Quilt sizes chart: how big should your quilt be?

US quilt sizes chart (mattress, topper, coverlet, bedspread)

Every bed quilt size below comes from one formula: mattress width plus two drops, and mattress length plus one drop (the foot end) plus a pillow tuck for a bedspread. The three drop styles are a topper with an 8 in (20 cm) drop, a coverlet with a 14 in (35 cm) drop and a bedspread with a 21 in (53 cm) drop plus a 10 in (25 cm) pillow tuck.

Width is always given first. A king quilt is wider than it is long, which is why the king topper reads 92 x 88 in. Canadian twin mattresses often run an inch wider, about 39 x 75 in (99 x 190.5 cm), so add that inch to the twin rows if your bed was bought in Canada.

The crib row is there for completeness and for play quilts. Please read the baby section below before you plan a quilt for a crib.

How do I work out a quilt size from my mattress?

Use the formula every chart above is built on (we call it mattress_to_quilt):

• Quilt width = mattress width + 2 x drop
• Quilt length = mattress length + drop + pillow tuck

The drop is how far the quilt hangs over the edge. The pillow tuck is the extra length that folds under and over your pillows, usually 10 to 12 in (25 to 30 cm). Toppers and coverlets usually skip the tuck because pillows sit on top of them or shams cover the head end. Bedspreads include it.

What is a topper, a coverlet and a bedspread?

• Topper (8 in, 20 cm drop). Covers the top of the mattress and just turns the edge. Pairs with a bed skirt, a valance or a duvet underneath. It is the smallest bed quilt and the fastest to finish.
• Coverlet (14 in, 35 cm drop). Covers the mattress sides and hangs a little below. This is the classic bed quilt and the style most patterns mean when they say "queen size".
• Bedspread (21 in, 53 cm drop, plus a 10 in, 25 cm tuck). Reaches close to the floor on a standard bed frame and wraps the pillows. Beautiful, and big: a king bedspread is 118 x 111 in (300 x 282 cm), which needs a wide back and a longarm.

Why does mattress depth change everything?

The standard drops assume a mattress of moderate depth. Modern pillow top and hybrid mattresses are often 12 to 16 in (30 to 40 cm) deep, and a mattress topper adds more. On a 15 in deep mattress, a "coverlet" with a 14 in drop no longer covers the sides; it stops an inch short and shows the mattress.

So measure before you choose. Run a tape from the top of the mattress (with any topper on) down to where you want the quilt to end. That number is your drop. A coverlet usually ends 1 to 3 in (3 to 8 cm) below the mattress, enough to hide the seam where mattress meets base. If your bed has a deep frame or a storage base, the drop can end higher.

Worked example in inches: a queen on a deep mattress

Your US queen mattress is 60 x 80 in and 14 in deep with its pillow top. You want a coverlet that hangs 2 in below the mattress.

1. Drop = 14 + 2 = 16 in.
2. Width = 60 + 2 x 16 = 92 in.
3. Length = 80 + 16 = 96 in.
4. Want it to wrap the pillows too? Add a 10 in tuck: 92 x 106 in.

The chart's queen coverlet is 88 x 94 in. On this mattress it would leave the sides showing, which is exactly the complaint quilters post after finishing a "queen" pattern for a new bed.

Worked example in centimetres: an EU 160 bed

Your mattress is 160 x 200 cm and 25 cm deep. You want the quilt to end 10 cm below the mattress.

1. Drop = 25 + 10 = 35 cm.
2. Width = 160 + 2 x 35 = 230 cm.
3. Length = 200 + 35 = 235 cm.
4. With a 25 cm pillow tuck: 230 x 260 cm.

Plan metric quilts in centimetres from the start and cut with a 0.75 cm seam. Converting an inch pattern piece by piece gives awkward numbers and small errors that add up across a bed sized top.

Does quilting make the quilt smaller?

Yes, a little. Quilting draws the layers in, and cotton batting that has not been prewashed shrinks on its first wash (batting makers give about 3 to 5 percent for cotton). Many quilters plan the top about 2 to 3 percent larger when they expect dense quilting. It is an estimate, so make a small test sandwich with your batting and quilting design if the fit really matters.

Commonly printed pattern sizes (and why they differ)

US patterns and batting packages print a short list of "standard" sizes. They are useful shorthand and they vary by publisher by a few inches:

Compare the pattern queen (90 x 95 in) with the mattress method. A queen mattress of 60 x 80 in with a 15 in drop gives exactly 90 x 95 in. So the "pattern queen" is a generous coverlet. That is a good size for most queens, and it tells you something useful: when a pattern size and your bed disagree, trust your tape measure and resize the pattern, not the other way round.

One number to watch for on other charts: some list a full quilt as 54 x 75 in. That is the full mattress itself. A quilt that size would stop exactly at the mattress edge and show every inch of the sides.

Small and specialty quilt sizes

Not every quilt goes on a bed. These are the conventions quilters use for everything from a lovey to a table runner. Most have no formal standard, so treat them as starting points.

Charity quilts. Quilts of Valor guidance has long centred on about 60 x 80 in (152 x 203 cm), with a minimum near 55 x 65 in, and Project Linus welcomes child sized quilts roughly from crib to throw. Both organisations update their guidelines, so check their current pages before you cut.

How big should a quilt be? Choose by use first

The size question is really a "who and where" question. Here is how an experienced teacher would steer you:

• For a sofa: a throw of 50 x 65 to 60 x 72 in (125 x 165 to 150 x 180 cm). Measure the tallest person who naps on that sofa; the quilt should reach from shoulders to toes, which for most adults means at least 65 in (165 cm) long.
• For an armchair or a wheelchair: a lap quilt near 45 x 55 in (114 x 140 cm). Larger lap quilts catch in wheels.
• For a bed: start from the mattress table, then adjust the drop for your mattress depth.
• For a first quilt: go small. A baby, lap or throw quilt lets you finish, bind and wash a quilt in a few weekends. You learn the whole process before you commit to a king. Our first quilt guide walks through every step.
• For a gift: if you do not know the bed, make a generous throw. It works on any sofa and on the foot of any bed.

Quilt sizes in the UK, Europe, Australia and Japan

Beds are not the same size around the world, so a US "queen" pattern will not fit a UK king or an EU 160 bed without changes. These tables use the same drops (20, 35 and 53 cm, plus a 25 cm tuck for the bedspread), with centimetres first because that is how these beds are sold. Mattress sizes vary by a centimetre or two between makers; measure yours.

UK quilt sizes

Note that a UK king (150 x 200 cm) is close to a US queen, and a UK double is close to a US full. Many British quilters simply use a US queen pattern for a UK king.

European (EU) quilt sizes

European beds are 200 cm long almost everywhere, 10 cm longer than British ones. Many German and Scandinavian households sleep under two single duvets on one double bed, so a quilt there is often a coverlet laid over the duvets. Measure the made bed, not the bare mattress.

Australian quilt sizes

An Australian queen is within a centimetre of a US queen, so US queen patterns fit beautifully. The king single (107 x 203 cm) is a popular teen bed with no US twin, so plan it from the table rather than from a twin pattern.

Japanese quilt sizes

Japanese king beds vary more than any other size, so measure. Many Japanese quilters also make quilts to the size of the duvet (kakebuton) instead of mattress plus drop. Common retail kakebuton sizes are about 150 x 210 cm for a single, 170 x 210 cm for a semi double and 190 x 210 cm for a double; check the label of the duvet you own, because makers differ.

Baby quilt sizes and safe sleep

Baby quilts are some of the most loved quilts anyone makes. They are for play, tummy time, the stroller, the car seat and the wall above the crib. Under 12 months, they are not for sleep.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, the NHS in the UK and Red Nose in Australia all give the same advice: a baby's sleep space should be clear, with a firm flat mattress and a fitted sheet, and no quilts, duvets, pillows, bumpers or soft toys. So plan a baby quilt as a play mat (36 to 40 in square, 90 to 100 cm) or a stroller quilt (30 x 36 in, 75 x 90 cm), and save the cot sized quilt for the toddler years. A toddler crib quilt of about 45 x 60 in (115 x 150 cm) grows with the child.

For reference, the US federal crib standard sets a full size crib mattress at no smaller than 27 1/4 x 51 5/8 in and no thicker than 6 in; most are sold as about 28 x 52 in (71 x 132 cm). UK and EU cots take 60 x 120 cm or 70 x 140 cm (cot bed) mattresses; Australian cots are commonly about 69 x 130 cm; Japanese baby futons are commonly about 70 x 120 cm.

Mistakes and fixes

Planning from the pattern name, not the bed. "Queen" on a pattern means about 90 x 95 in. Your queen might be 16 in deep. Fix: measure the drop on the made bed and use the formula.

Forgetting the pillow tuck. A bedspread without a tuck stops at the pillows and looks short. Fix: add 10 to 12 in (25 to 30 cm) to the length for any quilt that should wrap the pillows.

Using the mattress size as the quilt size. The full mattress is 54 x 75 in; the full quilt is 70 x 83 in or larger. Fix: always add the drop.

Making the bedspread first. A 118 x 111 in king bedspread needs a wide back, a big batting and a longarm. Fix: if this is your first bed quilt, make a coverlet. It is a third smaller and looks just as finished.

Forgetting the footboard. A footboard catches a full drop at the foot end. Fix: for beds with a footboard, use a short drop (or no drop) at the foot and the full drop on the sides only.

Ignoring take up. Dense quilting and a first wash can take a few percent off each side. Fix: make a test sandwich, or plan the top 2 to 3 percent larger when the fit is tight.