What are the standard bed sizes in Spain vs. the UK?
Moving to Spain, buying a property on the Costa del Sol, or setting up a holiday rental? One of the most practically important - and most frequently overlooked - details is that Spanish and UK bed sizes are not the same. Not just slightly different: in several cases, they are different enough that UK bedding bought for a Spanish bed will fit poorly, look wrong, and create exactly the kind of frustration that a simple piece of advance knowledge would have avoided entirely. Here's the definitive guide.
What Are the Standard Bed Sizes in Spain vs. the UK?
Why This Matters
The difference between Spanish and UK bed sizes affects everything downstream: the mattress, the bed frame, the fitted sheet, the duvet cover, the duvet itself, the valance, and the mattress protector. Get the size wrong at any point in that chain and the results range from mildly inconvenient (a fitted sheet that pulls away at the corners) to genuinely problematic (a mattress that doesn't fit the frame you've ordered).
For expats buying beds and bedding in Spain for the first time, for UK residents furnishing a Spanish holiday home from the UK, and for property managers sourcing linen for rental apartments across the Costa del Sol, understanding these differences is not a minor detail - it is the foundation of getting the whole thing right.
Spanish Bed Sizes - The Full Picture
Spanish bed sizes are measured in width × length, in centimetres. The standard range is as follows:
Individual - 90 × 190cm or 90 × 200cm
The Spanish single bed. Equivalent in width to the UK single (90cm), but the length varies: 190cm is common in older properties and lower-specification furniture, while 200cm is now the more standard length in quality bed frames. Always check the length before ordering a mattress or fitted sheet. The fitted sheet needs to accommodate the depth of the mattress as well as the surface dimensions - a 30cm mattress on a 90 × 200cm base needs a fitted sheet with a correspondingly deep box.
Matrimonial - 135 × 190cm or 135 × 200cm
This is the standard Spanish double bed - and the most important difference to understand for UK buyers. A UK double is 140cm wide; a Spanish matrimonial is 135cm wide. A UK double fitted sheet on a Spanish matrimonial will technically fit, but with excess fabric at the sides that bunches and pulls. A UK double duvet cover on a matrimonial bed will overhang at the sides more than intended. It works, but it doesn't look right - and in a rental property context, it looks like a property that hasn't been properly thought through.
For the best result, always buy matrimonial-specific linen for a 135cm bed.
Matrimonial Grande - 150 × 190cm or 150 × 200cm
A wider double, increasingly common in Spanish properties built or renovated in the past twenty years. The 150cm width has no direct UK equivalent - it falls between the UK double (140cm) and the UK king (150cm is sometimes called a "UK king" but more precisely the UK king is 150 × 200cm). In practice, UK king-sized bedding fits a 150cm Spanish matrimonial grande reasonably well, making this the Spanish size with the closest UK equivalent.
Euroking - 160 × 200cm
A size with no UK equivalent whatsoever. The 160cm width is standard in many quality Spanish and continental European bed frames, and it requires specifically sized bedding. It is wider than a UK king (150cm) but narrower than a UK super king (180cm). UK customers frequently attempt to use king-sized bedding on a 160cm base, which underfits, or super king on a 160cm base, which overfits considerably. Neither looks correct.
For rental properties and privately furnished homes with 160cm beds, sourcing 160cm-specific bedding is important. At Yorkshire Linen, we stock bedding in this size across multiple ranges precisely because it is so common in Costa del Sol properties.
King - 180 × 200cm
The Spanish king, at 180cm, aligns with the UK super king (also 180cm wide, though the UK super king is sometimes listed as 180 × 200cm and sometimes as 180 × 210cm depending on the manufacturer). UK super king bedding generally fits a Spanish 180cm king bed well, making this one of the more straightforward cross-market size matches.
Emperor - 200 × 200cm
A less common but not unusual size in high-specification Spanish properties and master bedrooms. At 200cm wide, it has no standard UK equivalent - the UK emperor is 215 × 215cm, which is larger still. Specific 200cm bedding is required.
UK Bed Sizes - For Comparison
For reference, the standard UK bed size range is as follows:
| UK Size | Width × Length |
| Single | 90 × 190cm |
| Small Double | 120 × 190cm |
| Double | 140 × 200cm |
| King | 150 × 200cm |
| Super King | 180 × 200cm |
| Emperor | 215 × 215cm |
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Spanish Size | Dimensions | Closest UK Equivalent | Notes |
| Individual | 90 × 190/200cm | Single (90cm) | Length may vary - check before ordering |
| Matrimonial | 135 × 190/200cm | Double (140cm) | 5cm narrower than UK double - buy Spanish-specific linen |
| Matrimonial Grande | 150 × 190/200cm | King (150cm) | Reasonable match with UK king bedding |
| Euroking | 160 × 200cm | No direct equivalent | Buy 160cm-specific bedding |
| King | 180 × 200cm | Super King (180cm) | Good match with UK super king |
| Emperor | 200 × 200cm | No direct equivalent | Buy 200cm-specific bedding |
The Duvet Question - Spanish vs UK Sizing
Duvets add another layer of complexity. A duvet needs to be larger than the mattress - typically 40–50cm wider on each side - to drape properly and provide coverage to the sleeper rather than just lying flat on the surface. The duvet sizing conventions in Spain and the UK don't always align with their mattress equivalents in the way you might expect.
As a general guide:
- For a 90cm individual/single bed: a 150 × 200cm duvet
- For a 135cm matrimonial: a 220 × 220cm or 220 × 240cm duvet
- For a 150cm matrimonial grande: a 240 × 220cm duvet
- For a 160cm Euroking: a 240 × 220cm or 260 × 220cm duvet
- For a 180cm king: a 260 × 220cm duvet
When in doubt, err on the side of a larger duvet - excess drape looks more generous and more luxurious than a duvet that barely covers the mattress edge.
Valances, Mattress Protectors and Other Fitted Items
Any fitted bedding item - valances, mattress protectors, fitted sheets - needs to match the bed dimensions precisely, including the mattress depth. Most mattresses in Spanish properties are between 20cm and 35cm deep; add a mattress topper and that figure increases further. When ordering fitted sheets, always check the stated box depth and compare it with your mattress depth plus any topper thickness.
For valances specifically - which fit between the mattress and the bed base - the drop (the distance from the top of the base to the floor) needs to be measured separately. Most Spanish somieres sit at a standard 30cm drop, but this varies by frame and can be significantly different in platform bed designs.
A Practical Note for Holiday Rental Property Owners
For property managers and rental owners on the Costa del Sol, the bed size question has direct commercial implications. Properties that are furnished with correctly fitted bedding - smooth fitted sheets, properly sized duvets that drape evenly, well-fitted valances - look significantly better in photographs and provide a meaningfully better guest experience than those where the linen is a near-miss on size.
It is worth measuring every bed in a property before ordering any linen, noting the width, length and mattress depth for each, and ordering specifically to those dimensions. The additional effort is minimal; the improvement in result is not.
At Yorkshire Linen Beds & More, our team is experienced in helping rental property owners across the Costa del Sol source correctly sized linen for Spanish beds - including the 160cm Euroking and other sizes that can be difficult to find in standard UK retail.
Shop Bedding in Spanish and UK Sizes at Yorkshire Linen
We stock bedding across the full range of Spanish and UK sizes - individual, matrimonial, matrimonial grande, Euroking, king, and emperor - in multiple ranges including our Egyptian cotton collections.
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Visit us at Ctra. de Mijas, Km 3.5, Mijas - Monday to Friday 10am–6pm, Saturday 10am–5pm. Phone: +34 952 197 577. WhatsApp: +34 626 147 703.
Yorkshire Linen Beds & More - Quality Home Textiles on the Costa del Sol since 2005.
