Duvet Sizes Compared: UK, Australian and NZ Standards

Same bed name, different duvet

A double duvet in the UK is 200 x 200 cm. A double quilt in Australia is 180 x 210 cm. The name is the same, but the Australian one is 20 cm narrower and 10 cm longer.

At Dunelm in the UK, single to super king duvets are made to fit the standard dimensions of the beds with the same name. One rule works in all three markets: ignore the name and measure the mattress.

The word changes as well. In Australia a duvet inner is called a quilt or a doona. In New Zealand, Kiwi Wool and Bed Bath & Beyond NZ sell them as duvet inners.

UK duvet sizes

All figures are width x length in centimetres.

The two retailers agree on single, double and super king. They differ on king: Dunelm's is 230 cm wide and Silentnight's is 225 x 220 cm. Neither duvet table has a small double size, though the small double mattress is a standard UK bed.

Single and double duvets are 200 cm long, 10 cm more than a 190 cm mattress. King and super king duvets are 220 cm long, 20 cm more than a 200 cm mattress. In Australia and New Zealand every size except the Australian super king is 210 cm long.

Australian quilt sizes

Australian sizes, shown width first to match the other tables:

King is the only size where the quilt figures disagree. A Sheridan king quilt is 240 x 210 cm, while the Sheridan king quilt cover and the Bed Bath N' Table king quilt are both 245 x 210 cm.

The king mattress width is not fixed either. At Bed Bath N' Table the king mattress and king topper are 183 x 203 cm, but the king fitted sheet and protector are 180 x 203 cm. A Sheridan king mattress protector is also 180 x 203 cm. Dimensions vary slightly between brands, so check the centimetres on the label.

The Australian super king is the only quilt in any of the three markets that is longer than 220 cm. At 240 cm long it gives 37 cm more than a 203 cm mattress.

New Zealand duvet inner sizes

New Zealand mattresses and inners, in centimetres:

Queen is the most common NZ bed size.

The New Zealand king bed is narrower than the Australian one, at 167 cm wide. The same gap shows in bed skirts: an NZ King skirt is 168 x 203 cm and an Australian King skirt is 180 x 203 cm.

The New Zealand super king inner is 265 x 210 cm. Kiwi Wool and Bed Bath & Beyond NZ ("S King") both list that size, and Sheridan sells a separate NZ Super King quilt cover at 265 x 210 cm. An Australian super king quilt, at 270 x 240 cm, is much bigger.

Not every New Zealand listing uses New Zealand figures. Bed Bath N' Table's New Zealand store lists a super king quilt at 270 x 240 cm and a king mattress at 183 cm wide (180 cm for its fitted sheets). Those are the Australian figures, and they don't match the Kiwi Wool and Bed Bath & Beyond NZ tables. A New Zealand buyer should read the centimetres, not the size name.

The king inner differs too: 245 x 210 cm at Bed Bath & Beyond NZ, 240 x 210 cm at Kiwi Wool. Bed Bath & Beyond NZ also lists a "C King" inner at 285 x 210 cm, and its sizes can vary slightly from brand to brand.

Side-by-side: matching duvet to bed across the three markets

Duvet width minus mattress width, halved, gives the overhang on each side. The table puts each market's own duvet on its own mattress, using the figures above.

The target is 30 to 40 cm of overhang on each side. UK doubles, kings and super kings fall inside that range. Australian and New Zealand doubles fall 8.5 cm short of it, and queens are a centimetre or so short. The Australian king sits on the lower edge at 28.5–32.5 cm, depending on which quilt and which mattress width you take. The New Zealand king, at 36.5 cm, is inside the range.

To work out the width you need, decide on the overhang for each side and add twice that number to the mattress width. For a 152 cm queen with 35 cm a side, that is 222 cm. This sits between a 210 cm queen quilt and a 240 cm king.

Sizing up, king singles and deep mattresses

Dunelm, Silentnight and Bed Bath N' Table all suggest going up a size for more coverage. Dunelm suggests the next size up, such as a double duvet on a single bed. Silentnight suggests a king-size duvet for a couple sharing a double. Bed Bath N' Table's Australian equivalent is a king quilt on a queen mattress. Both of those pairings put the overhang above the 30–40 cm target:

• A UK king duvet (225–230 cm) on a 135 cm double gives 45–47.5 cm a side.
• An Australian king quilt (240–245 cm) on a 152 cm queen gives 44–46.5 cm a side.

King singles are handled differently by each retailer. Bed Bath N' Table Australia pairs a king single with a double quilt and quilt cover. Kiwi Wool does not make a King Single inner and points king single owners to its Double or Single inner. Bed Bath & Beyond NZ lists a "K Single" inner at 180 x 210 cm, the same size as its double. On a 107 cm king single mattress, a 180 cm inner gives 36.5 cm a side.

A deep mattress uses up some of the overhang, so if your mattress is 30 cm or thicker, treat the overhang figures as a minimum. For a bed that is uniquely shaped, a custom-sized duvet is the alternative to a standard size.

Duvets are not suitable for babies under one year of age.

Moving bedding between countries

Between Australia and New Zealand, three sizes are identical. Single (140 x 210), double (180 x 210) and queen (210 x 210) quilts and inners match in both markets, so covers in those sizes fit either way.

King is close but not exact. Both markets use 240–245 x 210 cm, but the 167 cm New Zealand king bed is 13–16 cm narrower than the 180–183 cm Australian king. The same quilt gives more overhang on an NZ king.

Super king is where the two markets differ most. An Australian super king quilt (270 x 240) is 5 cm wider and 30 cm longer than a New Zealand super king inner (265 x 210). Sheridan lists an NZ Super King quilt cover at 265 x 210 cm as its own size, next to its 270 x 240 cm Super King cover.

UK duvets match neither market's sizes:

• A UK double (200 x 200) is 10 cm short each way against an Australian or New Zealand queen (210 x 210).
• A UK king (225–230 x 220) is 10–20 cm narrower and 10 cm longer than an Australian king quilt (240–245 x 210).
• A UK super king (260 x 220) is 5 cm narrower and 10 cm longer than an NZ super king inner (265 x 210). It is 10 cm narrower and 20 cm shorter than an Australian super king (270 x 240).

Where to buy

• Dunelm (UK): standard delivery £3.95, free over £60.
• Silentnight (UK): free UK delivery over £49.
• Sheridan (Australia): members get free shipping within Australia on orders over $150.
• Bed Bath N' Table Australia: free standard delivery for orders over $150.
• Bed Bath N' Table New Zealand: free shipping on orders over $150. Check the centimetres, as the size guide uses the Australian figures.
• Bed Bath & Beyond NZ: duvet inners in New Zealand sizes, including S King and C King.
• Kiwi Wool (New Zealand): wool duvet inners, made in Auckland.

References

• Dunelm: Duvets buying guide — UK duvet sizes, duvets made to fit the beds of the same name, sizing up, babies under one, delivery charge
• Silentnight: Duvet buying guide — UK duvet sizes including the 225 cm king, UK mattress sizes, upsizing and a king duvet on a double, custom sizes, delivery threshold
• Sheridan: Size guide — Australian quilt and quilt cover sizes, NZ Super King cover, AU and NZ King bed skirts, 180 cm king mattress protector, member shipping
• Bed Bath N' Table Australia: Bed size guide — Australian quilt and mattress sizes, king at 180 cm (sheets, protector) and 183 cm (mattress, topper), brand variation, king single and sizing-up advice, delivery threshold
• Bed Bath N' Table New Zealand: Bed size guide — NZ store listing of the 270 x 240 cm super king and 183 cm king mattress (180 cm fitted sheet), shipping threshold
• Bed Bath & Beyond NZ: Size guide — NZ duvet inner sizes including K Single, S King and C King, brand variation
• Kiwi Wool: Duvet size guide NZ — NZ mattress and inner sizes, queen as the most common bed, no Kiwi Wool king single inner (Double or Single instead), AU vs NZ super king, quilt and doona, overhang target, width rule, deep mattresses, made in Auckland