Markets
Selling Bedding into Australia and New Zealand: Sizes and Expectations
Australian and New Zealand bedding is built around the same core names, Single, King Single, Double, Queen, King and Super King, all specified in centimetres and mostly 203 cm long above Double. The two markets are identical from Single through Queen, then diverge at the top: a New Zealand King is 167 cm wide against an Australian King at 183 cm, and a New Zealand Super King (183 cm) is the same width as an Australian King. The figures below are the reference points major retailers in both countries sell to. Confirm them against your buyer's own specification before ordering, because they are settled market conventions rather than one fixed standard.
This guide goes deeper on Australia and New Zealand than a cross-market overview can. For how the region compares with the UK, US and Europe in one table, see the combined bed linen sizes guide.
Two markets that align, until you reach King
Treat Australia and New Zealand as one region for everything up to Queen, then read the fine print. Single, King Single, Double and Queen are the same to within a centimetre, so a Queen set made for Sydney fits a bed in Auckland. The divergence is entirely at the top of the range, and it is the single thing that catches a supplier shipping across the Tasman for the first time.
New Zealand carries a King at 167 cm wide, a width Australia does not use. What New Zealand calls a Super King, 183 cm, is exactly what Australia calls a King. Australia then adds a Super King at 203 cm square that most New Zealand ranges do not carry as standard. So the names step up by one at the top: a 183 cm cover is a King in Australia and a Super King in New Zealand. Label by the finished dimension, not the name, or you will fit the wrong bed in one of the two countries.
Mattress sizes, both countries in one table
These are the mattress footprints the region's linen is cut for. Premium and specialty lines vary, so confirm against your buyer's retail standard.
| Name | Australia | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Single | 92 x 188 cm (36 x 74 in) | 91 x 188 cm (36 x 74 in) |
| King Single | 107 x 203 cm (42 x 80 in) | 107 x 203 cm (42 x 80 in) |
| Double | 138 x 188 cm (54 x 74 in) | 137 x 188 cm (54 x 74 in) |
| Queen | 153 x 203 cm (60 x 80 in) | 152 x 203 cm (60 x 80 in) |
| King | 183 x 203 cm (72 x 80 in) | 167 x 203 cm (66 x 80 in) |
| Super King | 203 x 203 cm (80 x 80 in) | 183 x 203 cm (72 x 80 in) |
Note the length step, which is the same in both countries: Single, Double and their variants stop at 188 cm, while King Single, Queen, King and Super King all run to 203 cm. A pattern set built for a Double will fall 15 cm short on a Queen. Queen is the volume size across the region and the one most brands sample first.
King Single: the size the northern markets do not have
King Single, 107 x 203 cm (42 x 80 in), is worth calling out because it has no clean equivalent in the UK or US. It is a single-sleeper bed at full King length, sold heavily into children's rooms, bunk beds, trundles and student accommodation, and it is a standard line in both countries rather than a niche. The nearest US size, the Twin XL, is narrower at 97 cm. If your range came from a US or UK brief it will not include a King Single, and a regional buyer will expect one, so plan the cut before you quote.
Doona, quilt cover or duvet cover: one product, three words
The vocabulary differs by country and it matters in a brief. Australians say "quilt cover" or "doona cover", doona being the common Australian word for the duvet itself. New Zealanders say "duvet cover". All three name the same product: an empty shell that closes over a separate quilt or duvet, not a filled top layer. This is closer to the UK than the US: the region is cover-led, so a regional set is built around a quilt or duvet cover, a fitted sheet and pillowcases rather than around a filled comforter.
Where the region differs from the UK is the flat sheet. Many Australian and New Zealand households still sleep under a flat sheet beneath the quilt, so flat sheets sell well in sheet sets alongside the fitted sheet. Do not strip the flat sheet out on the assumption that a cover-led market drops it the way Britain largely has.
Quilt and duvet cover sizes
Covers are sized to drape over an oversized quilt, so they do not follow the mattress footprint. These are the finished sizes most retailers in the region sell, and they apply to both countries because covers are sold by width of drape rather than by exact mattress width. The one exception is the King Single in New Zealand, where covers are commonly made at 180 x 210 cm (71 x 83 in), the same as a Double.
| Name | Metric | Inches |
|---|---|---|
| Single | 140 x 210 cm | 55 x 83 in |
| King Single | 160 x 210 cm | 63 x 83 in |
| Double | 180 x 210 cm | 71 x 83 in |
| Queen | 210 x 210 cm | 83 x 83 in |
| King | 245 x 210 cm | 96 x 83 in |
| Super King | 270 x 240 cm | 106 x 94 in |
Retailers disagree at the margins, and shoppers often size up, putting a Queen cover on a Double for more drape, so write the exact finished dimension on the specification rather than the name. Specify the closure as well: buttons, ties, a zip or a hidden placket each change the making and the cost. A Super King cover at 270 cm wide would carry a centre seam on a narrow loom; cloth woven in widths to 136 inches lets those runs be made seamless, which buyers expect at the largest sizes.
Pillowcases, including the European square
The region uses a Standard case for sleeping, a longer King case for the wider beds, and a decorative European square shared with the UK and Europe.
| Style | Metric | Inches | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 48 x 73 cm | 19 x 29 in | The everyday sleeping case |
| King | 50 x 90 cm | 20 x 35 in | For King and Super King beds |
| European | 65 x 65 cm | 26 x 26 in | Square decorative front pillow, not for sleeping |
The 65 cm European square is a separate line item, sold as a front pillow rather than for sleeping, so decide early whether your set includes it because it changes the piece count.
Fitted sheets and mattress depth
A fitted sheet takes its width and length from the mattress table, plus a third dimension the table cannot give you: the pocket depth. Australian and New Zealand mattresses run tall, commonly 30 to 36 cm (12 to 14 in), and pillow-top builds go deeper still, so a shallow pocket pulls off the corners. Our standard Australian fitted sheet has a 40 cm pocket, confirmed against your mattress depth. Specify the finished wall depth in centimetres rather than leaving it to the factory, and note that all-round elastic holds a deep pocket far better than corner-only elastic for very little extra cost.
What this means for your order
- Label by dimension across the Tasman. A 183 cm cover is a King in Australia and a Super King in New Zealand. Print the finished size, not just the name, so one label serves both countries correctly.
- Carry the King Single. It is standard in the region and absent from UK and US ranges, so add it if your line came from a northern brief.
- Keep the flat sheet. The region is cover-led like the UK but still buys flat sheets, so a sheet set usually pairs a fitted sheet, a flat sheet and pillowcases.
- Plan the size run. A private-label order is often 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 Single through Super King instead of forcing a full minimum for each size.
- Confirm before sampling. The dimensions here are what the market sells, not a fixed rule, and a buyer confirms them against their own spec sheet.
Every bed linen piece and set is on our bed linen page. To develop a regional size set, send the finished dimensions your retailer works to and we sample from those.
Common questions
Is bedding interchangeable between Australia and New Zealand?
From Single through Queen, effectively yes: the sizes match within a centimetre. At the top they do not. A New Zealand King is 167 cm wide against an Australian King at 183 cm, and a New Zealand Super King equals an Australian King, so King and Super King bedding must be checked by dimension rather than by name.
What is a King Single and do I need it?
King Single is 107 x 203 cm (42 x 80 in), a single-width bed at full King length. It is a standard size across Australia and New Zealand for children's rooms, bunks and student housing, so a range selling into the region should carry it. It has no direct UK or US equivalent.
Should I quote a quilt cover, a doona cover or a duvet cover?
They are the same product. Australians say quilt cover or doona cover, New Zealanders say duvet cover, and all three mean an empty shell for a separate quilt, not a filled top layer. Confirm the finished size and the closure type, and the wording follows the buyer's country.
Do Australian and New Zealand sets include a flat sheet?
Usually yes. The region is built around a quilt or duvet cover rather than a filled comforter, but unlike the UK it still commonly uses a flat sheet, so a sheet set typically pairs a fitted sheet, a flat sheet and pillowcases.