Bed

From ArticleWorld


A Bed is part of furniture for the home whose main purpose is to be slept on. It is usually kept in a separate room called the bedroom. In addition to sleeping, the bed is also used for sitting, relaxing, reading and sexual activities.

There is a huge variety of bed in terms of shapes, sizes and material it is made up of. In olden days, beds were just a pile of straw or similar natural material. An important innovation came in the form of it being raised from ground level to steer clear of pests, drafts and dirt.

The nest step was to make a comfortable top layer, now called a mattress. Today, material like solid foam, springs, water or even air are used. Originally, the materials used as fillers of mattresses were straw for the commoners and feathers for the wealthy. Slowly, cotton and other artificial fillers were introduced which became very popular.

The frame of the bed is usually made up of wood or metal but sometimes, spring is also used. Box – springs, a huge mattress – sized box with wood and springs inside, are the most comfortable and durable. However, they are also very bulky and expensive. Often, a valance is used to make a bed frame, in order to match the bedding.

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Bed sizes

It is a common standard in most countries to have four mattress sizes. They vary from country to country. A list of the standard sizes (width by length) is given below :

For USA :

  • Single, Twin : 39 in × 75 in (1 m × 1.9 m)
  • Double, Full : 54 in × 75 in (1.35 m × 1.9 m)
  • Queen : 60 in × 80 in (1.5 m × 2.05 m)
  • King, (Super King) : 76 in × 80 in (1.95 m × 2.05 m)

For Europe :

  • Single, Twin : 36 in × 79 in (0.9 m × 2 m)
  • Double, Full : 55 in × 79 in (1.4 m × 2 m)
  • Queen : 63 in × 79 in (1.6 m × 2 m)
  • King, (Super King) : 71 in × 79 in (1.8 m × 2 m)

For UK :

  • Single, Twin : 36 in × 75 in (0.9 m × 1.9 m)
  • Double, Full : 54 in × 75 in (1.35 m × 1.9 m)
  • Queen : 60 in × 78 in (1.5 m × 2 m)
  • King, (Super King) : 72 in × 78 in (1.85 m × 2 m)

For Australia :

  • Single, Twin : 36 in × 75 in (0.9 m × 1.9 m)
  • Double, Full : 54 in × 75 in (1.35 m × 1.9 m)
  • Queen : 60 in × 80 in (1.5 m × 2.05 m)
  • King, (Super King) : 72 in × 80 in (1.85 m × 2.05 m)
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