How to Measure a Twin Bed

Measure your twin beds for a good fit with your bedding.

While it is possible to buy sheets and bedding for your twin-size bed simply by choosing items that are labeled as twin-sized, measuring your bed gives you more exacting specifications. While twin beds do tend to conform to a general range of sizes, within that range there is a fair amount of variation. You may have added a mattress enhancement such as an egg-crate or fiberfill topper which changes the depth of your mattress. Normal twin sheets would not fit in this case.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape

Instructions

1. Strip your bed entirely of any pillows, blankets or sheets.

2. Measure the long edge of your twin size mattress by running a measuring tape from one corner to the other along one long side. Place the tip of the measuring tape against the seam of the edge of the mattress, not the decorative piping.

3. Measure the short edge of your mattress by running a measuring tape from one corner to the other along the short side.

4. Measure the drop of your mattress by running the measuring tape from the corner of the mattress below the decorative piping down along the depth of the mattress, stopping just short of the piping on the lower edge.

5. Round up the measurements taken in steps 2 through 4 to the nearest inch.

6. Measure from the top of the box spring to the floor to get a depth for a bed skirt.

Tips & Warnings

• When buying fitted sheets, remember that they should be a little deeper than the bed itself, to account for the part of the sheet that rests under the bed.

References

• Between the Sheets: Bed Sizes & Sheet and Duvet Sizes
• Shop Bedding.com: Mattress Sizes