Guide
Heavy Duty Bed Frames: The Weight Limits You Can Check
A heavy duty bed frame is one whose maker publishes how much weight it takes. On the frames we sell, that figure runs from 200 to 400 kg in total, and three of them also carry 150 kg per sleeper. The number comes from the maker, not from a British standard: BS EN 1725:2023, the standard for beds, bases its tests on people weighing up to 110 kg.
Which heavy duty bed frames publish a weight limit?
In the first table, five frames come with a load figure from their maker, and one more is sold as heavy duty without one. The second table lists the frames added since, each with its maker's weight limit. The table gives each figure as the maker states it. Where the maker is silent, the table says so instead of filling the gap.
| Frame | Base | Sizes | Load stated by the maker | Per sleeper | What comes with the figure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bermondsey, silver metal | Reinforced steel mesh | Single to king | 300 kg | 150 kg | The figure only, no standard named |
| Walthamstow, black or ivory metal | Reinforced steel mesh | Single to king | 300 kg | 150 kg | The figure only, no standard named |
| Brunel, black steel contract frame | Welded steel mesh | King | 300 kg | 150 kg | The figure only, no standard named |
| Southwark, black and silver metal | Reinforced steel mesh | Single to king | 300 kg | Not published | Sold by its maker for home and commercial use |
| Grosvenor, silver chenille ottoman | Gas lift ottoman base | Super king | 300 kg maximum load | Not published | A 20 cm maximum mattress thickness |
| Luca, metal | Welded contract mesh | Single to king | Not published | Not published | Sold as heavy duty, with no figure from the maker |
Swipe sideways to see the whole table
Since this guide was first written, fifteen more frames have arrived with a weight limit from their maker: they are in the second table. Every other frame on this site has no load figure for the bed from its maker, so its product page gives none. That includes the solid oak ottomans. The full metal range is in metal king size beds, and the black ones in black metal bed frames.
Frames added since: the weight limit each maker states
| Frame | Type | Weight limit stated by the maker |
|---|---|---|
| Lewisham | Velvet ottoman | Double 350 kg, king 400 kg |
| Holloway | Ottoman | Double 350 kg, king 400 kg |
| Acton | White wooden ottoman | Double 350 kg, king 400 kg |
| Wembley | Ottoman | Double 350 kg, king 400 kg |
| Tooting | Ottoman | Double 350 kg, king 400 kg |
| Ruislip | Wooden ottoman | Small double and double 350 kg, king 400 kg |
| Barnet | White wooden ottoman | Small double and double 350 kg, king 400 kg |
| Hendon | Storage bed | Double 350 kg, king 400 kg |
| Harrow | Wooden bed | Double 200 kg, king 230 kg |
| Finchley | Bed with bedside tables | 300 kg |
| Muswell | Bouclé bed, ottoman storage | 300 kg |
| Kilburn | Smart bed, ottoman storage | 300 kg |
| Primrose | Cloud bed, ottoman storage | 226 kg |
| Deptford | LED bed, ottoman storage | 200 kg |
| Maida | Floating bed | 200 kg |
Swipe sideways to see the whole table
None of these figures is split per sleeper, and none comes with a standard or a test report. Read them as the total for the bed.
Total load or per sleeper: read the smaller number first
The two figures answer two different questions. The total is what the whole frame is rated for. The per-sleeper figure is what one side of it takes. On the Bermondsey, the Walthamstow and the Brunel, the figures are 300 kg in total and 150 kg per sleeper.
Read the per-sleeper figure first. One person over 150 kg is outside what the maker states, even with a light partner and a combined weight well under 300 kg.
The figures in the table do not say whether the mattress is counted. A king size mattress adds its own weight, so if you are close to the limit, check that point before you order.
A load figure is not a test report
None of the figures in the table comes with a test method or a report you can read. So the figure alone does not tell you how it was reached: weight resting evenly on the base, or people sitting down hard on one edge.
One maker goes further. The Hammersmith's maker quotes a 300 kg working load for the lift on the double size, with a certificate number: 748283, dated March 2019. It is the most precise statement we have, and it covers the lift of one size, not the whole bed in king.
Ottoman gas struts are a different number
Some ottoman makers list a gas strut rating instead, given for each strut.
That rating is about lifting the base with the mattress on it. It is not the weight the bed takes when you lie on it, and adding the two struts together does not turn it into one. Our guide to ottoman bed gas struts explains what those numbers mean and why the mattress changes everything.
Slats or steel mesh
The five metal frames in the table all sit on a steel mesh base rather than slats. A slat can crack or slip out of its holder; a welded mesh has no separate pieces to do either. The mesh does not replace a load figure, though: the Luca has a welded mesh base, and its maker still publishes no weight.
What BS EN 1725 and BS EN 747 actually cover
BS EN 1725:2023, Furniture. Beds. Requirements for safety, strength and durability, is the current British standard for adult beds. It replaced the 1998 edition, which was withdrawn in December 2023 and is still quoted on some pages. It covers fully assembled beds for adults, at home and in non-domestic settings, including beds with storage. Its tests are based on use by people weighing up to 110 kg. It does not cover bunk beds, high beds, foldaway beds, medical beds, water beds or air beds.
So a frame that meets BS EN 1725 has passed tests built around a 110 kg adult. That is worth having, but it does not show on its own that the frame takes 300 kg. That figure has to come from the maker.
BS EN 747-1:2024 is the standard for bunk beds and high beds. It applies to bed bases up to 1,200 mm wide whose upper surface sits 600 mm or more above the floor. A king size frame takes a 150 cm mattress, so it falls outside that standard, and a king size frame sold as EN 747 certified deserves a question.
Five questions to ask before you trust a heavy duty label
- Is there a figure in kilograms? Heavy duty on its own is a description, not a rating.
- Is it the total or per sleeper? If only the total is given, ask for the per-sleeper figure.
- Does it include the mattress?
- Is a standard named, with its year, or a report or certificate number? A standard written for bunk beds cannot cover a king size frame.
- On an ottoman, is the number for the bed or for the gas struts?
Which one we would choose
For a king on a budget with a published limit, the Bermondsey: 300 kg in total, 150 kg per sleeper, on a reinforced mesh base. In black, the Walthamstow gives the same two figures. The Southwark, black and silver, gives 300 kg and no per-sleeper figure. For storage in super king, the Grosvenor gives a maximum load of 300 kg for the bed. In king size, seven ottomans give a weight limit of 400 kg, among them the Acton and the Lewisham; the full ottoman ranges are in super king ottoman beds and king size ottoman beds.
If one of you weighs more than 150 kg, none of the frames on this page has a maker's figure that covers you. We would rather say so than sell you one: look for a maker who puts a per-person rating above your weight in writing.