Australian Mattress Sizes
Every size sold in Australia, in centimetres and drawn to scale — plus the room each one needs, and how much width you each actually get.
Australia uses its own mattress sizes. They sit close to American ones and some way from British ones, which is why imported bedding so often turns out to be the wrong shape. Every measurement below is the Australian standard.
Australian bed sizes at a glance
| Size | Width | Length | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single | 92 cm | 188 cm | Children, small rooms |
| Long Single | 92 cm | 203 cm | Tall teenagers |
| King Single | 107 cm | 203 cm | Teenagers, single adults, guest rooms |
| Double | 138 cm | 188 cm | One adult who wants room to move |
| Queen | 153 cm | 203 cm | Couples — the most common size in Australia |
| King | 183 cm | 203 cm | Couples who want their own space |
| Super King | 204 cm | 203 cm | Maximum width, large bedrooms |
Every Australian size drawn to scale from a common corner. Note how little separates Single, Long Single and King Single, and how much separates Queen from King.
How much width you each get
A mattress is sold as one number, but a couple experiences half of it. Divide the width by two and the comparison becomes uncomfortable.
Width per sleeper, measured against the 92 cm of a single bed.
This is rarely mentioned, because the Queen is what most Australians buy and what most bedrooms fit. It is not an argument that a Queen is wrong. It is the reason a Queen feels tight with two adults, one of whom moves.
Minimum room size for each bed
A mattress needs walking space, and 60 cm on each open side is the usual minimum — enough to pass, to make the bed, and to open a wardrobe door. Measure the room before you choose the mattress.
A Queen with 60 cm on three sides needs a room of about 2.73 × 2.63 m before anything else goes in it.
| Size | Mattress | Minimum room |
|---|---|---|
| Single | 92 × 188 cm | 2.12 × 2.48 m |
| King Single | 107 × 203 cm | 2.27 × 2.63 m |
| Double | 138 × 188 cm | 2.58 × 2.48 m |
| Queen | 153 × 203 cm | 2.73 × 2.63 m |
| King | 183 × 203 cm | 3.03 × 2.63 m |
| Super King | 204 × 203 cm | 3.24 × 2.63 m |
Mattress plus 60 cm at both sides and the foot. A bed against one wall needs less; side tables need more.
Each bed size, and who it suits
Single (92 × 188 cm)
The standard children’s bed and the smallest sold here. At 188 cm it is short for anyone much over 180 cm tall, which is exactly why the Long Single exists. Fits a room from 2.12 × 2.48 m.
Long Single (92 × 203 cm)
A Single with 15 cm more length and no more width. Bought almost entirely for teenagers who have outgrown a Single but do not need a wider bed. Bedding is harder to find than for a standard Single.
King Single (107 × 203 cm)
An Australian size with no direct equivalent overseas. Fifteen centimetres wider than a Single and full length — the usual answer for a teenager’s room, a single adult, or a guest room that has to be genuinely comfortable for one.
Double (138 × 188 cm)
Often sold as a couple’s bed and better understood as a generous single. Two adults get 69 cm each, and at 188 cm it is short for a tall one. Sensible for one person who moves in their sleep; cramped for two.
Queen (153 × 203 cm) — the default
The most common mattress in Australia and the size most bedrooms are built around. Full length, 76.5 cm each for a couple, and by far the widest choice of models, bases and bedding. If you are unsure, this is the safe answer.
King (183 × 203 cm)
Thirty centimetres wider than a Queen, which sounds modest and is not: it is the difference between 76.5 and 91.5 cm each. The upgrade couples notice most, and the point where the room becomes the real constraint — you need about 3.03 m of wall.
Super King (204 × 203 cm)
Essentially square, and more than a metre of width each. Genuinely spacious and genuinely demanding: a 3.24 m wall, bases and bedding that are harder to find, and a mattress most people cannot rotate without help.
Queen or King?
If the room allows it, King. The diagram above is the whole argument: a Queen gives each of you less width than a child’s single bed, and a King gives you about one each. Motion transfer, edge support and firmness are all easier to solve than width, because width cannot be solved after you buy.
Stay with a Queen if the room is under about three metres across, if you want the widest choice of bedding and bases, or if the budget is better spent on a better Queen than on a cheaper King. A well-built Queen beats an entry-level King on every night of its life.
Australian sizes are not American or British sizes
This matters most for bedding. An Australian Queen (153 × 203 cm) is within a centimetre of an American Queen, so US Queen sheets generally work. An Australian King (183 × 203 cm) is around 10 cm narrower than an American King — US King sheets will sit loose, and Australian King sheets will not fit an American King at all.
British sizes differ more: a UK King is nearer our Queen in width, and a UK Super King is nearer our King. And King Single is an Australian size with no overseas equivalent, so buy that bedding locally.