Markets
Bedding Sizes in India: How Indian Beds Differ from UK and US
Indian bed sizes carry the same names as UK and US sizes but mean different beds. An Indian Double is narrower than a UK or US Double, an Indian Queen is the width of a US Queen but shorter, and an Indian King is narrower than a US King and shorter than both the US and UK versions. India is also the least standardised of the major markets, so the dimensions below are the reference points major Indian retailers sell to, not a fixed rule. Confirm the finished sizes against your buyer's own specification before you order.
This guide goes deeper on India than a cross-market overview can. For how the UK, US, EU and Australia line up in one table, see the combined bed linen sizes guide.
The names travel, the beds do not
India sells beds in feet, the way the UK still names beds in imperial even while specifying in centimetres. A Single is 3 feet wide, a Double is 4 feet, a Queen is 5 feet and a King is 6 feet. Those feet are the customer-facing label. The trouble starts when the English size word is read as if it meant the same bed it would in London or New York.
Two mismatches catch importers most often. First, the Indian Double is 122 cm (48 in) wide, well under the 135 to 137 cm (53 to 54 in) of a UK or US Double, so an Indian Double sheet is closer to what other markets would call a small double. Second, length. Indian mattresses are commonly 190 to 198 cm (75 to 78 in) long and rarely reach the 203 cm (80 in) that is standard on US Queen and King beds. A sheet cut to an Indian length runs short on a US bed, and a US-length sheet bags at the foot of an Indian one.
Indian mattress sizes
These are the mattress footprints Indian bedding is cut for. Treat them as central points, not fixed values: length in particular runs anywhere from 183 to 198 cm (72 to 78 in) depending on the maker.
| Name | Feet | Metric | Inches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single | 3'0" | 91 x 183 cm | 36 x 72 in |
| Double | 4'0" | 122 x 183 cm | 48 x 72 in |
| Queen | 5'0" | 152 x 198 cm | 60 x 78 in |
| King | 6'0" | 183 x 198 cm | 72 x 78 in |
Alongside these sits the diwan, a single-width daybed at roughly 91 x 190 cm (36 x 75 in) that takes single bedding. The single biggest thing to understand about this table is that Indian manufacturers do not agree with each other. A product page labelled King can mean 183 x 198 cm, 183 x 213 cm, 183 x 190 cm or 198 x 198 cm depending on the brand and the region. Because of that, the size name alone settles nothing. The finished dimension in centimetres, written on the specification, is the only figure that binds.
India against the UK and the US
This is the comparison the size names hide. Reading down each column shows where an Indian bed is genuinely a different footprint from its namesake elsewhere.
| Name | India | UK | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single / Twin | 91 x 183 cm (36 x 72 in) | 90 x 190 cm (35 x 75 in) | 97 x 191 cm (38 x 75 in) |
| Double / Full | 122 x 183 cm (48 x 72 in) | 135 x 190 cm (53 x 75 in) | 137 x 191 cm (54 x 75 in) |
| Queen | 152 x 198 cm (60 x 78 in) | not standard | 152 x 203 cm (60 x 80 in) |
| King | 183 x 198 cm (72 x 78 in) | 150 x 200 cm (59 x 79 in) | 193 x 203 cm (76 x 80 in) |
The Single is the one size that travels cleanly: an Indian Single, a UK Single and a US Twin are close enough that a sheet made for one broadly suits the others. Everything above it diverges. The Indian Double is a full 13 to 15 cm narrower than the UK or US Double. The Indian Queen matches the US Queen on width but is 5 cm shorter. The Indian King is wider than a UK King, narrower than a US King, and shorter than both. A buyer who orders an Indian King sheet expecting it to fit a US King bed will be short on width and on length at once.
An Indian set is led by the flat sheet
The structural difference matters as much as the dimensions. The Indian retail set is built around a flat bedsheet with matching pillow covers, sold generously oversized so it tucks in on all sides. Fitted sheets and duvet covers exist and are growing in the premium and export-facing part of the market, but they are still the secondary line, not the core. This is the mirror image of the UK, where a duvet cover leads, and different again from the US flat-and-fitted set with its comforter. If your range is built for a UK or US mix, expect to restructure it for Indian retail, and the reverse if you are taking an Indian-made range abroad.
Because the flat sheet is sold oversized rather than to a tight mattress fit, Indian sheet sizes are more forgiving than a fitted sheet, but they are also more variable between brands. These are the finished flat-sheet sizes most commonly sold. Retailers differ widely, so read them as a starting point.
| Name | Metric | Inches |
|---|---|---|
| Single | 152 x 229 cm | 60 x 90 in |
| Double | 229 x 254 cm | 90 x 100 in |
| Queen | 229 x 274 cm | 90 x 108 in |
| King | 274 x 274 cm | 108 x 108 in |
A King flat bedsheet at 274 cm (108 in) wide is wider than many looms can weave in one piece, which forces a centre seam that most Indian buyers reject on a bedsheet. Woven cloth up to 136 inches wide lets a full-width Indian King be made without a join.
Pillow covers
Indian pillow covers are usually sold as an envelope-close cover rather than the housewife or Oxford styles of the UK. The standard cover is around 46 x 69 cm (18 x 27 in), with some brands cutting to 43 x 69 cm (17 x 27 in). A set typically pairs two covers with a Double sheet and upward. The 65 x 65 cm (26 x 26 in) square continental pillow is a decorative front pillow here as it is elsewhere, sold as a separate line rather than part of the sleeping set.
If you are developing shams rather than plain covers, they come in Standard, King, Euro and Boudoir, and the finished dimensions should be written out in full because the style names are not consistent across markets any more than the bed names are.
What this means for your order
- Specify in centimetres, never by Indian size name alone. India is the market where the name binds least, so the finished dimension on the tech pack is doing all the work.
- Confirm the length. Indian beds run 183 to 198 cm (72 to 78 in); our standard schedule uses 72 in on Single and Double and 78 in on Queen and King, with 75 in lengths on request, and a 10 in pocket. If the goods are destined for a US bed at 203 cm (80 in), the sheet must be cut to the destination, not the origin.
- Decide the set structure early. Flat-sheet-and-pillow-cover for Indian retail, fitted-and-duvet or comforter for export. The two are not interchangeable.
- Plan the size run. Offering a full range multiplies SKUs quickly. A private-label order is often set per quality and per colourway rather than per size, so a minimum, from 100 pieces for woven bed linen, can be split across sizes instead of forcing a full minimum for each.
Every bed linen piece and set is on our bed linen page. To develop a size set for India or for an export market, send the finished dimensions your retailer works to and we sample from those.
Common questions
Is an Indian King the same as a US King?
No. An Indian King is about 183 x 198 cm (72 x 78 in), while a US King is 193 x 203 cm (76 x 80 in). The Indian bed is narrower and shorter, so a sheet cut for one will not fit the other correctly. Specify the finished dimension rather than relying on the word King.
Why are Indian bed sizes so inconsistent between brands?
India never settled on a single national mattress standard, so the same size name covers a range of footprints. A King can be 183 x 198 cm at one maker and 183 x 213 cm at another. That is why the figure that matters is the centimetre dimension on your own specification, confirmed before sampling.
Do Indian households use fitted sheets and duvet covers?
Increasingly, but the core retail set is still a flat bedsheet with pillow covers, sold oversized to tuck in. Fitted sheets and duvet covers are a growing premium and export-facing line rather than the default, so build the Indian retail set around the flat sheet unless the buyer asks otherwise.
Can an Indian-made range be sized for the UK or US instead?
Yes. The bed sizes are a specification, not a limit on where the goods can be made. A manufacturer in India can cut to UK, US, European or Australian dimensions from the same cloth, provided the finished sizes are written to the destination market rather than to the Indian names.