Bunk bed ceiling height in the UK
Measure from the floor to the ceiling where the top bunk will be, then subtract the frame and the mattress. A widely published UK retailer guideline is 75 cm of clear space above the mattress so a child can sit up. That figure is not a legal minimum.
Measure at the bed, not in the middle of the room
Stand where the top mattress will be. Measure from the finished floor to the lowest thing overhead: plaster, a beam, a sloping section, a light or a smoke alarm. Write that number down in centimetres. A loft or a bay can be 20 cm lower at the wall than it is in the centre.
Boori’s shorty-bunk guide says to allow at least 75 cm between the top mattress surface and the ceiling, so a child can sit up. Furniture retailers repeat the same sort of figure. It is guidance for comfort and for not hitting a head. It is not a clause in BS EN 747, and it is not a Building Regulations room-height rule.
A worked sum with a published frame
The Julian Bowen Orion listing gives the frame as H 172 × W 197 × D 135 cm. That 172 cm is the frame, not the top of the mattress. Add the mattress you will actually use, then see what is left.
Using the 75 cm guideline and a 15 cm mattress: 172 + 15 + 75 = 262 cm of ceiling at that spot. If your ceiling is 240 cm, the same sum leaves 240 − 172 − 15 = 53 cm above the mattress, which is short of 75 cm. A lower frame, or a thinner mattress that still respects the mark on the bed, is the way to close that gap. The calculator on this site does the same arithmetic with your numbers.
What the standard does measure
Flair’s trade summary of BS EN 747-1:2024 says the standard asks for at least 750 mm between the lower bed base and the underside of the upper base. That is the gap inside the bunk, so the child on the bottom can sit, not the gap above the top mattress.
The same summary says the top of the safety barrier should be at least 260 mm above the bed base, and the top of the mattress at least 160 mm below the top of the barrier. Those are frame-and-mattress rules. They do not tell you how high your ceiling is.
Lights and alarms
If a pendant hangs in the sitting zone, measure to the pendant. A smoke alarm on the ceiling above the pillow is the same problem: the child sits into it, or you end up moving the alarm after the bed is built. Note both before you order.
Published examples
Julian Bowen Orion bunk
A stacked single bunk with shelves and a pull-out drawer. A shared room that can take a frame about 172 cm tall, for a child who is allowed on the upper bed.
- The listing’s dimensions line says H 172 × W 197 × D 135 cm, net weight 122 kg.
- Suitable mattress size stated on the listing: 90 × 190 cm UK single. Mattresses sold separately.
- A second dimensions row on the same listing says 196.7 × 135.5 × 171.5 cm. Use the maker’s sheet if those two rows matter to the fit.
We haven’t tested this product. Dimensions and limits are as the maker’s listing states them (checked 13 November 2026).
Questions people ask
Is 75 cm of headroom a legal requirement?
No. It is a figure UK retailers publish so a child can sit up. BS EN 747 does not set a ceiling height for the room.
Do I measure to the slats or to the mattress?
To the top of the mattress you will use. The frame height on a listing is only the first number in the sum.
What ceiling suits a typical bunk?
Boori says a standard bunk often has its top sleeping surface around 145–155 cm, so about 2.3 m of ceiling once you add 75 cm. Taller frames, such as the Orion listing at 172 cm before the mattress, need more.
Sources
Opened 13 November 2026. The maker’s sheet and the mark on the bed take precedence.