A UK king size bed mattress measures 150cm by 200cm, equivalent to 5ft by 6ft 6in. Those two numbers are what you need for buying a mattress and bedding. For planning a bedroom, you need a third and fourth: the external width and length of the frame, which are always larger, and commonly run to around 165cm by 215cm on a mid range design.
Getting all four figures straight from the outset saves a lot of trouble. Below we set them out, explain the range that frames add, and work through the measurements you should take in your own room before ordering anything.
Mattress width: 150cm. Use this for fitted sheets, protectors, and toppers.
Mattress length: 200cm. Use this for the same, and for checking the delivery route, since a mattress this long cannot be bent around a tight landing.
Frame external width. Ranges from roughly 156cm on a slim metal frame to 175cm on a deeply upholstered one. Use this for planning walkways.
Frame external length. Ranges from about 208cm with a simple strutted headboard to 230cm with a padded headboard and a footboard. Use this for checking the bed will not block a door or window.
Mattress depth is a fifth figure worth knowing, typically 18cm to 30cm. It determines how high the bed sits and whether you need deep fitted sheets, though it does not affect floor space.
Split across two people, 150cm gives 75cm each, which is the width of a small single bed. Compared with a standard double at 135cm, where each person has 67.5cm, a king adds just over 7cm per sleeper. It is a real improvement but a modest one.
The length is where a king separates itself more clearly. At 200cm it is 10cm longer than a single, small double, or double, all of which are 190cm. Anyone around 6ft or taller notices this immediately, and it is often the stronger reason to choose a king over a double.
If width is the priority rather than length, the next step up is a super king at 180cm by 200cm, which gives 90cm per sleeper. The jump from king to super king is 30cm, twice the step from double to king.
Work in this order and you will not be caught out.
First, measure the wall where the bed will go, at skirting height and again at about 1m up. Older UK houses are rarely square, and a wall can be a few centimetres narrower at one end.
Second, note every fixed obstruction: radiators, chimney breasts, the swing of the door, window sills that sit low enough to be blocked by a headboard, and any sockets you need to reach.
Third, decide on your walkways. Seventy centimetres is comfortable, 60cm is workable, and 50cm is the minimum for a side you seldom use. Measure walkways from the outside of the frame, not the mattress, and remember that a wardrobe door swinging into a walkway needs its own clearance.
Fourth, add it up. For a frame at 165cm external width with 65cm each side, you need 295cm of wall. With the frame at 215cm long and a 65cm foot walkway, you need 280cm in the other direction. That is why a room of about 3m by 3.4m is the sensible working target for a king.
Finally, mark the footprint on the floor with masking tape and leave it for a day. It shows up problems that arithmetic misses.
This step is skipped surprisingly often. Measure the width of your front door, the narrowest point of the hallway, the width of the stairs, and the space available on any landing turn. Then check the bedroom door.
Frames arrive flat packed, so the constraint is usually the length of the side rails rather than their bulk. A 200cm rail needs room to pivot around a corner. Mattresses are the bigger problem: a traditional sprung king mattress is rigid and needs a genuine straight run, while a roll packed foam or hybrid mattress compresses into a manageable parcel and is far easier to carry upstairs.
If the route is genuinely difficult, a divan base is worth considering, since larger bases are supplied in two halves that clip together in the room.
Bed size names do not translate between countries. A UK king at 150cm by 200cm is not the same as beds sold as king under European or American conventions, which differ in width, length, or both. Mixing them leaves a mattress that overhangs the frame or sits with gaps at the sides, and bedding that never fits properly.
The reliable rule is to check centimetres rather than names, and to buy frame, mattress, and bedding all to the same UK size. For reference, the UK range is small single 75cm by 190cm, single 90cm by 190cm, small double 120cm by 190cm, double 135cm by 190cm, king 150cm by 200cm, and super king 180cm by 200cm.
Two king size beds can occupy noticeably different amounts of floor. A slim wooden frame with visible legs might sit at 158cm by 210cm. A deeply upholstered frame with a tall padded headboard and an upholstered foot rail could reach 175cm by 228cm. That is nearly 20cm of extra width and 18cm of extra length for the same mattress.
In a generous room, the upholstered option is a fine choice and brings warmth and comfort for anyone who reads in bed. In a room that is close to its limit, a slimmer frame is what makes a king possible at all. Our king size wooden beds UK sale tend towards slimmer profiles, while our king size fabric beds UK sale include padded designs where the room allows. Both list external dimensions so you can compare directly rather than guessing.
Height is the other variable. A low platform frame makes a ceiling feel taller and suits loft rooms, while a higher frame is easier to get in and out of and can offer storage beneath.
For bedding, a king duvet is 225cm by 220cm and gives a generous overhang. Fitted sheets must be UK king, deep fitted if the mattress exceeds about 25cm. Across 150cm, two standard pillows leave a gap in the middle, so use king size pillowcases at 50cm by 90cm or run three standard pillows.
Around the bed, scale matters. A 150cm bed makes narrow bedside cabinets look undersized, so slightly wider designs balance better. Storage is worth planning at the same time: a modern chest of drawers UK sale handles everyday clothing, while a tall unit from our modern wardrobes UK sale uses height rather than valuable floor space.
A pair of lamps or wall lights either side of the bed works better than a single central pendant, which leaves both sides dim for reading. Where the foot walkway allows, a bench or slim ottoman UK sale adds somewhere to sit without crowding the room. You can shop modern furniture for every room at Furniture in Fashion, with free delivery to most UK mainland postcodes.
In the UK, the mattress is 150cm by 200cm, or 5ft by 6ft 6in. The frame around it is larger, commonly around 165cm by 215cm.
Allow for the frame’s external size plus walkways of 60cm to 70cm. A bedroom of around 3m by 3.4m is a sensible working target.
Yes, by 10cm. A king is 200cm long against 190cm for a double, single, or small double.
A UK king duvet measures 225cm by 220cm. Fitted sheets should be UK king, and deep fitted if your mattress is thicker than about 25cm.
A traditional sprung king mattress is rigid and needs a straight run, so measure the stairs and any landing turn. A roll packed mattress is much easier to manoeuvre.
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