Bunk Bed Guide
Fit

UK mattress sizes for bunks and shorties

Most UK bunks take a 90 × 190 cm single. A small single is 75 × 190 cm. A shorty is often around 75 × 175 cm, which is shorter again. Depth is a separate limit, marked on the frame.

By the Bunk Bed Guide team · Updated 13 November 2026

The sizes with a published source

Which?’s mattress size guide, updated in the article dated 8 May 2026, lists a small single at 75 × 190 cm, a standard single at 90 × 190 cm and a European single at 90 × 200 cm. The National Bed Federation’s size table in its Introduction to Beds material uses the same 90 × 190 cm single and 75 × 190 cm small single. Metric and imperial names are not exact conversions, so measure.

A European single is 10 cm longer. It will not drop into a frame built for 190 cm. Check the frame, not the word “single” on the mattress.

Shorty is not a small single

Boori describes a typical UK shorty mattress as around 75 × 175 cm. That is shorter than Which?’s 75 × 190 cm small single. Sheets and a duvet sold as small-single often will not fit, and a small-single mattress will not fit the frame. Confirm the size with the maker before you buy either.

Depth is not part of the size name

Which? says there is no standard mattress depth. They have tested mattresses under 20 cm and over 30 cm, and note a tested mattress as thin as 11.5 cm. A top bunk cares about depth because a thick mattress climbs the guard rail. Read the mark on the frame, then read the mattress depth. The two pages are the safety guide and the guard-rail guide.

Published examples

OYT single mattress, 90 × 190 × 15 cm

A rolled foam single mattress listed at 15 cm thick. A top bunk whose marked maximum mattress thickness is at least 15 cm. If the mark is lower, do not use it on top.

  • The listing’s size is 90 × 190 × 15 cm (3 ft × 6 ft 3 in).
  • The construction line says 2 cm memory foam over 13 cm of support foam.
  • Depth on a listing is not the maximum your frame allows. The mark on the bed wins.

We haven’t tested this product. Dimensions and limits are as the maker’s listing states them (checked 13 November 2026).

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Questions people ask

Will any 3 ft mattress fit?

3 ft is the width of a 90 cm single. Length may be 190 cm or 200 cm, and depth may be anything. Match all three to the frame.

Can two bunks share one mattress size?

Only if both frames state the same length, width and maximum depth. The bottom bunk is sometimes allowed a deeper mattress than the top. Read both marks.

Sources

Opened 13 November 2026. The maker’s sheet and the mark on the bed take precedence.

  1. UK bed sizes: bed and mattress size guide — Which?
  2. Introduction to Beds — typical UK bed sizes — National Bed Federation
  3. Shorty bunk beds for low-ceiling UK rooms — Boori UK

Keep going

Fit

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.

Fit

Bunk beds for low and sloped ceilings

On a slope, the measurement that matters is the lowest ceiling above the place the child sits and climbs. A shorty bunk is a lower, often shorter frame. If the low side is still tight, two ordinary beds are the safer layout.

Fit

How much floor space does a bunk bed need?

A UK single mattress is 90 × 190 cm. The frame is larger, and the ladder, shelves, drawers and a desk add more. Plan the floor from the maker’s overall width and depth, then check the door still opens.