Mattress sizes in Canada are the six North American sizes: twin (also called single), twin XL, double (also called full), queen, king and California king. A size is the width and length of the sleeping surface. Thickness changes from model to model and is not part of it. A queen is 60 by 80 inches, or 152 by 203 centimetres, and the chart below has the other five.
At Merit Home Furniture on Vancouver Island we list 62 mattresses from twelve makers, and our queen collection holds 54 of them. The 14 listed for our Duncan store are all Restwell or Restonic beds.
A size decision has two halves: who sleeps on the bed, and what the mattress has to pass on the way to the bedroom. I'd rather you measured the second half before choosing than after. This guide covers both, down to what moving up a size costs on the same mattress.
Mattress sizes in Canada: the chart in inches, feet and centimetres
The mattress sizes in this chart are the Better Sleep Council's, a consumer education group sponsored by the International Sleep Products Association (ISPA). Canada's Weights and Measures Act makes an inch 1/36 of a yard and a yard 0.9144 metre. That puts an inch at exactly 2.54 cm, and the centimetres below are rounded to the nearest whole one.
| Size | Inches (feet) | cm |
|---|---|---|
| Twin (single) | 38 x 75 (3'2" x 6'3") | 97 x 191 |
| Twin XL | 38 x 80 (3'2" x 6'8") | 97 x 203 |
| Double (full) | 53 x 75 (4'5" x 6'3") | 135 x 191 |
| Queen | 60 x 80 (5' x 6'8") | 152 x 203 |
| King | 76 x 80 (6'4" x 6'8") | 193 x 203 |
| California king | 72 x 84 (6' x 7') | 183 x 213 |
Makers' own charts land within an inch of those figures, over and under. Sealy Canada says actual size varies by model, "generally within a range of ± ½ inch to 1 inch". The next table sets three makers' charts, in inches, beside the ISPA standard for a finished mattress. Where two figures differ, plan the room, frame and fitted sheet around the larger one; a mattress at the smaller figure still fits.
| Size | Makers' charts | ISPA |
|---|---|---|
| Twin | 38 x 74 (Sealy Canada, Tempur-Pedic Canada); 38 or 39 x 75 (Restonic, whose page gives both) | 38 x 74.5 |
| Twin XL | 38 x 79.5 (Sealy Canada); 38 x 80 (Tempur-Pedic Canada); 39 x 80 (Restonic) | 38 x 79.5 |
| Double | 53 x 74 (Sealy Canada, Tempur-Pedic Canada); 54 x 75 (Restonic) | 53 x 74.5 |
| Queen | 60 x 79.5 (Sealy Canada); 60 x 80 (Tempur-Pedic Canada, Restonic) | 60 x 79.5 |
| King | 76 x 79.5 (Sealy Canada); 76 x 80 (Tempur-Pedic Canada, Restonic) | 76 x 79.5 |
| California king | 72 x 84 (Restonic); not on the Sealy Canada or Tempur-Pedic Canada charts | 72 x 83.5 |
Is a double mattress 53 or 54 inches wide?
A double mattress is 53 inches wide by the Better Sleep Council and ISPA charts, and 54 by Restonic's chart. Serta publishes the ISPA table as the sizes furniture and bedding "will fit", and the standard allows a finished mattress half an inch either way. With a frame and a mattress from different makers, measure the frame's inside width before assuming the inch doesn't matter.
Canadian mattress size names: is a single a twin, and is a double a full?
Canadian and American mattress size names describe the same beds, with the same inches. A single is a twin and a double is a full. The Better Sleep Council writes for American buyers and still notes that a full is "sometimes still called a double mattress". Sealy's own specifications call some of its twin XLs twin long.
Merit's own listings use both names for the same bed: Restwell's say Double and Restonic's say Full. Restwell's spec sheets give 38 x 74 for a twin, 53 x 74 for a double, 60 x 79 for a queen and 76 x 79 for a king.
Which mattress size do you need?
The mattress size you need depends on how many people sleep on it, how tall the tallest is, and the room. Twin and double share the short length, which the Better Sleep Council says "may be too short for some adults". Here's how I'd match sizes to sleepers, with the guides that compare each pair.
- A child, a bunk or a daybed: a twin. For a teenager, or an adult sleeping alone, a twin XL adds the length, and the twin and twin XL comparison covers the fitted-sheet catch.
- One adult: a double, or a queen for anyone who spreads out. Two adults on a double get about 27 inches each, which the Better Sleep Council likens to the width of a crib.
- Two adults: a queen. The Better Sleep Council calls it today's most popular size, and notes that 30 inches each is 8 less than a twin alone. Moving up from a double adds 7 inches of width (6 from a 54-inch double) and 5 of length.
- Two adults who want room, or a child or a dog who climbs in: a king. Queen or king for a couple weighs its extra 16 inches against the room.
- One tall sleeper: a California king, the only standard size longer than 80 inches.
King, 76 by 80 inches
The wide king. Two sleepers get 38 inches each, a twin's width apiece. Tempur-Pedic Canada lists its split king as two twin XLs side by side. All six Restonics listed for our Duncan store come in king.
California king, 72 by 84 inches
The long king: 36 inches each for two, with 4 more inches for the feet. It suits one tall sleeper better than a couple who want width. The Better Sleep Council warns that regular king sheet sets "won't fit properly". None of the 62 mattresses on our listings comes in this size.
The queen's measurements and the king and California king measurements have guides of their own, down to the frames.
When a couple tell me they're moving up from a double, the first numbers I ask for are the bedroom door and the top of the stairs. The way in is what I want checked before anyone falls for a mattress.
How much bedroom each mattress size needs
A bedroom has to hold the bed frame, which is bigger than the mattress, plus space to walk around it. Restonic plans on about 2 feet between bed and wall, enough to get out of bed "without taking out your knees". The first table gives the median outside size of the bed frames on Merit's listings: 398 frame sizes from Ashley and Mako, headboard and footboard included. The second adds 2 feet along both long sides and across the foot.
| Size | Median frame, outside |
|---|---|
| Twin | 42.25 x 80.5 in |
| Double | 57 x 80.125 in |
| Queen | 64 x 86 in |
| King | 80.5 x 86 in |
| California king | 83.75 x 95 in |
| Size | Floor needed | Metres |
|---|---|---|
| Twin | 7 ft 7 in x 8 ft 9 in | 2.31 x 2.67 |
| Double | 8 ft 9 in x 8 ft 9 in | 2.67 x 2.67 |
| Queen | 9 ft 4 in x 9 ft 2 in | 2.84 x 2.79 |
| King | 10 ft 9 in x 9 ft 2 in | 3.28 x 2.79 |
| California king | 11 ft x 9 ft 11 in | 3.35 x 3.02 |
Floor figures are rounded up to the next inch. No twin XL frames are on our listings, so plan one as a twin 5 inches longer. A twin or double against a wall needs 2 feet less width. Nightstands sit in the side strips at the head; the Better Sleep Council's reminder is to allow for their size and whether you use one or two.
Is a bed size the same as a mattress size?
A bed size and a mattress size share a name but not a footprint. The median queen frame above is 4 inches wider and 6 longer than the mattress. Measure the frame you're buying. How much each style of frame adds is worked out maker by maker.
Plan on far more floor if someone in the house uses a walker or a wheelchair. CMHC's accessibility criteria for its co-op housing program ask for clear floor on at least two sides of the bed. Each clear area is at least 750 by 1,200 mm, about 30 by 47 inches. For a queen, the universal design table CMHC uses for its housing programs asks for a room at least 4,458 mm wide by 4,633 mm long. That is about 14 ft 8 in by 15 ft 2 in.
Measure the doors and stairs before choosing a mattress size
A mattress size that suits the bedroom still has to get there. The Better Sleep Council's advice for a king is to measure "the corridors, doors and stairwells" first. The same goes for any size bound for one of the odd-shaped character homes, cabins and small condos the Island has plenty of.
- Measure the bedroom door. Take its clear width with the door fully open, and its height. The 2024 BC Building Code allows most bedroom doors to be as small as 760 by 1,980 mm, about 30 by 78 inches. Off a narrow hallway it drops to 610 mm (24 inches) wide. Sealy's advice is for two people to carry a mattress flat on its side. That makes its width its height in the doorway: 60 inches for a queen, 76 for a king.
- Measure the stairs. Take the width between wall and handrail, and the headroom at the lowest point. The same code lets a stair inside a house be as narrow as 860 mm, about 34 inches. A handrail may stand up to 100 mm, about 4 inches, into that width. Headroom can be as low as 1,950 mm, about 77 inches.
- Find the tightest turn. A landing or the turn at the top is often the tightest point. Sealy Canada says to flex a Sealy mattress through a doorway and never to bend it past 25 degrees.
- Ask about a split foundation. Sealy Canada says king foundations and split queen box springs "come in two pieces for easier access through narrow halls". A queen foundation is one piece unless you ask for the split. Our Duncan store lists no box spring from its mattress makers, so the store can tell you what it would put under a Duncan bed.
- Bring the numbers. Write down the door width and height and the stair width and headroom, and take a photo of the turn. Give them to us when you choose the size.
Those are minimums for houses built to that code. An older house may not match them, so the tape measure beats the code book. The same steps work for measuring a doorway for a sofa.
Mattress height, sheets and protectors: the size the label leaves out
Mattress height is the one dimension a size name leaves out, and it decides whether sheets fit. Of the 14 mattresses listed for our Duncan store, 13 state a height. The thinnest is the Restwell Canary at 12 inches, and the thickest are the Restonic Treviso and Vernazza at 16. Six are 15 inches or more.
Sheets and protectors are cut for a pocket depth, and makers print it. Tempur-Pedic's own sheet sets fit mattresses up to 13 inches deep, or 15 for its ProAir sets. Sealy Canada sells sheets it says fit "any mattress up to 21 inches deep". On Merit's listings, the Tempur-Pedic protector fits mattresses up to 18 inches, and so does Health Guard's bamboo cotton sheet set.
Sealy Canada's shopping advice is to measure your current set, "floor to top of mattress, width, and length". Do the same with the protector and any topper on, and buy a pocket at least that deep. A new size means new fitted sheets and a new protector either way. Which protector keeps a warranty intact is worth a read first.
Which sizes each mattress line comes in at Merit
Mattress sizes at Merit depend on the maker. The table counts our live mattress listings by maker on October 16, 2026, with prices before applicable taxes. Duncan's mattresses come from two makers, Restwell and Restonic. The other ten makers' beds are carried at our Campbell River or Port Alberni store, with no online price; that store quotes its best price by phone.
| Maker (listed) | Sizes | Prices shown |
|---|---|---|
| Restwell (8) | One to five sizes a model, all 8 in queen; every one listed for Duncan | Each size priced, $849.00 to $3,299.00 |
| Restonic (7) | Twin to king on the 6 listed for Duncan; the Brookwell twin is at Port Alberni | Duncan models priced by size, $949.00 to $3,299.00 |
| Ten other makers (47) | 40 in queen; sizes vary by model | No online price; Campbell River or Port Alberni gives our best price |
Every one of the 14 mattresses listed for our Duncan store comes in queen. Ten are listed in twin or twin XL, 10 in king and 9 in double. A Restwell model listed in one or two sizes may come in others, so ask the Duncan store before ruling one out.
Restwell's models have a guide of their own. So do three brands whose mattresses sit with our Campbell River store: Sealy's Posturepedic lines, the Beautyrest collections we carry and Tempur-Pedic's Align beds.
What does moving up a size cost on the same mattress?
Double to queen costs far less than queen to king. On the three mattresses below, each priced separately by size, the double-to-queen step is $100 to $150, while queen to king is $250 to $700.
The three are the Restwell Robin and the Restonic Minto and Treviso, all three listed for our Duncan store. On both Restonics a twin XL costs the same as a double.
| Size | Robin |
|---|---|
| Twin | $799.00 |
| Twin XL | Not listed |
| Double | $949.00 |
| Queen | $1,049.00 |
| King | $1,299.00 |
| Size | Minto | Treviso |
|---|---|---|
| Twin | $999.00 | $2,249.00 |
| Twin XL | $1,099.00 | $2,449.00 |
| Double | $1,099.00 | $2,449.00 |
| Queen | $1,199.00 | $2,599.00 |
| King | $1,649.00 | $3,299.00 |
Uncommon mattress sizes: full XL, RV, split king, home-care and crib
Uncommon mattress sizes sit outside the six on the chart, and of these only the split king can be built from Merit's listings today. Each takes its own sheets and frame.
| Size | Inches and listings |
|---|---|
| Full XL | 53 x 79.5 (ISPA finished size), a double for a taller sleeper. None on our listings. |
| RV and travel | No one standard for RVs, boats and truck cabs; the platform sets the size. None on our listings. |
| Split king | Two twin XLs, 38 x 79.5 or 80 each, on one frame or two adjustable bases. Built from our twin XL listings, such as the six Duncan Restonics. |
| Split California king | Two at 36 x 83.5 each (Sealy; 35.5 x 83.5 on its Posturepedic Elite). None on our listings. |
| Home-care | Cut to fit a hospital-style home-care bed, so the bed's maker sets it. None on our listings. |
| Crib | 28 x 52 (Sealy Canada); 27 x 52 (Better Sleep Council). Health Canada sets the fit (30 mm gap). None on our listings. |
The crib row is the one with a law behind it. Health Canada's Cribs, Cradles and Bassinets Regulations cap a mattress supplied with a crib at 150 mm thick. A crib sold without one must warn buyers to the same limit. The 30 mm gap is measured with the mattress pushed firmly against any side. We don't list crib mattresses, so measure the crib itself and buy a mattress to fit it.
An RV platform or a home-care bed deck may not match any of the six standard sizes. The tape on the platform itself decides those mattresses. For comparison, Restonic's own chart gives its twin XL as 39 by 80 inches, and a Restonic Minto in that size lists at $1,099.00 before applicable taxes for Duncan.
Where a move up in mattress size goes wrong
A queen on the old double frame hangs 3 to 3.5 inches past each side and 5 past the foot, so a new size needs a new frame. Sealy Canada also asks for a frame with the "extra centre support" a queen or king set needs to prevent bowing and sagging.
A thicker new mattress on the old foundation raises the bed as well. Sealy's low-profile box spring cuts foundation height by up to 4.5 inches if the new bed stands taller than you'd like. The Sealy 5 Low Profile Foundation is carried at our Campbell River store, which quotes its best price on that one by phone. The Restwell bases listed for a Duncan order are adjustable ones; the Restwell Peak is $1,249.00 in queen before applicable taxes.
Where these mattress sizes and figures come from
- Better Sleep Council (sponsored by the International Sleep Products Association), Mattress Sizes, checked September 2026.
- Serta, Size and Dimensions (the ISPA dimension standard for finished mattresses), checked September 2026.
- Sealy Canada, FAQs (bedding dimensions, split foundations, carrying, sheets, frames), checked September 2026.
- Sealy Canada, Shopping Tips, checked September 2026.
- Sealy, What are the mattress dimensions? (twin long, split California king), checked September 2026.
- Tempur-Pedic Canada, TEMPUR Align series size guide, checked September 2026.
- Tempur-Pedic, Which sheets should I buy to fit my mattress?, checked September 2026.
- Restonic, Your most burning questions about mattress sizes answered, checked September 2026.
- Restonic, What's the best mattress size for sleeping?, checked September 2026.
- Government of Canada, Weights and Measures Act, Schedule II, checked September 2026.
- Province of British Columbia, British Columbia Building Code 2024, Division B, Sections 9.5 and 9.8, checked September 2026.
- CMHC, Co-operative Housing Development Program, Minimum Environmental and Accessibility Requirements, checked September 2026.
- CMHC, Universal Design minimum eligibility requirements table, checked September 2026.
- Health Canada, Cribs, Cradles and Bassinets Regulations (SOR/2016-152), checked September 2026.
- Merit Home Furniture's live mattress, protector and bed frame listings, store pages and the Duncan store's delivery terms, checked October 16, 2026.
Trying mattress sizes at a Merit showroom on the Island
Merit's Duncan, Campbell River and Port Alberni showrooms list mattresses. Call ahead to ask which sizes are set up, then lie down together the way you sleep; nobody will follow you around while you do.
- Duncan, Ingram Street: (250) 746-5527
- Campbell River, Homewood Road: (250) 286-0868
- Port Alberni, Third Avenue: (250) 724-6644
From the Duncan store, delivery is $150 across the Island, assembly included, and a mattress going across the Island may need a different shipping method. Delivery from Campbell River or Port Alberni is worth confirming with that store. When Duncan delivers, take-away of old furniture is usually $25 to $50 a piece and sometimes included; ask whether that covers an old mattress.
Call the Duncan store, (250) 746-5527
Mattresses on Vancouver Island gathers the guides on feel and fit, and most mattresses, bases and pillows we list sit in one collection.