0% finance options available at checkout
5/5
My Basket
5/5
0% Finance options
available at checkout
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Ask the Guru: How big are king size beds?

Ask the Guru: How big are king size beds?

Bed Guru explain King Size beds once and for all. Ignore the Americans, it all started with a British bed for 15 folk.

20th April, 2016
by Carl Walsh

This week's #AskTheGuru question is more common than you might think. There's nothing more important than choosing the right size bed or mattress for your space.

Get it wrong, and you're faced with two scenarios. Best case, you'll sell yourself short with a smaller bed than your space could have fit. Worst case, you won't squeeze it into your bedroom or, if you do manage it, you'll lose the luxury of opening your wardrobe door and walking around the bed.

So let’s take a closer look at king size beds…

How big are king size beds?

UK standard king size beds are 150 x 200 cm, or 5ft x 6ft 6in for the metric fans. But how much bigger is a king size compared to a double bed? It's the same length, but an entire foot wider. King size beds are a popular choice for couples who share a bed but want extra space during the night. Mattresses this big can sleep two people quite comfortably with space in between depending on your sleeping positions.

King size beds are perfect for recreating the luxury of sleeping in a large hotel bed in your own home. Parents who want beds big enough to allow their little ones to climb into often turn to a king size bed too.

2010 saw a distinct shift from traditional double beds to king size beds, and they're still incredibly popular to this day.

But don't mistake king size beds and mattresses for a modern phenomenon. Yes, adults are heavier and taller than years gone by, so need larger mattresses but larger sized beds are, in fact, a return to the Tudor era. When royalty and aristocracy would often receive visitors from their beds.

The Great Bed of Ware, now in the Victoria & Albert Museum, could sleep fifteen people. Built in 1590, at 11-ft wide it’s nearly double a modern king size bed, but historians believe it was a model for the first king size bed that came centuries later. 

In the UK, a king size bed is second only to the super king which is a foot longer. But our American friends have queen sized beds, commonly referred to as a British King, which causes some confusion.

Kept up so far? Great. Let's throw another king size bed dimension into the mix! Here at Bed Guru we specialise in non-standard sizes and bespoke made-to-measure beds and mattresses. So we can, in fact, supply you with a shorter length king size bed if you have a pesky radiator in the way. Our shorter length king size mattresses and beds are 150 x 190 cm, or 5ft x 6ft 3in. 

We offer a wide variety of king size mattresses from pocket sprung cashmere and memory pillowtop, to zip and link or latex. Not to mention our king size bed frames that they'll sit on - whether you prefer a wooden, metal, ottoman or divan base. 

Now that's all cleared up, right? If you have another burning question you'd like us to answer, no matter what it is, we'd love to hear from you on our Facebook or Twitter

Your Basket


Promo Code

Coupon Code Illustration

Estimate Shipping

Coupon Code Illustration