Sofa dimensions are seven numbers: overall width, depth and height, then seat height, seat depth, seat width and arm height. On the 133 sofas listed on Merit Home Furniture's pages this week, the median sofa is 85 inches wide, 38 deep and 37 tall. Of those, 74 fall between 84 and 90 inches wide. The median loveseat is 63 inches wide.
Those widths sit inside the general references. Dimensions.com gives a three-seat sofa as 72 to 96 inches, with 84 as typical, and a loveseat as 48 to 72. I read the seat numbers before the width, though. Seat height on the sofas we sell on the Island runs 17 to 22 inches, and that spread changes how a sofa sits far more than a few inches of length.
Standard sofa dimensions in inches, centimetres and feet
Widths below come from the spec tables on our live product pages, counted again on October 16, 2026. Chaise sofas and sleepers are left out of the sofa row.
| Sofa type | Width on our pages | Median in cm and feet |
|---|---|---|
| Loveseat (61 listings) | 53 to 77.5 in, median 63 | 160 cm, 5 ft 3 in |
| Apartment size (16 Island Living made to order) | 69 to 80 in, median 73 | 185 cm, 6 ft 1 in |
| Three-seat sofa (133 listings) | 69 to 100 in, median 85 | 216 cm, 7 ft 1 in |
| Queen sofa bed (5 listed for Duncan) | 75.5 to 87 in closed | 192 to 221 cm |
Depth and height barely move between those types. The 133 sofas run 33 to 46 inches deep, median 38 (97 cm), and 30 to 43.5 inches tall, median 37. Island Living backs sit lowest, a median 35 inches, and Ashley backs highest at a median 39.
How to read a sofa spec sheet from Ashley, La-Z-Boy, Decor-Rest and Island Living
A sofa spec sheet lists different numbers depending on who made the sofa. The four makers with the most sofas on Merit's pages each print their own set, so two listings side by side rarely compare cleanly.
| Maker | What the page lists | Lead time |
|---|---|---|
| Ashley | Width, depth and height in one line, written 87''W x 40''D x 40''H; seat numbers on a few pages only | 4 to 6 weeks |
| La-Z-Boy | Overall size plus seat width, seat height, seat depth, arm height and weight | 8 to 10 weeks |
| Decor-Rest | Overall size plus seat height and seat depth | 8 to 10 weeks |
| Island Living | Height, depth and length for each piece in the family | 6 to 8 weeks made to order, 2 to 3 if Island Living has it in Vancouver |
Two things trip people up. Island Living calls the side-to-side measurement "length", which is the same thing Ashley calls "W". And La-Z-Boy pages often list two configurations, such as the Apartment-Size Sofa and the full Sofa on the Kennedy, above a single dimension table. When that happens, we confirm which configuration the numbers belong to before anyone orders.
Overall depth runs from the front of the seat to the back of the frame, back cushions included. Seat depth is shorter: front edge to the face of the back cushion. Each lead time ends with the sofa ready for pickup or delivery.
Seat height and arm height: the sofa numbers to check before width
Seat height is the distance from the floor to the top of the seat cushion. On the 73 Merit sofas that list it, it runs 17 to 22 inches, median 19 inches (48 cm). Decor-Rest sits low, 17 to 19 inches. La-Z-Boy sits higher at 20.5 to 22. About two thirds of the listed sofas, 48 of 73, are 19 inches or lower, and 12 are 21 or higher.
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) writes about office chairs, but its yardstick carries over. It says the highest point of the seat should sit "just below the kneecap", with feet flat on the floor. A 22-inch seat like the Olson suits longer legs; the Decor-Rest 2702 sits at 17. If a hip, knee or back problem makes standing up hard, ask your doctor or physiotherapist what seat height suits you before choosing.
Arm height, 24 to 29 inches on the 32 sofas that print it (median 26), decides whether an elbow rests naturally. It also decides whether the sofa clears a window sill behind it. Cushion fill and spring type are the other half of comfort, and our guide on which sofas feel softest and firmest by the numbers works through them.
How deep should my sofa be?
Sofa depth depends on how you sit. Overall depth on Merit's sofas runs 33 to 46 inches, median 38. Of the 133, 27 are 37 inches deep or less and 8 are 42 or more. Seat depth is the closer guide to fit: 19.5 to 25 inches on the 73 sofas that list it, median 22.
CCOHS suggests a gap between the seat's front edge and your calves that "fits a clenched fist (about 5 cm or 2 inches)". By that measure, a seat depth about 2 inches shorter than your thigh leaves the gap with your back against the cushion. The thigh is measured seated, from the back of the hips to the back of the knee. A deeper seat suits curling up, or someone with longer legs.
Deep and low
The Decor-Rest 2702 is 89 inches wide and 44 deep, with a 25-inch seat depth and a 17-inch seat. Listed at $1,699 before applicable taxes.
Upright and shallow
The Bexley from La-Z-Boy has a 20-inch seat depth, 38.5 inches overall, and a 21.5-inch seat. Listed at $1,549 before applicable taxes.
Depth also comes out of the room. A 44-inch sofa against one wall of a 12-foot room leaves 100 inches, or 8 feet 4 inches, before the coffee table and the walkway.
How many people fit on a 3-seater?
A three-seater's capacity comes from its seat width, the cushion span between the arms, never its overall width. Of our sofa pages, 21 print both numbers. On those, the arms and frame take 9 to 22 inches, median 16, and the median seat width is 70.5 inches.
Across three cushions, 70.5 inches gives each person 23.5 inches. The Apollo reclining sofa shows the arithmetic: 85.5 inches overall, 67.5 of seat, so 22.5 inches a person. The Kennedy is 69 inches overall with a 59-inch seat, which gives two adults 29.5 inches each. A slim track arm buys seat width; a rolled or padded arm spends it.
What size is an apartment sofa?
An apartment sofa is a three-seat style built shorter. All 16 Island Living made-to-order sofas Merit lists come in an Apt-Size version, 69 to 80 inches wide, median 73. Island Living builds those in Burnaby, BC. The one-arm and armless apartment pieces in the same families run 61 to 72 inches. If the sofa is going into a first place, weigh it against the rest of your first apartment checklist before choosing a size.
- The Kennedy from La-Z-Boy, at the 69 inches above: 38 deep, $1,449 before applicable taxes.
- The Olson apartment-size sofa: 75.5 inches wide, $1,499 before applicable taxes.
- The Decor-Rest 2855: 70 inches wide, 38 deep, $1,549 before applicable taxes.
Island Living shows no prices online, by its own policy, so a Island Living apartment sofa like the Holberg is priced by phone through Duncan. Shorter rarely means shallower: the Island Living apartment sizes are still 33 to 42 inches deep. The sofas built in Burnaby and Woodbridge are compared in their own guide.
Queen sofa bed dimensions, closed and pulled out
A queen sofa bed is wider and much longer than its sofa when open. Closed, the five queen sofa beds listed for Duncan with believable widths run 75.5 to 87 inches. Open, the La-Z-Boy pages give 93 inches from the back of the Olson to the front of the mechanism, and 93.5 inches for the Kennedy sleeper.
The mattress is shorter than a bed's. The Better Sleep Council gives a standard queen as 60 by 80 inches. La-Z-Boy's sleeper queen mattress is 71.5 inches long, 60 wide and 5.5 thick, about 8.5 inches shorter than a standard queen. Prices on our pages: the Olson Sleeper Sofa at $1,649, and the Altari queen sleeper from Ashley at $899, both before applicable taxes. The Genoa from Island Living is 77 inches closed around a 60-inch queen bed. For a guest room that also needs a dresser, a bed that folds out of a cabinet is the other route.
What is the 2/3 rule for sofas?
The 2/3 rule says a sofa looks right when it fills about two-thirds of the wall behind it. A 12-foot wall (144 inches) points to a 96-inch sofa. A 10-foot wall points to about 80 inches, and a 9-foot wall to an apartment size near 72. It is a rule of proportion. Walkways and doors come first, and laying out the room with tape before buying covers those steps.
Where sofa dimensions on a listing can mislead
Chaise sofas sit in the same sofa collection with depths of 57 to 62 inches. A filter by width alone brings up pieces far deeper than they look in a thumbnail. Reclining sofas grow when open: one Monarch power sofa listed for Duncan is 35.5 inches deep closed and 63 fully reclined, and asks for 27 inches from the wall.
Overall height alone does not settle a doorway. Depth and the diagonal matter as much, and the guide on whether a sofa clears a narrow door and hallway works through step by step.
A few of Merit's pages carry numbers that do not add up yet. Two La-Z-Boy queen sleepers list closed widths of 54 and 69 inches, too narrow for a 60-inch mattress, and two Decor-Rest loveseats list widths above 90. A call to Duncan confirms any number that looks odd before an order.
Sofa sizes, delivery and pickup from our Duncan store
The sofas at our Duncan store are display models, and most sofas we sell are ordered to the fabric and size you pick. A call before the drive tells you which ones are set up to sit in. Bring the wall length and your seated knee height, and we will narrow the full sofa list to the frames that fit.
From Duncan, delivery is $150 across the Island with assembly included; for the Gulf Islands, call the store to hear which ones we reach. Pickup at Duncan is free. Nanaimo, Campbell River and Port Alberni set their own terms, so ask that store. Our sofa and sectional guides sit together on one page.
Where these sofa numbers come from
- Merit Home Furniture live product pages in /collections/sofas and /collections/loveseats, spec tables read with the read-only Admin API, checked October 2, 2026 and counted again October 16, 2026.
- CCOHS office ergonomics, adjusting chair seat height and depth, checked October 2026.
- CCOHS, sitting position basics for feet, knees and hips, checked October 2026.
- Better Sleep Council, standard twin, double and queen mattress sizes, read October 2, 2026.
- Dimensions.com, Couches and Sofas, checked October 2026.