Double vs King Size Bed
A double bed is 135 × 190cm. A king size bed is 150 × 200cm. A king is therefore 15cm wider and 10cm longer — about 7.5cm more width per person, and enough extra length to matter if either of you is close to six foot.
That is the measurement. Whether it is the right choice depends on three things: the room, your height, and how you sleep. We make both sizes, so we have no stake in which you pick.
The numbers, side by side
| Double | King size | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Width | 135cm (4ft 6in) | 150cm (5ft) | +15cm |
| Length | 190cm (6ft 3in) | 200cm (6ft 6in) | +10cm |
| Width per person | 67.5cm | 75cm | +7.5cm each |
| Wall run, comfortable both sides | 2.6m | 2.8m | +20cm |
| Duvet | 200 × 200cm | 225 × 220cm | Larger, dearer |
| Our made-to-order range | £630–£4,900 | £770–£5,300 | £90–£400 more, typically ~£140 |
Choose a double if…
The wall run is under 2.6m, or a wardrobe opens toward the bed. It is a guest room — a double suits occasional use. You are both under 5ft 10in and sleep still. Floor space matters more than sleeping space: in a small room, the bed that leaves floor visible makes the room feel larger. And double bedding is the most widely made size in Britain, and the cheapest to replace.
Choose a king if…
Either of you is over 5ft 10in — a double is 190cm, and at six foot you are 183cm before pillows; this is the most common reason people regret a double. One of you moves in your sleep: 7.5cm each sounds small, and in practice it is the difference between being woken and not. A child or a dog joins you in the morning. The room carries a wall run of 2.8m or more. And you are buying for the long term — a well-made frame lasts many years, and the difference spread over them is not the deciding factor it feels like in the shop.
The comparison nobody makes clearly
Two adults in a double have 67.5cm each. A child in a single bed has 90cm. Two adults in a king have 75cm each — still less than that child. Only a super king (180cm) gives two adults a full single bed's width each.
This reframes the question. The choice is not "double, or the indulgent option". It is "how much less than a single bed's width am I willing to accept". Put that way, a king stops looking generous and starts looking sensible.
What people get wrong
"A king is much bigger." It is 15cm wider — meaningful in bed, invisible in a showroom.
"I'll notice the length less than the width." Usually the opposite. Width you adapt to; length you hit.
"A king won't fit." Often it will, if the headboard is wall-mounted rather than strutted — that recovers real floor depth. Measure before you rule it out, or ask about a wall-mounted headboard.
"UK and European kings are the same." They are not. A UK king is 150cm; an EU king is 160cm. EU bedding will not fit a UK king properly.
Still between the two?
Mark 135cm on the floor with tape, then 150cm. Stand in the room. Open the wardrobe. Walk the route to the door. It takes four minutes and settles it more reliably than any guide, including this one. The full room arithmetic — wall runs for every size, plus the legal minimums — is in the bedroom cheat sheet.
Or send us the wall measurement and the door position and we will tell you which size the room wants — including when the answer is the smaller one. We build both, and a bed that makes a room unusable is not a sale we want.
Shop double beds · Shop king size beds · The full UK bed size guide · Order free fabric swatches