If buying a new mattress is on your to-do list, you may already know there are plenty of types of mattresses with different “feels” available, but did you realize that you also can get just about any size and shape imaginable? I’ve been involved with the home furnishings industry for decades, but these innovative sizes now on the market surprised me — and even some bedding experts I talked with recently. You’ve no doubt heard of a California King, which is little narrower and longer (72″ x 84″) than a traditional King (76″ x 80″) mattress, but move over, California — other states are wrangling for the throne. Today, there are Wyoming-, Alaska-, and Texas-sized mattresses, so named for their wide-open spaces. At 108″ x 108″, a Texas-size mattress is the width of two Double beds — roomy enough for two adults and a couple of Saint Bernards. Download our mattress size chart to see dimensions.
Are you looking for a good night’s sleep somewhere more unconventional than your bedroom? There’s a specialty mattress industry that makes mattresses for just about any vehicle or space you have in mind, including a pop-up camper, 18-wheeler, or sailboat. Cowpokes and equestrians can sleep with their prize-winning steed en route to competitions on a triangle-shaped mattress made for horse trailers. If you want to replace an odd-size mattress on an heirloom trundle, “cut corners” with a round bed, or surprise your sweetie with a heart-shaped mattress, you can custom-order it. They even make sheets specially designed to fit, as I’ve discovered on the websites of several custom-mattress suppliers.
Most of us face more standard mattress size choices at some point in our lives, especially if our family, home, and other factors are subject to change in the coming years: Should we buy a King or a Queen? What size beds should our kids sleep on?
According to research conducted by the Better Sleep Council in 2020, when adults in the U.S. were asked what size mattress they sleep on, Queen was by the far the most popular size (45%), followed by King (26%), Full/Double (11%), California King (9%) and Twin (7%).
Along with the chart included with this post, here are three tips that may help inform your future mattress planning:
- If the room is big enough, size up: Parents often default to typical Twin-size mattress for kids’ rooms, but you may want to consider upsizing if space permits. The extra width of a Full-size/Double bed (54″ vs. 38″) provides enough room for you to snuggle and read to your child with a great deal more comfort.
- Tape it out before you buy: To better visualize the space a bed will occupy, use painter’s tape to mark out the dimensions of a mattress on your bedroom floor before you buy. You may find there is room for a bigger bed than you thought or vice versa, but, either way, you will avoid unpleasant surprises at delivery time.
- Consider the content: Regardless of what size or shape mattress you buy, it will likely contain some type of flexible polyurethane foam (a category of foams that includes memory foam) for comfort and support. Join the ranks of an increasing number of consumers concerned about indoor air quality by checking to ensure that the foam you bring into your home is certified through the CertiPUR-US® program. These foams have been tested and analyzed by independent, accredited testing laboratories and meet strict standards for content, emissions, and durability. A list of participating companies and brands can be found on our website. This spring, we are launching a more comprehensive directory that lets you search for companies by geographic location and categories such as pillows, youth furniture, dog beds, adjustable mattresses, customized mattresses, and much more!
Note regarding chart: Mattress sizes may vary slightly. The most important size is that of a crib mattress since the fit can be a safety issue. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, crib mattresses must have interior dimensions of 28 ± 5/8 inches in width x 52 3/8 ± 5/8 inches in length.
