Best European king size mattresses
A European king is 160 by 200 centimetres, which is wider than a UK king and narrower than a UK super king.
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It matches neither UK size
A European king is 160 by 200 centimetres. A UK king is 150 by 200 and a UK super king is 180 by 200.
Ten centimetres wider than one and twenty narrower than the other, so a UK fitted sheet in either size will be wrong, and a UK frame will not hold it properly.
People arrive at this size three ways: buying imported furniture, moving to the UK with a bed, or being sold a continental size by a retailer without the difference being flagged.
If you have a choice, buy a UK king or a UK super king. If you do not, the practical workarounds are below.
The picks
The pick, if you want one answer
Origin Hybrid Pro Mattress, 8.4 / 10. The strongest specification per pound in UK sizes, which is where this search should usually land.
| Product | Best for | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Origin Hybrid Pro Mattress | Best UK king | £374 area | 8.4 / 10 |
| Origin LumbarCloud Mattress | Best UK super king | £797 | 8.2 / 10 |
| Otty Original Hybrid Mattress | Best if you sleep hot | Around £500 area | 8.1 / 10 |
| Tweak | Best for mismatched couples | Mid range | 7.8 / 10 |
Origin Hybrid Pro Mattress: Best UK king
£374 area · 8.4 / 10
The highest scoring mattress on this site at 8.4. At 150 centimetres each of two people gets 75, which is the usual step up from a double.
Buy it if
You have the choice and a UK king is the sensible landing point.
Do not buy it if
You are heavier and want maximum depth.
Read the full Origin Hybrid Pro Mattress review
Origin LumbarCloud Mattress: Best UK super king
£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, which is 20 more than a European king gives each of you.
Buy it if
You want the size closest to and above a European king.
Do not buy it if
You are under about eleven stone.
Read the full Origin LumbarCloud Mattress review
Otty Original Hybrid Mattress: Best if you sleep hot
Around £500 area · 8.1 / 10
Scores 8.1. A 16 centimetre spring core rather than a thin comfort layer of springs above a foam base.
Buy it if
Heat is your main complaint and you are choosing a UK size.
Do not buy it if
You want to sink in.
Read the full Otty Original Hybrid Mattress review
Tweak: Best for mismatched couples
Mid range · 7.8 / 10
Scores 7.8. A different firmness each side. If the reason you were looking at a continental size was sleeping comfort rather than aesthetics, this addresses it more directly than ten centimetres of width does.
Buy it if
You and your partner differ in weight or firmness preference.
Do not buy it if
You both want the same thing.
Every size, so you can see where the confusion comes from
| Name | Dimensions | Market |
|---|---|---|
| Double | 135 x 190cm | UK |
| King | 150 x 200cm | UK |
| Super king | 180 x 200cm | UK |
| Double | 140 x 200cm | Europe |
| King | 160 x 200cm | Europe |
| Queen | about 152 x 203cm | US |
| King | about 193 x 203cm | US |
The word king means four different things across those rows. Always compare centimetres, never names.
Note also that European sizes are 200 centimetres long against a UK double at 190, so length can catch you in the other direction if you are tall and considering a UK double.
If you already have a European king
You are not stuck, and every solution is a compromise rather than a fix.
Sheets. Buy a UK super king fitted sheet and accept the excess, tucked under. That works far better than a UK king sheet, which is ten centimetres short: a short sheet has no fabric to fold under and works loose at the corners every night.
Duvets and covers. Easier, because duvets are not fitted. A UK super king duvet gives good overhang on a 160 centimetre bed, which is what you want anyway.
Protectors and toppers. Super king with overhang, anchored by a deep fitted sheet sized for the mattress and topper together.
Specialist suppliers do stock continental sizes in the UK, at higher prices and with slower delivery. Worth it for a fitted sheet you use daily; rarely worth it for a topper.
The frame is the harder problem
A 160 centimetre mattress on a 150 centimetre UK king frame overhangs by five centimetres each side, which is uncomfortable, looks wrong and leaves the mattress edges unsupported. Edge support is the first part of a mattress to fail, and unsupported overhang accelerates that.
On a 180 centimetre super king frame it leaves a ten centimetre gap each side, which is a trip hazard and a place for bedding to fall into.
When you replace the mattress, replace the frame at the same time and switch to a UK size. Doing both together is the only clean way out, and doing one without the other repeats the problem.
Whichever size you land on, the base rules are unchanged: slats no more than about 7.5 centimetres apart, and a centre rail with a leg, two at super king width.
What not to do
Buy a European king by choice in the UK. Every future sheet, protector and topper inherits the problem.
Use a UK king sheet on a 160 centimetre mattress. Ten centimetres short means it works loose every night.
Put a 160 centimetre mattress on a 150 centimetre frame. The overhang leaves the edges unsupported.
Compare sizes by name. King means four different things across UK, Europe and the US.
Replace the mattress without the frame. Do both at once and switch to a UK size.
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.
| Product | Why it is not on the list |
|---|---|
| Emma Original Lite | Excellent at £199 in UK sizes, with limited support headroom for two adults of different weights. |
| Simba Hybrid Ultra | Thirty-four centimetres and 7,300 springs at £1,749 in UK king. Origin beats it on depth and count for well under half. |
| Hypnos range | Hand-built British construction, made to UK sizes, which is part of why continental sizing is rare at this end of the market. |
How this list is made, and who made it
Independence
No brand pays to appear on this site and no placement is sold. Some links earn a commission if you buy, which never changes a score, an order or a verdict. Several of the lowest scores here are on products that carry commission, and several recommendations carry none.
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.
Related guides
Other pages on this site covering the same ground.
- Best king size mattresses
- Best super king mattresses
- Best queen size mattresses
- Best emperor mattresses
Questions people ask
What size is a European king mattress?
One hundred and sixty by 200 centimetres. A UK king is 150 by 200 and a UK super king is 180 by 200, so a European king matches neither and will not take UK fitted sheets.
Will UK bedding fit a European king bed?
Not properly. A UK king fitted sheet is ten centimetres short, which means it works loose at the corners every night. A UK super king sheet fits with excess fabric to tuck under, which works better.
Can I put a European king mattress on a UK frame?
Not well. On a UK king frame it overhangs five centimetres each side, leaving the edges unsupported, and on a super king frame it leaves a ten centimetre gap each side.
What should I do if I own a European king?
Use super king bedding with the excess tucked, and when the mattress needs replacing, replace the frame at the same time and switch to a UK size. Doing one without the other repeats the problem.