How Wide is a Full Size Bed | Inches, Feet & cm

The width of a full size bed can be confusing, especially if you’re just considering buying your first bed. Fortunately, there is a simple explanation in this article that will help you understand bed sizes immediately.

In this article:

  • Full size bed dimensions
    • Feet
    • Inches
    • Cm
  • How big is a full size bed
    • How many adults can sleep on full bed?
    • What bedroom size you need for full size bed?
  • Full size bed versus Queen

Full Size Bed Dimensions

Twin BedInchesFeetCm
Width544.5137.2
Length756.25190.5
Height24260.9

The table above shows the dimensions of a full size bed in three of the most common units of measurement.

It’s good to paint a picture of how big this bed size is to readers who aren’t familiar.

What should you expect to see?

How Wide is a Full Size Bed?

Full size bed dimensions

A full size bed is 137.2cm wide. This is equivalent to 54 inches in width. But here’s something worth knowing.

The average adult human arm for women is 81.3 cm while male arms average about 86.1cm. A one meter ruler is usually closer to your waist tall. A normal average size person sleeping on their back requires about 12-13 inches of bed space. This is the same as 30-33 cm.

Do these values matter in understanding how wide a full size bed is? The simple answer is, yes. With these figures, you can estimate how many people can fit in a full bed.

First, if a full bed is 137cm wide and an adult requires about 33cm of sleeping space, you can begin to estimate the number of people who can fit on it.

Consider a few inches of space between the sleepers. You will realize that two adults can comfortably share a full size bed. The bed frame is usually 1-2 inches wider than the mattress. This applies to the length too. The additional space is often necessary to give bedding room to hang.

A full size bed will, in that case, be between 55 and 56 inches wide. The length will also range between 76 and 70 inches.

How Long is a Full Bed?

A full bed is 6.25 feet long. This is equivalent to 75 inches.

It is comfortable for even tall people.

Couples can share a full bed because it has enough space to accommodate two adults. Notably, it is a wonderful upgrade for a single sleeper.

The benefit of a full bed is that it allows two sleepers to share the bed without taking much floor space.

We recommend that you preserve a full bed for teenagers and only young adults.

Also in the list is the price.

Full beds are inexpensive compared to queens. Even the beddings for the same size mattress will not cost you a lot of money compared to larger beds. Moving a full bed from one room to another is also not as cumbersome as trying to relocate with an oversized one.

How Does Full Bed Compared with Other Beds?

Among the most common bed sizes apart from full are twin, twin XL, queen, king, California king, Texas king, and Alaskan king. Let’s have a look at how the compare with full size bed.

Full vs Twin Size

Full bed has the same length as a twin bed, which is 75 inches. Although they have the same lengths, twin bed is 16 inches narrower. Children easily outgrow twin beds in their teenage years. If your child is one of them, consider buying a full bed if their bedroom is not large enough for bigger beds.

Full bed is also an excellent choice for those who have two children but can’t afford two beds or a much expensive bunk bed.

These beds are similar in length. Their only difference lies in width.

Luckily, both will fit perfectly well in a seemingly tony bedroom of 10 x 12 feet bedroom. Since these are largely seen as small beds, they will fit even 10 x 10 bedroom and still allow plenty of space for other furniture in the bedroom.

Since twin XL beds are slightly longer, they are often used to accommodate taller students in school dormitories.

A full bed will give you a much spread-out room.

Full vs Queen

 FullQueen
Width54 inches60 inches
Length75 inches80 inches
Width per person27 inches38 inches
Popularity21%32%
AdvantageSmall bedroomFits 2 adults
DisadvantageLess sleeping spaceNeed larger rooms

Full vs queen dimensions

A typical queen-sized bed is 60 x 80 inches in size with an estimated sleeping area of 4,800 square inches. On the other hand, a typical full-sized bed is 54 inches by 75 inches, giving us about 4,050 square inches of sleeping area.

While a full bed is 54 inches wide, a queen is four inches wider, making it 60 inches. The beds also differ in their lengths.

A queen measures 80 inches long but a full size bed is 5 inches shorter. Couples can sleep on a queen bed comfortably compared to a full. Queen beds give 30 inches of sleeping space per side. A king bed is even much comfy because of more area with each partner getting 38 inches of space.

If your family prefers to co-sleep, go for a king or queen, but not full. California king would be even more advisable.

Individuals sleeping solo will appreciate the extra space provided by a full bed.

These beds also take up less space than a large queen or king-size bed. There are many bedrooms that are 10-foot by 12-foot. This is a fairly standard room size in the United States and a full bed will fit comfortably.

Furthermore, these beds are less expensive and easier to move than larger beds. 

You get a personal sleeping space of 27 inches per person if we we’re to split the full bed into two. Couple may feel a little cramped if they’re used to bigger beds. The queen is much more spacious and suitable for two sleepers.

On the contrary, if you get a larger bed, you will need a bigger bedroom, probably 11 feet by 12 feet and beyond.

You don’t need to feel pressured to acquire a big bed if you live alone in a city apartment where additional space means more rent dollars. Small apartments are not bad for young couples who are just starting out.

Very soon, you can upgrade to a king or queen size bed after settling.

With all that being said, we need to talk about how full beds compare with other bed sizes.