How Big a Room Do You Need for a King, Queen, Double or Single Bed?

A bed fits a room when you can still walk round it. The rule that works: the frame, plus 24 inches (60 cm) of clear floor on every side that is not against a wall, plus the swing of any door or wardrobe that opens into that space. Here is what that gives for each size, then how to check your own room.

Room size by bed size

Bed	Frame on the floor (about)	Minimum room (bed against one wall)	Comfortable room (bedsides and a wardrobe)
Single, 36 × 75 in	3.5 × 6.75 ft	7 × 9 ft	8 × 10 ft
Double, 48 × 75 in	4.5 × 6.75 ft	9 × 10 ft	10 × 10 ft
Queen, 60 × 78 in	5.5 × 7 ft	10 × 10 ft	10 × 12 ft
King, 72 × 78 in	6.5 × 7 ft	10.5 × 11 ft	12 × 12 ft

Check your room in two minutes

1. Measure the room’s length and width in feet.
2. Take the bed’s frame size from the listing. If the listing only gives the mattress size, add 4 inches to the width and 6 inches to the length.
3. Put the headboard against the longest free wall. Subtract the frame width from the room width: that is the floor left beside the bed. Split it between the two sides, or leave one side against the wall.
4. Subtract the frame length from the room length: that is the floor at the foot.
5. Each open side needs 24 inches. A wardrobe door needs its own width (usually 18 to 24 inches) in front of it as well. A bedroom door needs its full swing.

Or type the room into the room-fit calculator on any product page here: it draws the bed in the room to scale and says how much walking space is left.

Four mistakes that make a bed not fit

• Measuring the mattress, not the frame. A solid wood frame with a headboard is 6 to 10 inches bigger than its mattress.
• Forgetting the door swing. A bedroom door that opens inward takes a 30-inch quarter circle of floor.
• Forgetting the wardrobe. Hinged doors need 24 inches in front; sliding doors need none, which is why sliding wardrobes suit small rooms.
• Drawer storage on the wall side. A drawer bed against the wall cannot open its drawers. Choose hydraulic or box storage, or put the drawers on the open side.

If it does not fit

Go down one size. A queen you can walk round is better than a king you must climb over. If a queen does not fit either, a double with storage underneath replaces a cupboard and frees the wall.

Beds with the measurements stated, highest scores

These listings state their measurements, which is one of the four parts of the FD Score, so the room-fit calculator works on each of them.