A queen mattress measures 60 by 80 inches. A double, which Americans call a full, is 53 or 54 inches wide and 75 long, depending on whose chart you read. So the queen is 6 or 7 inches wider and 5 inches longer, and the sizes are the same in Canada as in the United States.
Shared by two adults, a double leaves each person 26.5 or 27 inches of width; a queen leaves 30. Nine mattresses listed for Merit Home Furniture's Duncan store price a double and a queen separately. On every one of them the queen costs $50.00 to $150.00 more.
I work the floor at Merit's Duncan store on Vancouver Island. Below are the exact sizes, the room each bed needs, what the step up costs on our own mattress listings, and when a double is the better buy.
Double vs queen mattress dimensions: the exact size chart
This mattress size chart uses the nominal sizes makers print, with both of the double's widths shown. Sealy Canada notes that a finished mattress can vary by half an inch to an inch.
| Double (full) | Queen | |
|---|---|---|
| Width | 53 in (Better Sleep Council, Sealy Canada) or 54 in (Restonic) | 60 in |
| Length | 75 in (6 ft 3 in) | 80 in (6 ft 8 in) |
| Feet | 4 ft 5 in or 4 ft 6 in wide | 5 ft wide |
| Centimetres | 135 or 137 x 191 | 152 x 203 |
| Sleeping area | 27.6 or 28.1 sq ft | 33.3 sq ft |
| Width each, two sleepers | 26.5 or 27 in | 30 in |
| Sealy Canada finished size | 53 x 74 in | 60 x 79.5 in |
| Sheets and protectors | Sold as full or double | Queen |
By area, a double is 16 to 17 percent smaller than a queen. The queen on its own, with its frame and stair clearances, has a guide of its own.
How wide is a double mattress: 53 or 54 inches?
The width of a double mattress is printed both ways. The Better Sleep Council and Sealy Canada give 53 inches, and Restonic gives 54. Sealy Canada also finishes its double at 74 inches long rather than 75. The ISPA standard, as Serta prints it, puts a finished full at 53 by 74.5 inches, give or take half an inch. Because the charts split, this guide prints both widths wherever the double's width matters. For a room or a frame, plan on 54, so nothing ends up tight.
Can two adults comfortably share a double mattress?
Two adults can share a double mattress, but not with much comfort night after night. Each gets 26.5 or 27 inches, which the Better Sleep Council compares to a baby's crib. It calls a full "really only enough space for a single sleeper". Restonic says the same in its own words, calling a double too tight for most adult couples.
A queen gives each of two sleepers 30 inches, 3 or 3.5 more apiece. Even that is 8 inches less than one person gets alone on a twin, which the Better Sleep Council lists at about 38 inches wide. Couples who find a queen tight can look at the step from queen to king, which adds 16 inches of width.
Length is the other half of the question. A double is 75 inches, or 6 ft 3 in, and the Better Sleep Council warns that twins and fulls may be too short for some adults. On Sealy's 74 inch double, a six foot sleeper has 2 inches to spare. The queen's 80 inches adds 5.
For one tall sleeper in a narrow room there is a third size, the full XL. ISPA lists it at 53 by 79.5 inches: a double's width with a queen's length. Health Guard cuts its terry protector in a full XL, yet none of the 62 mattresses we list comes in that size. For one tall sleeper, the twin XL or the queen is the practical choice.
Who should choose a double, and who should choose a queen
Choosing between a double and a queen comes down to three things: who sleeps on it, how tall they are, and how much floor the room has.
A double suits
One adult who sleeps alone. A teenager's room: the Better Sleep Council says parents are increasingly choosing fulls over twins for teens. A guest room used a few nights a year. A small bedroom where a queen would crowd a door or closet. A tighter budget. A child moving up from a 38 inch twin gains 15 or 16 inches of width with a double, but no length.
A queen suits
Two adults who share every night. A sleeper tall enough that 75 inches puts their feet near the edge. One person who sprawls, or shares the bed with a dog. A main bedroom with walking room on both sides. The Better Sleep Council names the queen as the most popular size today.
My own rule is short. A double is for one adult, a teenager or a guest room. Two adults who share a bed every night belong on a queen at least.
What room size do you need for a queen bed or a double?
A bedroom has to hold the frame, not just the mattress, plus room to walk around it. On the 33 Mako frames we list in both sizes, the median outside size is 57 by 80 inches as a double and 64 by 85 as a queen. Restonic suggests about 2 feet between the bed and the wall. The table allows that same 2 feet at the sides and the foot.
| Double | Queen | |
|---|---|---|
| Median Mako frame, outside | 57 x 80 in | 64 x 85 in |
| Walkway on both sides and the foot | 105 x 104 in (8 ft 9 in x 8 ft 8 in) | 112 x 109 in (9 ft 4 in x 9 ft 1 in) |
| One side against a wall | 81 x 104 in (6 ft 9 in x 8 ft 8 in) | 88 x 109 in (7 ft 4 in x 9 ft 1 in) |
Those figures leave no space for a dresser or nightstands, so add their depth along the walls they stand on. A 10 by 10 foot room takes a queen with walkways on three sides. A 9 by 9 room takes a double with walkways, but not a queen: even pushed against a wall, the queen runs an inch long.
Frames differ, and storage beds run larger, so check each listing's own figures. The Mako Sophia panel bed, for one, is 58 by 81 inches as a double and 65.5 by 87 as a queen. What each bed frame measures outside is set out size by size in another guide.
Is a double bed suitable for a small bedroom or flat?
A double is the more suitable bed for a small bedroom or a flat, mostly because it can sit against a wall and still leave a 2 foot walkway. One sleeper gives up little that way. Two sleepers give up more, since whoever has the wall side climbs over the other to get up.
For a guest room that doubles as an office, the Cabos cabinet bed is a queen that folds up into a cabinet 64 inches wide and 23.25 deep. Open, it reaches 80 inches out from the wall. It lists at $2,999.00 before applicable taxes.
How much more a queen costs than a double at Merit
On every listing below, the queen costs more than the double in the same model. These are the 9 mattresses listed for our Duncan store that price a double and a queen separately, read on October 16, 2026, before applicable taxes.
| Mattress | Double | Queen | Queen adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restonic Prestige | $999.00 | $1,049.00 | $50.00 |
| Restwell Canary | $849.00 | $899.00 | $50.00 |
| Restwell Robin | $949.00 | $1,049.00 | $100.00 |
| Restonic Minto | $1,099.00 | $1,199.00 | $100.00 |
| Restonic Notte and Mondena | $1,588.00 | $1,688.00 | $100.00 |
| Restwell Copper Hybrid | $2,399.00 | $2,499.00 | $100.00 |
| Restonic Vernazza and Treviso | $2,449.00 | $2,599.00 | $150.00 |
Across those 9 listings the median step is $100.00. As a share of the double's price, it runs from 4.2% on the Copper Hybrid to 10.5% on the Robin, with a median of 6.1%. On four of the six Restonics a twin XL costs the same as the double, so for one sleeper the choice there is width or length at the same price.
Doubles and queens from other makers
Merit's double mattress collection lists 31 beds. Nine of the mattresses listed for our Duncan store come as a double or full, 3 Restwell and 6 Restonic. Doubles from Beautyrest, Sealy, Tempur-Pedic and other makers are carried at our Campbell River or Port Alberni stores. On a bed like the Beautyrest Iven, a firm pillow top at Campbell River, the gap between its double and queen is worth a call to that store.
The frame and the bedding add steps of their own. Of 42 frames we list for Duncan in both sizes, 17 cost the same either way, and on 23 the queen costs more, by a median of $100.00. Bedding steps are small: the Health Guard microfiber sheet set is $49.00 as a full and $59.00 as a queen. The Health Guard bamboo cotton set is $109.00 against $129.00, and the Health Guard terry protector $59.00 against $69.00. Sheets and protectors can go on the truck with the bed, or they can wait at the Duncan store for free pickup.
Where a double goes wrong, and the size mix-ups to avoid
What are the cons of a double bed?
The cons of a double bed are its width for two adults and its length for tall ones. A teenager who keeps growing can outgrow 75 inches before the mattress wears out. For a teen in a narrow room, a twin XL keeps the 80 inch length in about 38 inches of width.
A queen set on an old double frame overhangs 3 or 3.5 inches a side and 5 inches at the foot, with nothing under those edges. It needs a queen frame or a queen foundation. Going the other way, a double inside a queen frame leaves a gap of 6 or 7 inches across the slats.
Full and double are not two sizes. They are the same mattress under two names, and the chart of every Canadian mattress size lists both. A fitted sheet cut for a double is 6 or 7 inches too narrow and 5 too short for a queen, so the corners pull off.
A Sealy or Beautyrest double from up the Island shows no price online, so weighing one against a Duncan Restwell starts with a call to Campbell River.
A wrong size bought from Merit is not a dead end. Merit is open to an exchange within 30 days, decided case by case. A special-order mattress or frame starts with a 24% deposit when the order is placed.
Choosing between a double and a queen on Vancouver Island
Merit's Duncan store takes orders for the Restwell and Restonic doubles and queens on this page. Bring the bedroom's measurements, and the frame's if one is staying, and call before coming in to ask which doubles and queens are set up to try. Find it at 107 Ingram St, Monday to Saturday from 9 to 5.
Duncan delivers across the Island for $150 with assembly, and picking up at the store costs nothing. Gulf Islands delivery reaches some islands; the Duncan store explains the details on the phone. Delivery costs the same for a double as for a queen. A mattress headed far up the Island may need a different shipping method. A mattress is usually ready in 2 to 3 weeks, for pickup or delivery; Mako frames take 8 to 10 weeks and Ashley frames 4 to 6. Nanaimo, Campbell River and Port Alberni each have their own delivery terms, so ask the one closest to you.
For anyone ready to shop online, orders go through Duncan for now. Every double mattress we list has its own page, as do the queen mattresses, and the doubles and queens we list also sit together with the bedding. Mattress guides on size and feel share a single hub page.
Where the double and queen figures come from
- Better Sleep Council, size chart and notes on each sleeper, checked October 2026.
- Sealy Canada, FAQs (finished mattress sizes), checked October 2026.
- Restonic, answers on double and queen sizes and wall space, checked October 2026.
- Serta, Size and Dimensions (ISPA Dimension Standard), checked October 2026.
- Merit Home Furniture product listings: prices read October 9, 2026, frame dimensions read October 3, 2026.