Single Bed Size UK: Dimensions in cm, Feet and Inches

A UK single bed takes a mattress 90cm wide and 190cm long. That's 3ft by 6ft 3in, or 0.9 by 1.9 metres, and it sleeps one person, child or adult.

That's the mattress size. The bed frame around it is bigger, so a single bed covers roughly 1 metre by 2 metres of floor. Below are real frame sizes, how a single compares with the sizes either side, and how to check it fits your room.

Single bed size at a glance

You'll also see it called a standard single or a 3ft single. They all mean the same size.

A compact single. Our Chilton White Wooden Single Bed, Solid Pine is 196cm long and 96cm wide, only 6cm more than the mattress each way.

See all single beds.

How big is a single bed frame?

The size name tells you which mattress the bed takes, not how much floor it covers. Headboards, foot ends, side rails and padding all add to it. Here are the single sizes of five beds we sell.

A deeply padded frame can be bigger still. The single Relax Pillow Headboard Bed is 219cm long and 128cm wide. Always measure against the frame size on the product page.

Single compared with the sizes around it

If a single is too big for the room, look at our shorty beds, which take a 70 x 160cm mattress (the size is on each product page), or a narrow frame that takes one of our small single mattresses. For the move out of the cot, toddler beds are smaller again. If there's room to go wider, a small double bed adds 30cm, and our small double bed guide explains who it suits. Every size is in our UK bed sizes guide.

UK single or European single?

Same width, 10cm longer. A European single takes a 90 x 200cm mattress. Our Mathy by Bols Madaket Bed in 26 Colours comes both ways: the frame is 195cm long as a UK single and 205cm long as a European single, and 94cm wide in both.

The two mattresses aren't interchangeable. A 190cm mattress in a 200cm frame leaves a 10cm gap at the end, and a 200cm mattress won't go into a UK single frame. A 190cm mattress comfortably suits someone up to about 180cm tall, so for a tall teenager or adult the extra length is worth having. See European single beds and European single mattresses.

Will a single bed fit my room?

Measure the frame, then add space to walk. As a rule of thumb, allow about 70cm beside the bed, and about 70cm at the foot if you need to walk past it.

• A worked example. Our Simple Pine Bed Frame, Single to King, is 100cm wide and 202cm long as a single. With one side against a wall and 70cm to walk beside it, that's 170cm across the room. With 70cm at the foot as well, it's 272cm along the wall.
• In a corner. With the foot against a wall too, the bed needs only its 202cm length, and the same 170cm across.
• Check what opens. Doors, wardrobe doors and under-bed drawers all need clear floor.
• Mark it out. Masking tape on the floor in the frame size shows you the fit before you order.

Choosing for a child? Our kids' bed size guide covers which size to pick at each stage.

Single mattress size

90 x 190cm, whatever it's made of. A UK single mattress is the same length and width whether it's foam, sprung or pocket sprung, like our Firm 18cm Single Pocket Sprung Mattress. Depth varies from one mattress to the next, and it doesn't change the size.

See all single mattresses, and add one of our mattress protectors while you're there. Bunk beds, high sleepers and trundles have their own mattress rules, so read our kids' mattress guide before you buy for one. Our UK mattress sizes guide covers every size.

Common questions