retailers sell European sizes: a Euro double is 140 x 200 and a Euro king is 160 x 200. They do not fit UK bases or UK bedding. If your bed came from IKEA, measure it before buying a mattress.

How to measure the bed you have

Measure the mattress, not the frame, from edge to edge, in centimetres. Round to the nearest size in the table. If it does not land near any of them, it is probably a European size or a very old bed. If the mattress is on a divan base, the base is the same size as the mattress.

Which size to buy

One adult: a small double if the room allows it, otherwise a single. Two adults: a king if the room takes it, otherwise a double. The difference between a double and a king for two people is the difference between touching all night and not. Most couples who move up to a king say they wish they had done it years earlier.

A quick way to check a king will fit: the mattress is 150cm wide, add 45cm for a bedside table each side and you need a wall at least 240cm wide, plus room to walk round the end.

Every size in this table is on the floor in our Clydebank showroom, most of them in several models, so you can lie on a double and a king next to each other and see the difference rather than imagine it. Our mattress range starts at £299, and complete beds from £449.

Paul James Home, Co-op Department Store, Clydebank. Monday to Saturday 9 to 5. 0141 266 0400.