Best emperor mattresses

An emperor is 200 by 200 centimetres, though the name is not standardised and some manufacturers use it for 180 by 200 or 215 by 215. Always ask for centimetres.

At 200 wide, each of two people gets a full metre. A super king gives 90 centimetres each, which is already the width of a UK single. So the step from super king to emperor is smaller in practice than the step from king to super king.

The real consideration is not the sleeping. It is that emperor is a specialist size: bedding is limited, expensive and slow to arrive, and every future sheet, protector and topper inherits that.

For most people a super king is the better decision. This page is for the rooms and situations where it genuinely is not.

The picks

Origin LumbarCloud Mattress: Best in super king, which is usually the answer

£797 · 8.2 / 10

Thirty-five centimetres and up to 8,000 springs. At super king each person gets 90 centimetres, the width of a UK single, and super king bedding is stocked everywhere where emperor is not.

Read the full Origin LumbarCloud Mattress review

Tweak: Best for mismatched couples

Mid range · 7.8 / 10

Scores 7.8. A different firmness on each side. If the reason for wanting more width is that you sleep badly together, firmness mismatch is more often the cause than space, and this addresses it directly.

Read the full Tweak review

Harrison Spinks: Best premium, where emperor is available

Premium · 8.3 / 10

Scores 8.3. Emperor sizes are largely the preserve of hand-built British makers, who build to order. Expect a lead time, and expect a mattress that two people will struggle to turn.

Read the full Harrison Spinks review

Hypnos: Best alternative premium

Premium · 8.0 / 10

Scores 8.0. Zip and link is worth considering at this size specifically: two singles of 100 centimetres each make an emperor, which solves access, handling and firmness mismatch at once.

Read the full Hypnos review

Where emperor sits, and what each size gives

The diminishing returns are visible in the right-hand column. Double to king adds 7.5 centimetres each. King to super king adds 15. Super king to emperor adds 10, at a large jump in cost, weight and bedding difficulty.

The bedding problem, which is the real one

The depth issue compounds it. Modern hybrids run 28 to 35 centimetres and standard sheets are cut for around 25, so you need an emperor sheet and a deep one, which narrows the field further.

A duvet is the easier part: buy generously sized, because a duvet that leaves nothing hanging over the sides slides off and lets warm air out at the edges.

Whether the room takes it

A 200 centimetre bed needs roughly 60 to 75 centimetres of clear floor each side to walk around and make the bed. That puts the practical minimum room width somewhere above 3.5 metres.

Measure the route in, not just the room: doorways, stair turns and landing width. A sprung mattress bent around a tight turn can have its spring unit permanently damaged, which voids most guarantees.

This is where zip and link earns its place at this size. Two 100 centimetre singles go up staircases an emperor mattress cannot, one person can turn each half, and each of you gets your own firmness. The trade is a seam down the middle, which a zip and link topper largely resolves.

The base, at this width

Two centre legs, not one. At 200 centimetres the middle of the frame is a long way from any support and carries the most load.

Slat spacing no more than about 7.5 centimetres, as at every size, because wider gaps cause sagging and void most guarantees.

Weight. An emperor hybrid can exceed 70 kilograms. That matters for turning, for ottoman gas strut ratings, and for whether you can rotate it at all. Most emperor beds are built as two linked bases for this reason.

What not to do

Buy emperor before checking bedding availability. It is a specialist size and everything you buy afterwards inherits that.

Assume emperor means one size. The name is not standardised. Ask for centimetres.

Order before measuring the route in.

Use one centre leg.

Choose emperor when the real problem is firmness mismatch. Extra width does not fix two people needing different support.

Also considered, and why they are not here

A roundup is only as useful as what it leaves out, so here is what was assessed and rejected for this list.

How this list is made, and who made it

Who writes this. Kyle Klinkradt has worked in the mattress and bedding industry for over ten years across retail, distribution and brand partnerships, and has handled, sold or assessed products from every major UK bed-in-a-box brand. Every review on this site is written by one person, so the scores mean the same thing from page to page.

What the assessment is. Construction specifications against what they physically do: spring height and where in the mattress it sits, spring count for the size, gauge, whether the base is sprung or foam, foam density where it is published, comfort layer depth and material. Then the commercial terms that decide what you are actually buying: trial against returns policy, guarantee length against the company's UK trading history at Companies House, and the regulatory record.

What it is not. This is not a laboratory. I do not publish pressure-mapping data or claim to have slept eight years on every mattress here, because nobody has and pages that imply otherwise are not telling you the truth. Where a judgement rests on construction rather than long-term use, the review says so.

What gets a product removed. Leaving the UK market, a specification change that makes the review inaccurate, or a corrected fact. Brands that have withdrawn are kept on the site with the score removed rather than quietly deleted, because people still search for them.

See editorial independence, corrections and the author page.

How these were chosen

Every product here has its own review on this site with a score out of 10, and the score is a judgement rather than an average. Nothing appears in a list because it pays more.

A score is against the market, not against its own range. The cheapest mattress in a lineup is usually priced to make the model above it look reasonable, and the flagship of a budget range has risen into a bracket where better brands compete. Both are judged against what else you could buy for the money.

Everything listed can actually be bought in the UK. That is not a given: Casper withdrew in July 2020 and Leesa no longer sells here, and both still appear in current British roundups with affiliate links attached.

I do not pad the list. Where only three or four products genuinely qualify, there are three or four. A list of seven when the category contains four good ones is a list with three bad recommendations in it.

Prices move constantly. Judge the cash price on the day rather than any percentage beside it. See every review on this site or where the real savings are.

Questions people ask

How big is an emperor bed?

Typically 200 by 200 centimetres, giving each of two people a full metre. The name is not standardised, and some manufacturers use emperor for 180 by 200 or 215 by 215, so always ask for centimetres.

Is an emperor bed worth it over a super king?

For most people, no. A super king already gives each person 90 centimetres, the width of a UK single, and emperor adds only 10 more at a large jump in cost, weight and bedding difficulty.

Is emperor bedding hard to find?

Yes. Fitted sheets, protectors, duvets and toppers are specialist items with limited fibre and depth choices, higher prices and longer delivery. Check availability before committing to the size.

What is the best way to get an emperor mattress upstairs?

Zip and link, which is two 100 centimetre singles. They go up staircases an emperor mattress cannot, one person can turn each half, and each of you gets your own firmness.