The Difference between Bed Sizes on the Market Today – Part I

If you’re in the market for a new bed, there’s lots of sizes to choose from in the US marketplace – Twin, Single, Double, Full, Queen, King, California King, Eastern King and Western King. But with so many sizes to choose from, the process of finding the right size bed can be daunting. How does the average consumer know the difference between all the bed sizes available in the marketplace today when the sad truth is many sales people don’t always have all the facts? It gets to be quite confusing.

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While most folks know a King size mattress is larger than a Queen sized mattress, many don’t know just how much larger a King size bed is than a Queen size bed. That’s why STLBeds is here to help you understand the sizes of beds on the market and how to decide which one is right for you.

Purchasing a custom size mattress can have draw backs

You may have seen advertisements on TV or heard them on the radio talking about custom-sized beds. These are beds some manufacturers have custom-cut larger or smaller than the “standard” twin, double, queen and king size mattresses. While the idea of a “custom-sized” bed might sound intriguing, let the buyer beware. Retailers throughout the country are selling bed sheets to fit standard sizes and won’t carry sheets made for “custom-size” mattresses. Bottom line? Be prepared for a major challenge when it comes to finding bedding to fit.

Single mattress sets in twin are the rage for kids

If you’re looking for a bed for your child’s bedroom or for a multi-use guest room, twin beds are ideal. Twin size mattresses are narrow and easily fit into smaller bedrooms. Many twin beds have the option of a “trundle” underneath to accommodate a sleep-over or second guest. In some cases, a family may opt to have the children sleep in one bedroom and make another bedroom the toy room. In this situation, bunk beds with two separate twin mattresses are the perfect choice. The standard twin mattress is 38” wide and 75” long. Twin sized mattresses not only work great in smaller bedrooms, they’re also the least costly of all sheet sizes. Twin sheet sets come in all sorts of patterns. Plus twin beds are the easiest to make. You don’t have to reach as far or walk around the bed as much when it comes time to strip and remake the bed. The only down side to twin mattresses is the fact that a standard size is often too short for many adults.

Too tall for twin size?

This is why many folks opt for twin extra-long mattresses. Twin extra-long mattresses are five inches longer that standard twin mattresses. Twin extra-long mattresses are 38” wide and 80” tall and often used in college dormitories to accommodate taller teens/new adults. Many folks opt for twin extra-long mattresses in their guest rooms because they can be used as singles or can be pushed together to form a split king size bed. While bedding is available for twin extra-long beds, they are typically more costly and aren’t as widely carried by retailers as standard twin bed sheet sets.

Whether you select a standard twin or a twin extra-long mattress, be sure to know the exact measurements of your bed before you go shopping for bedding. What’s considered “standard” is sometimes changed by certain manufacturers and some “standard” sheets may not fit your bed due to new thicker mattress profiles.

In “The Differences between Bed Sizes on the Market Today – Part II,” we’ll discuss the difference between double, full and queen size mattresses.