A double bed in the UK is 135cm wide by 190cm long. That is the mattress size, and it is the measurement UK bedding is cut to. Converted to imperial it is 4ft 6in by 6ft 3in.
The bed frame that holds a 135 by 190 mattress will be larger. Expect the external width to fall somewhere between about 140cm and 155cm depending on the style, and the external length to run from roughly 195cm to 205cm once a footboard is included.
Mattress and bedding manufacturing works in metric, and UK product listings almost always state centimetres. Imperial figures are convenient shorthand but they are rounded: 135cm is not exactly 4ft 6in, and 190cm is not exactly 6ft 3in.
Those small roundings do not matter when you are lying down. They do matter when you are fitting a bed into an alcove with two centimetres to spare, or ordering a fitted sheet from a supplier who works in different units. When precision counts, use the metric figures.
This applies with even more force when comparing beds across countries. The word double is used for different sizes in different markets, but 135 by 190 is unambiguous.
For quick reference: single 90 by 190, small double 120 by 190, double 135 by 190, king 150 by 200, super king 180 by 200.
The pattern is worth noting. Below king size, every bed is 190cm long, so upgrading from a single to a double buys width and nothing else. The length only increases at 150cm wide and above, where it steps up to 200cm.
Britain has no official queen size. Where the term appears on a UK listing it may refer to a small double or something in between sizes, so treat it as a prompt to check the centimetre measurements rather than a size in its own right.
If you need to move between units, the useful anchors are that 135cm is a little over 53 inches, and 190cm is just under 75 inches. In feet, 135cm is roughly 4.43ft and 190cm is roughly 6.23ft.
What matters practically is not memorising conversions but knowing which figure a supplier is quoting. A duvet listed as 200 by 200 is in centimetres. A mattress listed as 54 by 75 is in inches and is not a UK double. Reading the unit prevents most ordering mistakes.
Width and length get all the attention, but depth is where problems actually arise. Mattress depth in the UK ranges from around 18cm for a basic foam mattress up to 35cm or more for a deep hybrid or pillow top.
Depth affects two things. First, fitted sheets: they are sold with a stated pocket depth, and a sheet designed for a 25cm mattress will pull off the corners of a 32cm one within a night or two. Second, frame appearance: a very deep mattress in a low sided frame can sit noticeably above the surround, which looks unbalanced.
Check the internal side rail height of any frame you like against the depth of the mattress you intend to use. When browsing our modern mattresses UK sale range, the depth is listed alongside the width and length for exactly this reason.
The mattress covers about 2.6 square metres. The room needs meaningfully more.
Plan on at least 70cm of clear walkway on each side you intend to use, rising to 90cm where a wardrobe door must swing into that space, plus around 60cm at the foot for passing through. With access on both sides, the comfortable minimum room size for a double is roughly 2.8 by 3 metres.
Measure at floor level rather than waist height, because skirting boards reduce usable width. Measure at both ends of the room too, since walls in older British houses are rarely parallel, and plan from the smaller figure.
Sketch in the door arc and note the radiator position. A mattress covering a radiator wastes the heat and is not good for the fabric, so radiator placement often decides where the bed can sit.
Before ordering, measure the doorways, the stair width and particularly the stair turn. A 135cm double mattress will usually flex enough to negotiate a tight landing, though a very deep hybrid is stiffer and less cooperative.
Bed frames are a different matter. Most ship flat packed and assemble in the room, which solves the problem entirely. If a frame arrives partly assembled, check the largest component dimension against your narrowest point.
It is a five minute job with a tape measure and it prevents the worst kind of delivery day disappointment.
With the mattress size fixed at 135 by 190, the frame decision is about external footprint and how the bed reads in the room.
Compact metal frames add the least to the mattress dimensions, which helps in a narrow room. Options among our modern double wooden beds UK sale range have more substantial rails and a stronger visual presence, so allow extra external width. Upholstered frames add the most padding overall but give the most comfortable headboard for sitting up.
Storage is worth weighing at double size. An ottoman or lift up base turns the 2.6 square metres under the mattress into usable space, which in a bedroom without a fitted cupboard is often the single most valuable feature available.
Keep the surrounding furniture proportionate. Slim modern bedside cabinets UK sale protect the walkway you measured, and going tall rather than wide with drawers preserves floor area. Where wardrobe space is needed, remember that hinged doors require swing clearance a double bed may have already claimed. At Furniture in Fashion we publish full external dimensions across our modern beds UK sale range, with free delivery to most UK mainland postcodes.
A UK double duvet is 200cm by 200cm. Double fitted sheets are cut for a 135 by 190 mattress, with the pocket depth stated separately. Standard UK pillowcases are 50cm by 75cm.
Duvet size does not need to match mattress size, and a 200 by 200 duvet gives generous overhang on a 135cm bed. If cover is contested at night, using a king duvet at 225 by 220 on a double bed is a common and effective solution.
Most sizing mistakes trace back to comparing a metric figure against an imperial one without noticing. A UK double is quoted as 4ft 6in, and converted precisely that is 137.16cm rather than 135cm. Retailers round the imperial description for convenience, so the two figures never quite agree.
The same applies to the length. Six feet three inches converts to 190.5cm, and the industry quotes 190cm. Those half centimetre discrepancies are harmless for a mattress but they matter when you are planning a fitted alcove or a bespoke bed frame, where cutting to the imperial conversion rather than the metric standard leaves a gap.
Where possible, work in centimetres from start to finish. Take room measurements in centimetres, note frame dimensions in centimetres, and order bedding by its centimetre size. Mixing units halfway through a plan is how a bed that fits on paper ends up two centimetres too wide for the space.
Centimetres also make international comparisons possible, which the imperial names actively obscure. A continental European double is commonly 140cm by 200cm, five centimetres wider and ten longer than a UK double at 135 by 190. An American full is 137cm by 191cm, very slightly larger than ours in both directions.
Those differences look trivial written down, but fitted sheets have almost no tolerance. A European 140 by 200 fitted sheet on a UK double will not grip, and a UK double sheet on a European mattress will not reach the corners. Duvet covers are more forgiving because they hang loose rather than needing to grip.
If you buy bedding while travelling, photograph the centimetre figures on the label rather than relying on the size name. It takes a moment and removes any guesswork later.
The essential numbers are 135 by 190 for the mattress, plus whatever the frame adds, plus 70cm of walkway on each side you use. If those three figures fit your room, a double is right for you.
The best final check costs nothing. Mark the external frame dimensions on the floor with masking tape, walk around the outline, open the door and the wardrobe, and see whether the room still functions. That test settles the question more convincingly than any table of measurements.
135cm wide by 190cm long for the mattress. The frame adds roughly five to fifteen centimetres in each direction depending on its construction.
Approximately 137cm, though UK double beds are specified as 135cm. The imperial figure is a rounded convenience rather than an exact conversion, which is why metric is the safer reference.
190cm. Only king and super king sizes are 200cm long in the UK. Single, small double and double all share the 190cm length.
Most frames suit mattresses between about 20cm and 30cm deep. Check the internal side rail height of the frame and the pocket depth of your fitted sheets before choosing a deeper mattress.
A UK double duvet at 200cm by 200cm fits well with generous overhang. Some couples prefer a king duvet on a double for extra coverage, which works without any problem.
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