Having the right size bed sheet can make the difference between a night's sleep and a good night's sleep. If the sheets are too big, they will slide, tangle and end up on the floor. If the sheets are too small, they won't stay on the bed properly and you'll end up on a bare mattress. If you do not know what kind of bed you have (twin, full, queen, king or California king), measuring the bed will tell you exactly what size sheets to buy to ensure a proper fit and a good night's rest.
Understand what you are measuring: the width of the mattress, the length of the mattress and the depth of the mattress. It's good to also write down the height from the floor to top of mattress and the height from the top of the bed base to the floor.
Stretch the measuring tape across the mattress to measure the width. Begin at the bottom right corner of the mattress and stretch the measuring tape all the way to the bottom left corner of the mattress. Record, in inches, how wide the mattress is on a piece of paper.
Place the measuring tape at the top of the mattress at the headboard. Stretch the measuring tape to the bottom of the mattress where it ends. This is the length of the bed. Record the length of the bed.
Place the measuring tape at the top of the mattress. Extend the measuring tape just to the bottom of the mattress. This will measure the depth, or thickness, the mattress. Record this number on the paper.
Pick out your sheets based on the size of the mattress:
Twin:
Fitted sheet = 39 inches by 76 inches by 8 inches
Flat sheet = 72 inches by 102 inches
Duvet or quilt = 59 inches by 79 inches
Comforter = 80 inches by 106 inches
Waterbed, fitted = 39 inches by 85 inches
Full:
Fitted sheet = 54 inches by 76 inches by 8 inches
Flat sheet = 87 inches by 102 inches
Duvet or quilt = 79 inches by 79 inches
Comforter = 100 inches by 106 inches
Waterbed, fitted = 60 inches x 85 inches
Queen:
Fitted sheet = 60 inches by 80 inches by 8 inches
Flat sheet = 105 inches by 110 inches
Duvet or quilt = 88 inches by 86 inches
Comforter = 106 inches by 106 inches
Waterbed, fitted = 73 inches by 85 inches
King:
Fitted sheet = 76 inches by 80 inches by 8 inches
Flat sheet = 110 inches by 114 inches
Duvet or quilt = 102 inches by 86 inches
Comforter = 112 inches by 106 inches
Californian King:
Fitted sheet = 73 inches by 85 inches by 8 inches
Flat sheet = 110 inches by 114 inches
Duvet or quilt = 102 inches by 86 inches
Comforter = 114 inches by 106 inches