How Wide Is a Doubke Bed?

A standard double bed in the UK is 135cm wide, which is 4ft 6in. The full mattress size is 135cm x 190cm, so the length is 6ft 3in. That 135cm width gives two sleepers 67.5cm each, which is narrower than a single mattress per person.

It remains the most widely sold bed size in Britain, largely because it fits the average bedroom in a terraced or semi detached house without dominating it. Understanding the exact width helps you judge whether a double is the right call or whether the room could take something larger.

Double, Small Double and the Sizes Either Side

Confusion usually comes from the small double, sometimes called a three quarter bed. That size is 120cm x 190cm, or 4ft, which is 15cm narrower than a standard double. Bedding is not interchangeable between the two, so it is worth checking which you have before buying linen.

The full ladder of UK sizes runs: single at 90cm, small double at 120cm, standard double at 135cm, king at 150cm and super king at 180cm. Length is 190cm for single and small double, and 200cm for double, king and super king.

That means a double gains 10cm of length over a single as well as 45cm of width. For a single sleeper moving up from a single bed, the change in both directions is noticeable.

Frame width is a separate figure. Upholstered frames with padded rails and wooden frames with wide posts can add 10cm to 20cm, giving an external width of 145cm to 155cm. Slim metal frames add far less. Where a double needs to fit an alcove or between fitted wardrobes, use the external dimension from the specification.

How Much Room a Double Bed Needs

Allow 60cm to 75cm of clear floor on each side you need to walk down. For a double with access on both sides, that means a room width of roughly 2.6m to 2.9m. With one long side against a wall, 2m of width is workable.

Room depth needs the 190cm mattress plus frame length, which typically comes to 200cm to 210cm externally, plus walking space at the foot if the layout requires it. In a small back bedroom of a UK terrace, this is often the constraint that decides the layout rather than the width.

Doors and radiators are the usual complications. An inward opening door needs its full arc clear, and a radiator on the wall behind the headboard reduces the depth you can use. If the room has a chimney breast, measure the narrowest span rather than the widest.

Marking the footprint on the floor with tape before ordering gives you a real sense of the walkways you will be left with. It takes five minutes and prevents the most expensive kind of mistake.

Is a Double Wide Enough for Two People?

At 67.5cm each, two adults on a double have less personal width than a child has on a single bed. Many couples sleep on a double perfectly happily for years, but it is worth being honest about what the measurement means.

Two factors decide whether it works. The first is how much you move in your sleep. Restless sleepers on a double will disturb each other regardless of the mattress, though pocket springs reduce motion transfer noticeably compared with open coil.

The second is build. Broader shoulders take up more of the available width, and side sleepers who bring their arms forward need more than back sleepers do. If either of you regularly wakes up on the edge of the mattress, the room is telling you something.

Where the bedroom can take 150cm plus walkways, a king gives each sleeper 75cm, which is a meaningful improvement. Where it cannot, focus on mattress quality instead: independent pocket springs and a slightly firmer tension keep sleepers from rolling towards each other in the middle.

Frame Styles That Suit a Double

At 135cm, a double is small enough to be flexible in style terms. It does not dominate a room the way a super king does, which means you can use a taller headboard or a bolder finish without the bed overwhelming the space.

Fabric frames add softness and work well where the flooring is hard and there are few other textiles. Our modern double fabric beds UK sale range covers low profile designs for loft rooms with sloping ceilings as well as tall headboard styles for higher walled bedrooms.

Wooden frames suit older properties and rooms with natural materials elsewhere. Oak and walnut bring warmth, while painted and light finishes keep a small room feeling open. Metal frames have the slimmest profile and are the easiest to move, which suits rented rooms.

High gloss finishes reflect light and genuinely help in a north facing or narrow bedroom, at the cost of showing the occasional fingerprint.

Storage Options Under a Double

In a smaller bedroom, the area under a double bed is prime storage. Ottoman lift up bases give you the full 135cm x 190cm as one cavity, which takes spare bedding, seasonal clothing and cases. They need clearance for the base to swing up, so allow space at the foot.

Drawer bases split the space into two or four pull out sections. Access is easier day to day, though each drawer needs its full depth of clear floor in front. In a room where one side of the bed is against a wall, side drawers on that side become unusable.

Open leg frames provide no built in storage but make a small room feel less heavy, because you can see floor beneath the bed. Low boxes on castors slide underneath and give you flexible storage without committing to a base design.

Where under bed storage is not enough, look at the vertical space instead. Our modern wardrobes UK sale range includes narrow designs and sliding door options for rooms where hinged doors would clash with the bed.

Furnishing the Rest of the Room

A double leaves more usable wall than a king does, which opens up options. With 135cm of bed plus two 40cm cabinets, you need 215cm of wall, which most bedrooms can manage.

Slim bedside cabinets around 35cm to 45cm wide keep the walkway clear. The top should sit roughly level with the mattress top so you can reach a lamp or a glass without stretching, so check the height against your finished bed rather than the frame alone.

For clothing storage, a chest of drawers along the wall opposite the bed works well in a room of this size. Our modern chest of drawers UK sale selection covers both wide and tall configurations, and the tall ones are worth considering where wall space is short.

A mirror opposite the window bounces daylight into the room and makes a modest bedroom feel larger. Our modern bedroom mirrors UK range includes wall mounted and freestanding designs to suit either arrangement.

You can compare every UK size side by side in our beds UK sale collection. At Furniture in Fashion you can shop modern furniture across every room, with free delivery to most UK mainland postcodes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How wide is a double bed in cm and feet?
135cm, which is 4ft 6in. The mattress length is 190cm, or 6ft 3in.

What is the difference between a double and a small double?
A small double is 120cm wide against a double at 135cm. Both are 190cm long, and bedding is not interchangeable.

How much space does each person get on a double bed?
67.5cm each, which is narrower than a standard single mattress at 90cm.

What size room do you need for a double bed?
Around 2.6m to 2.9m wide for access on both sides. With one side against a wall, 2m of width can work.

Is a double bed the same as a full size bed?
Full is the American term and measures 137cm x 191cm, marginally different from a UK double at 135cm x 190cm. UK bedding will not always fit an imported full size mattress.