What is a Single Mattress?

A single mattress is a type of sleeping surface typically filled with metal springs and padding or foam. Among standard sizes of mattresses, the single mattress is the smallest produced by most manufacturers.

Size

In the United States and Canada, the average length of a single mattress is 75 inches. Most single mattresses are around 39 inches in width. The thickness of a single mattress varies from manufacturer to manufacturer and even sometimes from style to style within a single manufacturer's line.

Geography

In the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe, a standard single mattress is usually the same length as a single mattress in the United States, but it is 3 inches narrower at 36 inches in width. In Asia, single mattresses generally are 42 inches in width and 78 inches in length and come in a standard 22-inch thickness.

Features

Single mattresses are sometimes known as twin mattresses. Twin mattresses are typically laid on a box spring, foundation or platform to provide support for your body as you sleep. Twin mattresses are sometimes put in bunk beds, which stack one mattress on top of one another, providing access to the top bed or bunk with a ladder.

Variations

Some companies produce an XL, or extra-long, twin mattress, which is 5 inches longer than a standard single. An XXL twin or super single mattress is 9 inches longer and 9 inches wider than a standard single.

References

• Precious Bedding: Mattress Sizes of the World