Which duvet cover size should you choose? The size guide

A 140 cm bed does not take a 140 cm duvet cover. It is the most common misunderstanding in bed linen, and the leading cause of returns. The cover follows the size of the duvet. The fitted sheet follows the mattress. The pillowcase follows the pillow. Three pieces, three different logics — and that is the whole problem.

This guide brings together the dimensions of each piece, bed by bed: duvet cover, fitted sheet, flat sheet, pillowcase, duvet, mattress protector. With the special cases, UK and US equivalents, and how to measure yourself when in doubt.

Sizes in this guide follow French (EU) standards, in centimetres.

The basic rule: the cover follows the duvet, never the mattress

A duvet deliberately overhangs the mattress by 30 to 40 cm on each side. This overhang keeps you covered when you turn over and stops cold air coming in at the sides. The cover dresses the duvet, so it takes the duvet's exact dimensions, not the bed's.

On a 140x190 mattress, the duvet measures 200x200. So does the cover. Choosing a 140x200 cover for this bed means ending up with a duvet you cannot fit inside it.

The only rule to remember: duvet cover = duvet dimensions. Fitted sheet = mattress dimensions, depth included. Pillowcase = pillow dimensions. None of the three can be worked out from the bed width given by the manufacturer.

The master table: every piece, bed by bed

Keep it to hand. Mattress lengths vary from 190 to 200 cm depending on the manufacturer: this makes no difference to the duvet cover, but all the difference to the fitted sheet.

Bed	Mattress	Duvet cover	Duvet	Fitted sheet	Flat sheet
Single (90)	90x190 or 90x200	140x200	140x200	90x190 or 90x200	180x290
Small double (120)	120x190	200x200	200x200	120x190	240x300
Double (140)	140x190 or 140x200	200x200	200x200	140x190 or 140x200	240x300
Queen (160)	160x200	220x240	220x240	160x200	270x300
King (180)	180x200	240x260	240x260	180x200	290x310
Extra-large bed (200)	200x200	280x240	280x240	200x200	310x310

A note on notation: depending on the brand, the cover for a 160 cm bed is written 220x240 or 240x220, and the one for a 180 cm bed 240x260 or 260x240. They are the same covers — only the order of the two numbers changes. This guide uses 220x240 and 240x260; our product pages show them as 240x220 and 260x240.

Duvet covers: four sizes cover almost every bed

• 140x200 — single bed, child's room, spare bed.
• 200x200 — the best-selling size in France. 120 and 140 cm beds.
• 220x240 — 160 cm bed, what retailers call Queen.
• 240x260 — 180 cm bed, King. The subject deserves its own article: which bed does a 240 x 260 duvet cover fit.

At Noctua, the Eucalyptus lyocell duvet cover comes in 140x200, 200x200, 200x230, 220x240 and 240x260. The Washed cotton percale bedding set comes in 140x200, 200x200, 220x240 and 240x260, with natural wooden buttons rather than a zip. The Cotton gauze bedding set comes in 140x200, 200x200 and 220x240, with the fitted sheet included in the set. The Washed linen duvet cover covers 200x200, 220x240 and 240x260. Everything is in duvet covers and bedding sets.

Fitted sheets: the mattress size, plus the pocket depth

A fitted sheet has two visible dimensions (90x190, 160x200…) and a third that is often missing from the product page: the pocket depth. This is the height of the elasticated flap that goes down the side of the mattress. A fitted sheet of the right width but with too shallow a pocket comes off at the first movement.

The rule: pocket depth = mattress depth + 3 to 5 cm.

Mattress depth	Recommended pocket depth	Typical case
up to 18 cm	25 cm	Foam mattress, child's bed, sofa bed
18 to 24 cm	25 to 30 cm	Most sprung or latex mattresses
24 to 30 cm	30 to 35 cm	Deep mattress, premium pocket springs
over 30 cm	35 to 40 cm	Mattress + topper, box spring

The 400 thread count Egyptian cotton fitted sheet comes in 140x190, 140x200, 160x200 and 180x200, in 100% Egyptian cotton. The Soft cotton fitted sheet covers 140x190, 140x200, 160x200 and 180x200 — careful: for a 140 cm mattress, measure its actual length. A 140x190 on a 200 cm mattress pulls at the corners and eventually gives way at the seam. All sizes are listed in fitted sheets, and the measurements are explained in detail in the article on fitted sheet dimensions and pocket depth.

Flat sheets: allow 40 to 50 cm extra on each side

A flat sheet tucks under the mattress, so it needs to overhang generously. Allow 40 to 50 cm of overhang per side, plus 40 cm at the head of the bed for the turn-down folded over the duvet.

This is the piece that gives a hotel bed its drape, with square tucked corners. The method is explained in making your bed like a hotel, and the look can be found in the hotel-style bed linen collection.

Pillowcases: 50x70, 63x63 or 65x65

France is the only major market that has kept the square pillow. Hence three sizes side by side.

Pillow	Pillowcase	Note
60x60	63x63	The most common square in France
65x65	65x65	Generous square, fuller look
50x70	50x70	Rectangular size, European standard

A pillowcase is chosen neither by bed size nor by duvet size: only by the size of the pillow it dresses. The Signature pillow comes in 65x65 and 50x70: take the pillowcase in the same size. The 22 momme mulberry silk pillowcase comes in both sizes, 50x70 and 65x65. Other sizes are shown product by product in pillowcases and pillows. To decide between square and rectangular, see 50x70 or 65x65.

Duvets: the same dimensions as the cover

Since the cover follows the duvet, the duvet follows the mattress — with 30 to 40 cm of overhang per side. The sizes therefore read like the "duvet cover" column of the master table: 140x200, 200x200, 220x240, 240x260.

The Hôtel 4 Seasons duvet comes in 200x200, 220x240 and 240x260; the Noctua Édition duvet in 150x200, 180x220, 200x200, 220x240 and 240x260 — 150x200 gives a shorter overhang on a 140 cm bed, 180x220 a compromise between the two. Fill weight, filling and the choice between a single duvet and a 4-season duvet are covered in which duvet to choose, and the range is in duvets.

Mattress protectors: the same logic as fitted sheets

Mattress dimensions, pocket depth included. The Quilted waterproof mattress protector ranges from 90x190 to 180x200. Not to forget: a quilted mattress protector adds 1 to 2 cm of depth, to be included when calculating the pocket depth of the fitted sheet that goes over it. The models are gathered in mattress protectors, and their use is explained in protecting your mattress.

The special cases that cause hesitation

The 120 cm bed. Neither single nor double. The fitted sheet is 120x190, but the duvet cover is 200x200: a 140x200 would leave the sides bare.

The 200 cm bed. Rare and rarely in stock. Allow 280x240; a 240x260 only just covers the mattress. A practical alternative: two 140x200 duvets side by side.

Deep mattresses or toppers. These only affect the fitted sheet and mattress protector, through the pocket depth. The duvet cover does not change.

Two 90 cm beds pushed together. This is the set-up of convertible hotel rooms. Two separate 90x190 fitted sheets, and either one shared 220x240 cover or two 140x200 covers.

Two duvets on a 160 or 180 cm bed. The Scandinavian solution, when one person is warm and the other cold, or when one moves a lot. Two 140x200 duvets with their covers, side by side. The bed looks less neat in the morning, but sleep is often better.

Sofa beds. Thin mattress, often 10 to 14 cm: a 25 cm pocket is enough and will hold better than a deep one.

Single, Double, Queen, King: UK and US equivalents

A lot of bed linen is now bought from British or American websites. The names look alike; the centimetres do not.

Name	Market	Mattress	Closest French equivalent
Single	United Kingdom	90x190	90 cm bed — identical
Double	United Kingdom	135x190	140 cm bed — 5 cm narrower
King	United Kingdom	150x200	Between 140 and 160 cm
Super King	United Kingdom	180x200	180 cm bed — identical
Twin	United States	97x191	90 cm bed — slightly wider
Full / Double	United States	137x191	140 cm bed
Queen	United States	152x203	None — longer than our mattresses
King	United States	193x203	Close to 180 cm, but 3 cm longer

Two traps. First: "Queen" does not mean the same thing on both sides of the Atlantic. In France, Queen means the 160 cm bed; in the United States, a 152x203 mattress. Second: American mattresses are 203 cm long, whereas ours are 190 or 200. A French fitted sheet will not fit an American bed, and vice versa. For a duvet cover, however, the difference is barely noticeable.

Between two sizes, which to choose

For a duvet cover, take the larger. A few centimetres too many read as drape; a few too few leave your shoulders uncovered.

For a fitted sheet, take the exact size. Too big, it creases under your back and comes off anyway. It is the only piece where you should not round up.

For a pillowcase, take the size of the pillow. A larger pillowcase makes a floppy pillow.

How to measure yourself, in three measurements

• Mattress width and length. Bare mattress, with a tape measure, edge to edge. Do not rely on the bed frame, which is always wider.
• Mattress depth. In the middle of a long side, including topper and mattress protector if they stay in place. This figure gives the pocket depth.
• The duvet, laid flat. On the bed or on the floor, edge to edge, without pulling. This measurement — not the label, which is sometimes rounded — gives the cover size.

A tolerance of 2 to 3 cm between the label and the tape measure is normal: cotton shrinks slightly at the first wash. Greater shrinkage indicates a loose weave, a subject covered in the fabric guide.

The four most common sizing mistakes

Ordering the cover to the size of the bed. Mistake number one, and the one that fills return parcels. A 160 cm bed does not take a 160 cm cover.

Forgetting the pocket depth. You measure width and length, you order, and the fitted sheet comes off the first night because the mattress is 28 cm deep and the pocket 25.

Taking pillowcases to match the duvet. A set sold in 240x260 says nothing about the size of its pillowcases. Always check whether they are 50x70 or 63x63, and compare with your pillows before ordering.

Mixing up 190 and 200 lengths. Two 140 cm mattresses can be 190 or 200 cm long. A 140x190 fitted sheet on a 140x200 mattress pulls at the corners and eventually gives way at the seam. Those 10 cm matter more than anything else.

What to remember

• The cover follows the duvet. The fitted sheet follows the mattress, pocket depth included. The pillowcase follows the pillow.
• 90 cm bed → 140x200. 120 and 140 cm beds → 200x200. 160 cm bed → 220x240. 180 cm bed → 240x260.
• The pocket depth equals the mattress depth plus 3 to 5 cm.
• Queen and King do not mean the same centimetres in France, the United Kingdom and the United States.

If you still have doubts about your set-up, the frequently asked questions answer the most common cases, and returns are possible within 14 days. Noctua bed linen is here when you have your number.