Guide
Is a Queen Size Bed Bigger Than a King? UK vs US Sizes
In the UK, a queen size bed is not bigger than a king, because the UK has no queen size at all. A US queen (152 x 203 cm) is almost exactly a UK king (150 x 200 cm), while a US king (193 x 203 cm) is bigger than a UK super king.
So the answer depends on which country's sizes you are reading. This guide puts the UK, US, European and Australian sizes side by side, in centimetres and in inches, then tells you which UK frame to buy if you are used to a queen.
Is a queen size bed bigger than a king? It depends on the country
The word "king" does not mean the same size in the UK, the US, Europe and Australia. The word "queen" does not exist in the UK system at all. The table puts the four systems side by side, in centimetres (mattress sizes).
| Name | UK | USA | Europe (IKEA sizing) | Australia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Double | 135 x 190 cm | 137 x 191 cm (called "full") | 140 x 200 cm | 138 x 188 cm |
| Queen | No such size | 152 x 203 cm | No such size | 153 x 203 cm |
| King | 150 x 200 cm | 193 x 203 cm | 160 x 200 cm | 183 x 203 cm |
| Super king | 180 x 200 cm | No such size (see California king below) | 180 x 200 cm | 203 x 203 cm |
Swipe sideways to see the whole table
Read the table by size, not by name:
- A UK king (150 cm) sits between a UK double (135 cm) and a US queen (152 cm).
- A US king (193 cm) is 13 cm wider than a UK super king (180 cm).
- An Australian king (183 cm) is 3 cm wider than a UK super king.
- A European king (160 cm) is 10 cm wider than a UK king, so the two do not swap.
The UK figures with the full cm, feet and inches chart are on the king size bed dimensions page.
Queen vs king in inches and feet
US sizes are set in inches, UK sizes in feet. Side by side:
| Size | Inches | Centimetres |
|---|---|---|
| US full | 54 x 75 in | 137 x 191 cm |
| UK king (5ft) | 60 x 78 in (5ft x 6ft 6in) | 150 x 200 cm |
| US queen | 60 x 80 in | 152 x 203 cm |
| UK super king (6ft) | 72 x 78 in (6ft x 6ft 6in) | 180 x 200 cm |
| US California king | 72 x 84 in | 183 x 213 cm |
| US king | 76 x 80 in | 193 x 203 cm |
Swipe sideways to see the whole table
A US queen and a UK king are both 60 inches wide in round figures. The queen is 2 inches longer.
So is a queen bigger than a king in the UK?
There is no UK queen, so the question has no UK answer. If you compare a US queen with a UK king, the queen is 2 cm wider and 3 cm longer. That is the thickness of a mattress cover. If you compare a US queen with a US king, the king is 41 cm wider and the same length.
The confusion comes from films and US websites. In the US, queen is the common couple's size and king is the large size. In the UK, king is the common couple's size and super king is the large size. A UK king and a US queen do the same job in the same sized room.
Why does the UK have no queen size bed?
UK bed sizes are named by their width in feet:
- Single: 3ft (90 cm)
- Small double: 4ft (120 cm), see the small double bed size guide
- Double: 4ft 6in (135 cm), see the double bed size guide
- King: 5ft (150 cm)
- Super king: 6ft (180 cm)
Those five names cover the standard sizes, and "queen" was never one of them. Some UK retailers use "queen" as a marketing name. When you see it, ask for the size in centimetres: it usually means a 4ft small double, and sometimes a double or a king. A frame is only safe to buy when the mattress size is written in cm on the listing. Every frame on this site is listed as 150 x 200 cm or 180 x 200 cm.
Alaskan king and California king in two sentences each
A California king is a US size of 183 x 213 cm, narrower and 10 cm longer than a standard US king. It is made for tall sleepers and is not a standard UK size, so UK frames and UK bedding do not fit it.
An Alaskan king is a US oversize of 274 x 274 cm, a square nearly three metres on each side. It needs a room well over 4 m wide and is sold to order, not as a stock size, in the UK. The largest sizes you can buy here are covered in emperor bed size.
You have a US or EU mattress: which UK frame?
This is the practical version of the queen vs king question. The frames sold here are made for UK standard mattresses. The table shows what happens with each foreign size.
| Your mattress | Size | In a UK king frame (150 x 200) | In a UK super king frame (180 x 200) | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European king | 160 x 200 cm | 10 cm too wide. Will not fit. | 20 cm too narrow. Slides sideways. | Buy a frame made for 160 x 200 cm, or replace the mattress with a UK king. |
| US queen | 152 x 203 cm | 2 cm too wide and 3 cm too long. Will not sit inside a lipped frame. | 28 cm too narrow. | Replace the mattress with a UK king, or ask us about a specific frame first. |
| US king | 193 x 203 cm | 43 cm too wide. | 13 cm too wide and 3 cm too long. | No UK standard frame fits it. Replace the mattress. |
| Australian queen | 153 x 203 cm | 3 cm too wide and 3 cm too long. | 27 cm too narrow. | Replace the mattress with a UK king. |
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The cheapest fix in most cases is a new UK mattress, because a UK king mattress fits every UK king frame. A frame made for a foreign size is a special order and costs more than the mattress difference. Ottoman frames are the least forgiving: the gas lift base is built for 150 x 200 cm and the maker sets a maximum mattress depth, which varies by model.
Which UK size should a US buyer pick?
- You slept on a US queen: buy a UK king. The mattress is 2 cm narrower and 3 cm shorter, which you will not notice. Frames are in the king size beds collection.
- You slept on a US king: the nearest UK size is a super king, 13 cm narrower and 3 cm shorter. Frames are in the super king beds collection, and the room sizes are on the super king bed size page.
- You are not sure the bigger bed fits: a king needs a room of at least 2.8 x 3.0 m with one 60 cm walkway. Check yours with the will a king size bed fit my room calculator.
Still torn between the three UK couple sizes? The king vs double vs super king guide compares them sleeper by sleeper.
What a UK king and super king cost here
Prices from this site on the day this guide was published, frame only, mattress not included:
- King frames start at £299 (the Inova metal frame). The cheap king size bed frames collection gathers the lowest prices.
- King ottoman storage beds start at £379 (the Hoxton).
- Upholstered king frames start at £389 (the Battersea). More in upholstered king size beds.
- Super king frames start at £565 (the Barnes wooden frame). Super king ottomans start at £599 (the Grosvenor).
- A divan base takes the least floor space and is the cheapest way into a super king: king size divan beds start at £329 and super king divan beds at £349, drawers and headboard optional.
Prices change. The current figures are always on each product page, and the full breakdown by type is in king size bed prices in the UK. Browse by material in metal, wooden and storage king size beds.
Mistakes to avoid
- Buying a "queen" without a size in cm. In the UK it can mean a king or a double.
- Putting a US or EU mattress in a UK frame. A 2 cm difference is enough to stop a mattress sitting inside a frame with a lip.
- Measuring the mattress, not the frame. The frame is always bigger than the mattress. Each product page here gives the outside size in cm.
- Using US queen sheets on a UK king. A fitted sheet cut for 152 x 203 cm sits loose on a 150 x 200 cm mattress. Buy UK king bedding.
- Forgetting the mattress depth on an ottoman. Check the maximum depth on the product page before you order.
Queen vs king: questions people ask
Which bed is bigger, king or queen?
In the US, the king: 193 x 203 cm against 152 x 203 cm for a queen. In the UK there is no queen; a UK king (150 x 200 cm) is about the size of a US queen.
Which bed size is the biggest?
Of the standard UK sizes, the super king at 180 x 200 cm. Larger beds such as the emperor are non-standard and made to order. In the US, the Alaskan king (274 x 274 cm) is the largest size in use.
Why is queen size bigger than full?
Because the US queen was introduced as a wider, longer bed for two people: 152 x 203 cm against 137 x 191 cm for a full. The UK equivalent of a full is the double (135 x 190 cm), and of a queen, the king (150 x 200 cm).
Do most couples sleep in a queen or king?
In the UK the choice is between a king and a super king, since there is no queen. A king gives each sleeper 75 cm of width; a super king gives each 90 cm.