Categories: Bedroom Furniture

How Wide Is a Double Bed in cm?

A double bed in the UK is 135 cm wide. The full mattress size is 135 cm by 190 cm, which converts to 4 ft 6 in by 6 ft 3 in. That width has been the British standard for decades and applies to almost every double mattress and frame sold here.

The frame itself is wider than the mattress. Once side rails, upholstery or storage mechanisms are included, a double frame usually occupies between 143 cm and 160 cm of floor width. When planning a room, that is the figure to work with rather than the 135 cm mattress measurement.

Double Width Compared With Other UK Sizes

The British range runs as follows: single 90 cm, small double 120 cm, double 135 cm, king 150 cm and super king 180 cm. Length is 190 cm for the first three and 200 cm for the last two.

The steps between sizes are smaller than people expect. Moving from a small double to a double adds 15 cm. Moving from a double to a king adds another 15 cm. Neither sounds dramatic, yet both are noticeable when two people share, because the width is divided between them.

What 135 cm Means For Two Sleepers

Split evenly, 135 cm gives each person 67.5 cm. A standard UK single mattress is 90 cm, so each sleeper on a double has less personal width than they would in a single bed. This is the most useful way to think about bed width, and it explains why some couples find a double perfectly comfortable while others feel constrained.

The factors that decide it are movement and build. Two still sleepers manage a double for years without complaint. If one person turns frequently, or if either is broad shouldered, the extra 7.5 cm each that a king provides changes the experience considerably. Our range of modern double leather beds UK and the king equivalents share most design details, so comparing the two sizes side by side is straightforward.

Converting Between Centimetres And Feet

British bed sizes are still commonly described in imperial, which causes confusion when specifications are listed in centimetres. The conversions worth remembering are: 3 ft equals 90 cm for a single, 4 ft equals 120 cm for a small double, 4 ft 6 in equals 135 cm for a double, 5 ft equals 150 cm for a king and 6 ft equals 180 cm for a super king.

You will occasionally see a double listed as 137 cm, which is simply a rounded conversion of 4 ft 6 in. In practice, mattresses and bedding are made to the 135 cm standard, so treat 135 cm as the working figure.

Planning The Room Around 135 cm

Start with the frame width rather than the mattress. If the frame is 150 cm wide, add 60 cm of clear floor for each side you use and 70 cm at the foot if that is a walkway. For access on both sides, that puts the comfortable room width at around 270 cm.

Rooms narrower than 240 cm usually work better with one long side against a wall. You lose easy access on that side, which makes changing bedding more awkward, but you gain floor space for a wardrobe or a desk. Under about 220 cm of usable width, a small double at 120 cm is often the more sensible decision.

Mark the footprint on the floor with masking tape and check three things: whether the door still opens fully, whether wardrobe doors clear the frame, and whether the radiator stays unobstructed. Comparing measured options across the wider modern beds UK sale range then becomes a practical exercise rather than guesswork.

Bedding Sizes That Match 135 cm

A UK double takes a fitted sheet cut for 135 cm x 190 cm, a duvet at 200 cm x 200 cm and standard pillowcases at 50 cm x 75 cm. Two pillows sit across the width comfortably, and four becomes crowded.

Check the skirt depth on fitted sheets against your mattress. Contemporary mattresses are frequently 25 cm to 30 cm deep, and a sheet designed for a shallower mattress will lift at the corners within a night. Some couples choose a king duvet on a double for extra overhang, which reduces night time tugging at the cost of a slightly oversized look when the bed is made.

Choosing A Frame For A 135 cm Mattress

Frame style affects both footprint and how wide the bed looks. Slim metal and simple wooden frames sit closest to the mattress dimensions and read lightest in a small room. Upholstered frames add depth on each side and visual weight, which suits larger rooms. Ottoman and drawer bases add the most width because of the mechanism housing.

Headboard height is worth considering alongside width. A tall headboard on a 135 cm frame can make the bed look narrow and top heavy in a small room, while a low or slatted design keeps the proportions balanced. Storage frames also change how you use the rest of the space: with drawers built in, you may not need a large chest, which frees the walkway. Our modern wooden chest of drawers UK options range from narrow three drawer units to wider designs, so you can size the storage to the space that remains.

Width Against Mattress Firmness

Width and comfort are related in a way that catches people out. On a 135 cm mattress, two sleepers are close enough that movement transfers across the surface, so the mattress construction matters more than it would on a super king. Pocket sprung mattresses, where each spring works independently, reduce that transfer considerably compared with older open coil designs.

Edge support is the other consideration at this width. Because 67.5 cm each is not generous, sleepers naturally drift towards the outer thirds of the mattress, and a mattress with weak edges will feel as though it slopes there within a couple of years. Reinforced edges effectively give back some usable width, which is often a better investment than changing size when the room cannot take a king.

Where The 135 cm Standard Came From

The British double is 135 cm because it was originally 4 ft 6 in, a width settled on in the first half of the twentieth century when houses and bedrooms were smaller than they are now. As metric measurements took over in manufacturing, that imperial figure was simply converted, which is why the number looks arbitrary compared with the round 90 cm, 120 cm, 150 cm and 180 cm elsewhere in the range.

The standard has held because the whole supply chain depends on it. Mattresses, frames, fitted sheets and duvets are all produced to it, so a change would leave millions of households unable to buy matching bedding. That consistency is genuinely useful: a double mattress bought today will fit a double frame bought a decade ago.

Measuring An Existing Double Accurately

If you are replacing a mattress and want to confirm the size, measure the mattress itself rather than the frame. Take the width across the top surface at the midpoint, not at the corners where the edges curve, and measure the length in the same way. A tired mattress can read a centimetre or two under its stated size, which is normal and does not change the replacement size you need.

Also record the depth, since this determines the fitted sheets you buy and, on a bunk or a low frame, whether the mattress is compatible at all. If the measurement comes out at 137 cm, that is still a standard double: some manufacturers round the imperial conversion upwards. Anything near 120 cm or 150 cm means you have a small double or a king rather than a double.

When To Move Up A Size

Two signals suggest a double is no longer the right size. The first is disturbance: if one person regularly wakes because of the other’s movement, additional width helps more than a firmer mattress. The second is height, since a double is only 190 cm long and taller sleepers reach the end of the mattress once pillows are in place.

If either applies and your room measures at least 285 cm wall to wall, a king at 150 cm x 200 cm is the logical step. If the room cannot take it, focus instead on a better mattress and a frame with proper central support, which improves comfort within the width you have. You will find both sizes across the bedroom collection at Furniture in Fashion.