Bedding Size CalculatorWhat Size Fitted Sheet Do I Need?
Enter your mattress size and depth. You'll get the fitted sheet, flat sheet, duvet cover and pillowcases to buy, and how many sets you need.
Step 1 of 3
Your bed
Your mattress
Your bedding sizes
What size fitted sheet do I need?
A fitted sheet needs to match two things: the size of the mattress and its depth. The size is the bed size, such as double or king. The depth is the one people get wrong. If the sheet's pocket is shallower than the mattress, the corners ping off. If it's much deeper, the sheet wrinkles and slides around.
Standard fitted sheets suit mattresses up to about 25cm deep. Deeper mattresses, pillow tops and beds with a topper need a deep fitted sheet, which fits up to about 34cm. Measure the depth with any topper or protector in place, because the sheet has to go over all of it.
How to measure a mattress for sheets
- Take off the bedding, but leave any topper or mattress protector that stays on the bed.
- Measure the width across the top of the mattress from side to side.
- Measure the length from the head end to the foot end.
- Measure the depth at the side, from the top surface to the bottom edge. Check two or three places and use the deepest figure.
- Compare your width and length with the standard UK sizes below to find your bed size.
UK bedding sizes
These are the sizes of the bed linen Homefords stocks. Most mattresses in the UK follow these sizes, so if yours is within a few centimetres, the matching bedding will fit.
| Bed | Mattress | Fitted sheet | Flat sheet | Duvet cover |
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Standard pillowcases are 50 × 75cm. Oxford pillowcases are the same size with a 5cm flat border around the edge. See the bedding sheet size guide for the same sizes in inches.
Do I need a flat sheet as well?
Not always. Most people with a duvet just use a fitted sheet. Flat sheets are used in hotels and guest houses, where they're tucked under the mattress for a crisp finish, and by anyone who sleeps under blankets instead of a duvet. A flat sheet needs to be wide enough to tuck in on both sides, which is why it's much bigger than the mattress.
How many sets of bedding per bed?
At home, two sets per bed is enough. One is on the bed while the other is washed and dried. For holiday lets, Airbnb, guest houses and hotels, three sets per bed is the usual rule. One is on the bed, one is in the laundry and one is clean and ready for the next changeover.
The calculator multiplies everything by the number of sets and beds, so you can total up a whole property in one go.
Bedding size questions
How deep is a deep fitted sheet?
Our deep fitted sheets fit mattresses up to about 34cm deep. Standard fitted sheets fit up to about 25cm. If your mattress is deeper than 34cm, a fitted sheet will struggle to stay on.
What size duvet cover for a three-quarter bed?
Most people use a double duvet on a three-quarter bed, because it hangs over the sides properly. A single duvet works but looks narrow. Fitted sheets come in a dedicated three-quarter size.
My mattress is 140 × 200cm. What size is that?
That's a European double. UK double sheets are made for 135 × 190cm, so they'll be tight. A UK king size fitted sheet, made for 150 × 200cm, is usually the better fit, with a little slack at the sides.
Do fitted sheets shrink?
Cotton can shrink slightly in a hot wash or tumble dryer. Polycotton and microfibre hold their size better. If your mattress is right on the depth limit, go for the deeper sheet to allow for it.
What is a valance fitted sheet?
It's a fitted sheet with a valance sewn on, so one piece covers the mattress and hides the bed base. It suits divan beds and saves a step at every changeover.