A UK king size bed is 150cm wide, which is 5ft in imperial terms, and 200cm long. That width gives each person 75cm of sleeping space, roughly 15cm more each than a standard double. If you are shopping from a site that quotes American sizes, note that a US king is wider at around 193cm, so the same name describes two quite different beds.
The 150cm figure refers to the mattress. The bed frame itself will always be wider, and how much wider depends entirely on its construction. That difference is the number that decides whether a king actually fits your room, and it is the one most often overlooked.
Frame width varies more than most people expect. A slim metal frame might add only 4cm in total, while an upholstered frame with padded side rails can add 20cm or more. Wooden frames with substantial side panels typically sit somewhere between the two, adding 10cm to 15cm.
So a king bed that starts at 150cm can occupy anywhere from 154cm to 172cm of floor width once it is assembled. In a bedroom where the usable wall is 3m across, that difference determines whether you have comfortable access on both sides or a squeeze on one.
Divan bases behave differently again. The base usually matches the mattress closely, but the headboard fixings can project from the wall by several centimetres, adding to the length rather than the width. Always work from the frame dimensions given for the specific bed rather than the mattress size alone.
The practical rule is 60cm of clear floor on each side of the bed for comfortable movement, dropping to a minimum of 45cm where space is tight. Below 45cm you are turning sideways to pass, and making the bed becomes awkward because you cannot stand square to the mattress.
Applied to a king with a 160cm frame, comfortable access on both sides needs 280cm of wall to wall width. Reduce one side to a minimum 45cm and you can manage in 265cm. Push the bed against one wall and you save further, but that arrangement only suits a single sleeper or a child’s room, because climbing over someone every night wears thin quickly.
Also account for doors and wardrobes. A wardrobe door needs roughly 60cm to swing open, and a bedroom door needs the same. If either opens into the space beside the bed, that clearance has to be genuinely free rather than shared with the walkway. Sliding doors solve this neatly, which is why modern sliding wardrobes UK sale designs are often the better choice in a room that already has a king in it.
Working up from the smallest, a UK single is 90cm wide, a small double is 120cm, a standard double is 135cm, a king is 150cm and a super king is 180cm. Length runs at 190cm for singles and doubles, and 200cm for kings and super kings, which is worth remembering if you are tall.
The step from a double to a king is 15cm, which sounds modest but divides into 7.5cm extra per person. In practice that is enough to stop light sleepers disturbing each other when one turns over. The step from a king to a super king is a larger 30cm, and it changes the character of the room as much as the sleep.
The extra 10cm of length on a king matters for anyone over about 6ft. On a double, a taller sleeper’s feet reach the end of the mattress and the duvet pulls away from the shoulders. That is often the deciding factor rather than width, and it is one reason people move to a king even in a room that only just accommodates it. Our full range of modern beds UK sale lists frame dimensions alongside mattress sizes so the comparison is straightforward.
Many UK main bedrooms measure around 3m by 3.5m. A king fits comfortably in that footprint with access on both sides, provided the wardrobes are placed on the wall the bed does not use. Move to a 2.7m wide room and you are choosing between reduced clearance or a double.
Bay windows, chimney breasts and sloping ceilings complicate matters. A chimney breast projecting 30cm into the room reduces the usable wall considerably, and a king headboard often cannot sit centrally without blocking an alcove. In those rooms, positioning the bed on the longer wall and using the alcoves for storage tends to work better than forcing symmetry.
Bedside furniture needs planning too. A pair of full width cabinets either side of a king adds around 90cm to the total footprint. Where that does not fit, narrow floating shelves or a single cabinet on the more accessible side keeps the essentials to hand. Slim modern bedside cabinets UK in the 35cm to 40cm width range are usually the practical answer in a room that is already tight.
A 150cm mattress will not go around a tight landing turn in one piece unless it is rolled or has some flexibility. Pocket sprung mattresses of that width are heavy and largely rigid, so measure your narrowest doorway, the stairwell width and the turning space on the landing before ordering.
Frames are usually delivered flat packed and assembled in the room, which removes most access problems. Divan bases are the exception, since they arrive as two solid halves, each 75cm wide. Those halves are manageable through a standard 76cm door but can be difficult on a turning staircase.
Measure ceiling height at the top of the stairs as well. Lifting a wide mattress up a stairwell with a low bulkhead is where most deliveries run into trouble. If access looks marginal, a bed frame with a rolled mattress is the safer specification.
King bedding in the UK is generally sized at 225cm by 220cm for the duvet, and king pillowcases at 50cm by 90cm. Fitted sheets are made to 150cm by 200cm with a stated depth, and that depth is where problems arise. A 25cm sheet on a 30cm mattress will not stay put, and adding a topper makes it worse.
Check mattress depth before buying sheets and choose a fitted depth at least 5cm greater than the mattress. If you use a topper, add its depth to the calculation. Deep fill sheets of 35cm or more cover most combinations.
Duvet sizes are less critical but still worth thinking about. A king duvet on a king bed leaves about 37cm of overhang each side, which is enough for two people who each pull a little. Sleepers who pull more may prefer a super king duvet on a king bed, which is a common and sensible arrangement.
If your room is 2.8m wide or more, a king is usually worth it, particularly for two adults or anyone over 6ft. Below 2.7m, a double leaves the room more usable and the difference in sleep quality is smaller than the difference in daily movement around the bed.
Sleep habits matter as much as measurements. Two people who settle quickly and stay still manage well on a double. Where one person turns frequently, wakes in the night or gets up earlier than the other, the extra 7.5cm each on a king reduces disturbance noticeably. Pocket sprung mattresses help further, since movement on one side transfers less across the surface.
Household patterns count too. A bed that regularly hosts a child in the early hours, or a dog at the foot, effectively loses width every night. In those homes a king behaves like a double and a double behaves like a small double, which is worth factoring into the decision rather than discovering later.
Two king beds with identical mattress sizes can demand very different amounts of room, and the difference comes down to how the frame is built. Slim metal frames with tubular side rails add the least, often only 2cm each side, which makes them the practical choice in a tight space.
Wooden frames with solid side panels usually add 5cm to 8cm per side, and the panels themselves sit at mattress height, so they occupy space at exactly the point where you walk past. Upholstered frames add the most, since the padding wraps around a timber core and can bring the total to 172cm or beyond.
Headboard depth affects length in the same way. A flat panel headboard sits almost against the wall, while a deeply padded or winged design can project 15cm into the room. Where the bed faces a doorway or a wardrobe, that projection is the measurement that decides whether the walkway at the foot stays usable.
Footboards are worth a specific thought. A king with a footboard adds 5cm to 10cm of length and creates a fixed edge that limits how you use the end of the bed. In rooms where the bed sits close to a wall or a radiator, an open footed frame keeps the space more flexible.
Think about what else the room has to hold. A king plus a chest of drawers plus a wardrobe plus a chair is a lot for a 3m by 3m space. Dropping to a double sometimes buys enough room for the storage that actually makes the bedroom work. A modern chest of drawers UK sale in a narrow four drawer format can be the compromise that lets you keep the larger bed.
We stock a wide range of furniture on sale with free delivery to most UK mainland postcodes, and you can shop modern furniture UK across every room at Furniture in Fashion. Our modern king size wooden beds UK sale range is a good starting point if you have decided a king is right for the space.
No. A UK king is 150cm wide and 200cm long. A US king is around 193cm wide and 203cm long, closer to a UK super king. Check the centimetre measurements rather than the name when buying from international sellers.
Allow roughly 280cm of width for a king frame with comfortable access on both sides, and about 260cm of length including headboard fixings and space to walk at the foot. Reduced clearance on one side can bring the width requirement down to around 265cm.
Often, but not always. Measure the narrowest point of the stairwell, the landing turn and any low bulkhead first. A rolled mattress is far easier to get upstairs than a rigid pocket sprung one, and divan bases arrive in two 75cm halves.
Yes, though each person has 67.5cm rather than the 75cm a king provides. The bigger issue is often length: a double is 190cm long, which is short for anyone approaching 6ft.
King bedding fits correctly, but a super king duvet on a king bed gives extra overhang if you and your partner both pull the covers. Fitted sheets must match the mattress depth, so check that figure before ordering.
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