Bed Sheet Size Chart: Fitted & Flat Sheets by Bed Size

How bed sheet size is worked out

A bed sheet is sized by two numbers: how wide the mattress is and how long it is. The width tells you how much of the bed the sheet covers, and the length tells you how far it runs. The table lists the seven standard beds, smallest first: a crib is 28 × 52 in, a twin is 38 × 75 in, a twin XL is 38 × 80 in, a full is 54 × 75 in, a queen is 60 × 80 in, a king is 76 × 80 in, and a California king is 72 × 84 in. The centimetres are the inches times 2.54, rounded to whole numbers, and the area in square feet is the area in square inches divided by 144. The fitted sheet matches the mattress exactly, so it is the same size as the bed, and the flat sheet runs larger so it tucks under the mattress. The lookup takes a mattress width and length and returns the bed that matches, and a width that matches two beds — 38 in is a twin or a twin XL — is settled by the length.

At the defaults — 60 in wide, 80 in long — the bed is a queen: 60 × 80 in, 152 × 203 cm, 4,800 sq in, or 33.33 sq ft, with a fitted sheet of 60 × 80 and a flat sheet of 90 × 102. The reverse of 76 in is a king, the reverse of 54 in is a full, the reverse of 72 in is a California king, the reverse of 28 in is a crib, and the reverse of 60 in is a queen. A width of 48 in has no standard bed — the nearest is a full at 54 in.

Flat-sheet sizes are typical retail sizes, and brands vary by about 2 in either way: a flat sheet sold as 90 × 102 in can measure 88 × 100 in or 92 × 104 in and still be a queen flat sheet. This is a size chart, not a thread-count, GSM, or drying-time chart: it does not list how many threads per inch a sheet has, how heavy the cotton is per square metre, or how fast a sheet dries, because how fast a sheet dries depends on the cotton and the air, not just on the size.

The worked example, line by line

Setup: 60 in wide, 80 in long.

Line 1 — the bed. A mattress 60 in wide and 80 in long is a queen: 60 in wide matches the queen, and 80 in long confirms it.

Line 2 — the size in centimetres. The queen is 152 × 203 cm: 60 × 2.54 = 152 cm, and 80 × 2.54 = 203 cm.

Line 3 — the area. The queen covers 60 × 80 = 4,800 sq in, which is 4,800 ÷ 144 = 33.33 sq ft.

Line 4 — the sheets. The fitted sheet is 60 × 80, the same as the mattress, and the flat sheet is 90 × 102, which is 9,180 sq in — larger, so it tucks.

Every branch, checked

Crib: the crib is 28 × 52 in, 71 × 132 cm, 1,456 sq in, or 10.11 sq ft, with a fitted sheet of 28 × 52 and a flat sheet of 45 × 66. It is the smallest bed in the chart, and it is the bed for a baby.

Twin: the twin is 38 × 75 in, 97 × 191 cm, 2,850 sq in, or 19.79 sq ft, with a fitted sheet of 38 × 75 and a flat sheet of 66 × 96. It is the standard bed for one person, and it is the 1.00× reference for the area comparisons: one king covers 2.13× its area.

Twin XL: the twin XL is 38 × 80 in, 97 × 203 cm, 3,040 sq in, or 21.11 sq ft, with a fitted sheet of 38 × 80 and a flat sheet of 66 × 100. It is the same width as a twin but 5 in longer, and it is the bed for a tall sleeper or a college dorm: a width of 38 in with a length of 75 in is a twin, and with a length of 80 in it is a twin XL.

Full: the full is 54 × 75 in, 137 × 191 cm, 4,050 sq in, or 28.13 sq ft, with a fitted sheet of 54 × 75 and a flat sheet of 81 × 96. It is the bed for one person who wants room, or two people who do not mind being close.

King: the king is 76 × 80 in, 193 × 203 cm, 6,080 sq in, or 42.22 sq ft, with a fitted sheet of 76 × 80 and a flat sheet of 102 × 108. It is the biggest bed in the chart, and it covers 2.13× the area of a twin.

Extra — the California king: the California king is 72 × 84 in, 183 × 213 cm, 6,048 sq in, or 42.00 sq ft, with a fitted sheet of 72 × 84 and a flat sheet of 102 × 108. It is narrower than a king but 4 in longer, and it covers 1.26× the area of a queen. A king flat sheet covers 1.74× the area of a twin flat sheet: 11,016 sq in against 6,336 sq in.

Reverse — the widths: 76 in is a king, 54 in is a full, 72 in is a California king, 28 in is a crib, and 60 in is a queen. A width of 48 in has no standard bed: the nearest is a full at 54 in, so measure the mattress again, or check whether the bed is a less common size.

What the defaults assume

The model assumes the beds are the standard sizes, the sizes are measured flat on the mattress, and the areas are the width times the length. It assumes the sheet you buy is the size the chart lists for it: a sheet sold as a queen fitted sheet is 60 × 80 in, and a sheet sold as a king flat sheet is 102 × 108 in. Flat-sheet sizes are typical retail sizes, and brands vary by about 2 in either way. It leaves out thread count, GSM and drying time — this is a size chart, not a thread-count, GSM, or drying-time chart. Rounding convention: sizes to whole inches and centimetres, areas to whole square inches and 2 decimals in square feet, and all figures are taken from the table, not rounded from other values.

Output · formula · meaning

Who uses this

• The couple buying queen sheets: they learn a queen is 60 × 80 in, 152 × 203 cm, 4,800 sq in, 33.33 sq ft — so they know the fitted sheet is 60 × 80 and the flat sheet is 90 × 102, and they buy the right size the first time.
• The parent buying crib sheets: they learn a crib is 28 × 52 in, 71 × 132 cm, 1,456 sq in, 10.11 sq ft — so they know the crib fitted sheet is 28 × 52, and they know a crib is less than a third of a queen: 1,456 sq in against 4,800 sq in.
• The tall sleeper choosing between a king and a California king: they learn a king is 76 × 80 in and a California king is 72 × 84 in — so they know the California king is 4 in longer but 4 in narrower, and they check the length before they buy, because the flat sheet is 102 × 108 for both.
• The guest-room host buying twin sheets: they learn a twin is 38 × 75 in, 97 × 191 cm, 2,850 sq in, 19.79 sq ft — so they know the twin fitted sheet is 38 × 75 and the flat sheet is 66 × 96, and they know a twin XL is the same width but 5 in longer, at 38 × 80.

Accuracy & limitations

The math is exact for the table: the centimetres are the inches times 2.54 rounded to whole numbers, the area in square inches is the width times the length, and the area in square feet is the area in square inches divided by 144. What the model cannot do is measure your mattress for you: measure the mattress flat, and check the size printed on the label. Flat-sheet sizes are typical retail sizes, and brands vary by about 2 in either way. It is a size chart, not a thread-count, GSM, or drying-time chart — it does not say how many threads per inch a sheet has, how heavy the cotton is, or how fast a sheet dries. It assumes the sizes are the standard sizes, and a sheet sold as a queen can be a little bigger or smaller than 60 × 80 in. For the mattress itself, see mattress size chart; for the towels in the same bedroom, see towel size chart.