Markets
Cot and Crib Bedding: Mattress Dimensions Across Markets
Cot and crib bedding is sized to the mattress, and the mattress differs by market: a UK or European standard cot takes 120 x 60 cm (47 x 24 in), a UK cot bed 140 x 70 cm (55 x 28 in), a US full-size crib 132 x 71 cm (52 x 28 in), and Australian cots cluster around 130 x 69 cm (51 x 27 in) but vary by model. The word "crib" also means different things in different markets, which is where most sourcing errors start. The figures below are the reference points major retailers sell to, to be confirmed against the specific cot before ordering rather than treated as one fixed standard.
"Cot" and "crib" are not the same word everywhere
The first thing to settle on any nursery brief is which piece of furniture is being dressed, because the vocabulary does not carry across markets. In the UK, Ireland, Australia and much of Europe a cot is the main barred baby bed, and a crib is a smaller swinging or bedside sleeper for the newborn months. In the United States and Canada the main baby bed is the crib, and there is no everyday use of "cot" at all; the small early sleeper is a bassinet or a cradle. So a US "crib sheet" and a UK "cot sheet" describe the main-bed product, while a UK "crib sheet" is for the small sleeper the US would call a bassinet. Pin the furniture and its mattress down before you quote, because the same word can point at two different sizes.
Small sleepers: bassinets, cradles, Moses baskets and bedside cribs
The early-months sleepers are the least standardised category in the whole of bedding, because each is built to its own frame. A UK Moses basket is roughly 74 x 30 cm (29 x 12 in), a swinging crib nearer 89 x 40 cm (35 x 16 in), and a bedside crib around 83 x 50 cm (33 x 20 in), while continental cradles run to about 40 x 90 cm (16 x 35 in) and US bassinets vary too widely to name a single figure. There is no shared ladder here. Treat every small-sleeper line as made to the exact frame it dresses, and ask the buyer for the mattress dimensions of the specific product rather than working from the category name.
Cot and crib mattress sizes across markets
These are the mattress footprints the main baby bed is cut for in each market. Confirm against the specific cot, as models differ and some carry their own mattress size.
| Market | Main bed name | Standard mattress | Larger or convertible size |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK and Ireland | Cot / cot bed | 120 x 60 cm (47 x 24 in) | 140 x 70 cm (55 x 28 in) |
| Continental Europe | Kinderbett / lit bébé | 120 x 60 cm (47 x 24 in) | 140 x 70 cm (55 x 28 in) |
| United States and Canada | Crib | 132 x 71 cm (52 x 28 in) | 96.5 x 61 cm (38 x 24 in) mini crib |
| Australia and New Zealand | Cot | about 130 x 69 cm (51 x 27 in) | varies by cot |
UK and Ireland
The UK runs two sizes. The cot takes a 120 x 60 cm (47 x 24 in) mattress and is the newborn-to-toddler bed; the cot bed takes 140 x 70 cm (55 x 28 in) and converts to a first proper bed, so it carries a longer sleeping life and is the size many parents buy once. A cot sheet and a cot bed sheet are not interchangeable, and the length gap is large enough that a cot fitted sheet will not stretch onto a cot bed. Ireland follows the same two sizes.
Continental Europe
Most of continental Europe uses the same core pair as the UK, 60 x 120 cm and 70 x 140 cm, quoted centimetres first. Germany leans heavily on the 70 x 140 cm size as the everyday cot, France and the Low Countries use both, and the smaller cradle sizes around 40 x 90 cm are common for the first months. Because the numbers match the UK, a European cot range and a UK cot range can often share cut sizes, which is unusual across markets and worth confirming as a saving.
United States and Canada
The US full-size crib is the outlier and the one that catches importers. Its mattress is 132 x 71 cm (52 x 28 in), longer and narrower in feel than the UK cot, and it is closely regulated in the US market, so the sheet is cut to a tighter target than elsewhere. The mini crib at 96.5 x 61 cm (38 x 24 in) is the apartment and travel size and needs its own sheet. A toddler bed in the US usually reuses the full-size crib mattress, so a crib fitted sheet often carries straight over to the toddler bed rather than being a new size.
Australia and New Zealand
Australian and New Zealand cots are governed by a joint mandatory standard that fixes the gap between the mattress and the cot sides rather than one mattress size, so cots and their mattresses vary by model, clustering around 130 x 69 cm (51 x 27 in). The practical consequence is that a cot fitted sheet for this market must be made to the exact cot mattress, and a snug fit is precisely what buyers here check, so the finished dimensions on the specification matter more than any category label.
Fitted cot sheets: fit to the exact mattress
A fitted cot sheet is defined by three numbers: the two mattress dimensions and the pocket depth. Cot mattresses are shallower than adult ones, typically 8 to 13 cm (3 to 5 in), so the pocket is cut to that mattress and not to an adult "deep" standard. Because a fitted cot sheet is a snug product, specify the finished length, width and pocket depth in centimetres against the exact mattress rather than relying on the words "cot" or "crib". The safety requirements around cot bedding are set by the buyer's own market and built into the specification; they are not something a manufacturer certifies, so agree them with the buyer and put them on the tech pack. Cot sheets are frequently ordered as a pair, one to wash and one to use.
Cot quilts and blankets
Quilts and blankets are sized to drape over the cot rather than to the mattress footprint, and they run smaller than adult bedding. They also differ by region, just as the mattresses do. These are the sizes major retailers in each region sell; confirm against the buyer's range.
| Item | UK and Ireland | Continental Europe | US and Canada | Australia and New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pram or stroller blanket | 70 x 90 cm (28 x 35 in) | 75 x 100 cm (30 x 39 in) | 76 x 102 cm (30 x 40 in) | 80 x 100 cm (31 x 39 in) |
| Swaddle or muslin wrap | 120 x 120 cm (47 x 47 in) | 120 x 120 cm (47 x 47 in) | 120 x 120 cm (47 x 47 in) | 120 x 120 cm (47 x 47 in) |
| Cot or crib quilt and cover | Cot 100 x 120 cm (39 x 47 in), cot bed 120 x 140 cm (47 x 55 in) | 100 x 135 cm (39 x 53 in) | 91 x 127 cm (36 x 50 in) | 100 x 120 cm (39 x 47 in) |
The swaddle is the one size that travels unchanged. Everything else moves with the region: the German 100 x 135 cm cot duvet has no UK equivalent, and the smaller 80 x 80 cm (31 x 31 in) square is the continental size for a cradle. In the UK a cellular cot blanket is commonly 100 x 120 cm (39 x 47 in), matching the cot quilt.
Two things travel with these. First, in several markets a quilt is sold for a toddler bed, or as a floor and pram item, rather than for a young baby's cot, and the rules that govern that use are set by the buyer's market, so confirm the intended age and use before you sample. Second, "blanket" covers very different constructions, from a woven cellular blanket to a multi-layer muslin, so specify the construction and the finished size together rather than the word alone.
What this means for your order
- Fix the furniture before the size. Establish whether the brief means a cot, a cot bed, a US full-size crib, a mini crib or a small early sleeper, because the same word points at different sizes across markets.
- Specify fitted sheets to the exact mattress. Give length, width and pocket depth in centimetres, and remember the buyer's market sets the safety requirements that go into the specification.
- Use the UK and Europe overlap. The 60 x 120 cm and 70 x 140 cm sizes are shared, so a range for both markets can often reuse cut sizes.
- Plan the size run once. A private-label order is set per quality and per colourway rather than per size, so a single minimum, from 100 pieces for woven bed linen, can be split across cot, cot bed and crib sizes instead of forcing a full minimum for each.
Fitted cot sheets, cot quilts, cot blankets and muslins are all on our baby and nursery page. Send the mattress dimensions and the finished sizes your retailer works to, tell us the market whose requirements apply, and we sample from those. If a size or a set is not shown, ask and we will quote to your specification.
Common questions
Is a UK cot sheet the same as a US crib sheet?
They dress the main baby bed in each market, but the mattresses differ, so the sheets are not the same size. A UK cot is 120 x 60 cm (47 x 24 in) while a US full-size crib is 132 x 71 cm (52 x 28 in), so a fitted sheet cut for one will not fit the other.
What is the difference between a cot and a cot bed?
A cot takes a 120 x 60 cm (47 x 24 in) mattress; a cot bed takes 140 x 70 cm (55 x 28 in) and converts into a first proper bed, so it has a longer sleeping life. Their fitted sheets are different sizes and do not interchange.
Why do Australian cot sizes vary?
The joint Australian and New Zealand standard fixes the gap between the mattress and the cot sides rather than one mattress size, so cots and their mattresses differ by model, clustering near 130 x 69 cm (51 x 27 in). Order a cot fitted sheet to the exact mattress dimensions rather than to a category name.
Can you make cot bedding to a size that is not listed?
Yes. Send the mattress dimensions and the finished sizes your retailer works to, along with the market whose requirements apply, and we sample to that specification rather than to a fixed size chart.