Full Bed vs Queen Bed

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A Full Bed (also known as a full size bed or double bed in many regions) is a bed that is bigger than the twin bed (or single bed) and smaller than a Queen Bed. A full size bed is 54" in width and 75" in length while Queen bed dimensions are 60" width and 80" in length.

Comparison chart

Improve this chart	Full Bed	Queen Bed
Advantage:	The size of the bed is just right for a single sleeper who is under 5’5” tall.	It is better suited for two people or for somebody who is tall.
Disadvantage:	Some people find the full bed too narrow for a couple and sometimes too short also.	Even in the queen bed the space available for a couple is 30” each which can be less for everyday comfort.
Size:	Full size bed dimensions: 54" wide x 75" long.	Queen bed dimensions: 60" wide, 80" long
Width:	54"	60"
Length:	75"	80"
Surface Area:	4050 square inches.	4800 square inches
About:	A piece of furniture to sleep on.	A piece of furniture to sleep on
Width per person:	If two people share the bed, the width available per person would be 27”.	The width available would be 30” per person if two people are sharing it.
Space economy:	Full beds don’t take up much space in a room.	Doesn't occupy too much space compared to the comfort it gives.
Cost:	It is cost effective in the sense that the sheets and mattresses also would be cheap in accordance to the size.	It turns out to be a bit expensive.
Usage:	Full beds are better for single people, can be used in teenagers' rooms.	Queen beds are generally put in the guest room or smaller master bedrooms.
Frame:	The frame is just a rectangular box.	The frame is required to have a centre leg support besides the normal rectangular structure

Contents 1 Full vs Queen Bed Dimensions 2 Differences in Structure 3 Differences in Usage 4 Cost compared 5 See Also 6 References

edit Full vs Queen Bed Dimensions

A full bed is 54”x 75” and a queen bed is 60”x 80”. A twin bed is normally 39” wide and 75” long and therefore, a double/full bed is not actually the double of a twin/single bed. The full bed is 15” wider than the twin bed though the length is the same. So, if two people were to sleep on a full bed they would have 27” of space available for each of them whereas, if they were sleeping alone on a twin bed each, they would have much more space to themselves, 39”.The same is with the Queen bed, though it is bigger than a full bed, the total space available to a person if two people were sleeping on the bed would be 30”, still 9” less than what they would have if they were sleeping on separate twin beds each.

edit Differences in Structure

A bed is made of three main components, the top one is the mattress which makes a bed comfortable. The second layer is the box spring which provides additional support or suspension to the mattress. The third layer is the bed frame which lifts the mattress and the box spring off the floor. In both, Full and Queen size beds, the basic structure is the same. The mattress can be any quality, it is different only according to the size of the bed and the box spring can be of any kind.

The major difference is in the frame of the bed or bed steads. In a full bed the frame used is a rectangular structure made of wood or metal (dust ruffle, bed skirt, or valance sheet). In a queen bed also the frame is made of the same material but the difference is that for a queen bed, the bed frame also includes a center support rail. These rails are assembled to create a box for the mattress or mattress/box spring to sit on. The center bar in the frame is not very expensive and should be placed as it provides more support directly for the box spring. It will help distribute stress evenly. Without one, over time, the box spring (and mattress) will sag. The sag is caused by the most stress being in the middle of the bed while the support is only around the edges.

Some types of bed rails are- Platform - typically used without a box spring; Captain - has drawers beneath the frame to make use of the space between the floor and the bed frame; Waterbed - a heavy-duty frame built specifically to support the weight of the water in the mattress.

edit Differences in Usage

A full size bed was the standard bed for married couples until the 1960s, but in this era king and queen size beds have become more common in the United States.

Many people consider a full size bed narrow for a couple, but just right for a single short sleeper (under 5’5” tall). Full beds don’t take up much space in a room and are more luxurious for teenager’s rooms or single people’s rooms than a single (twin) sized bed. The queen bed is better suited for two people and for somebody who is tall. Though a queen bed is bigger than a full, it provides more comfort without occupying too much space in a room, it is only 6” wider than a full bed and 5” longer. Queen beds are generally put in the guest room or smaller master bedrooms. They’re also good for couples who like to snuggle.

edit Cost compared

A full size bed will cost more than a twin bed but less than a queen bed. A queen bed is more expensive than a full bed but may suit your individual needs better.

Buy

• Browse Queen Beds
• Shop Full Beds

edit See Also

• California King Size vs King Size Bed
• Comforter vs Duvet

edit References

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bed
• http://www.consumerismcommentary.com/2005/10/11/howto-purchase-a-bed-mattress-and-box-spring/
• http://interiordec.about.com/od/buyingabed/a/a_bedsizes_2.htm

Comments: Full Bed vs Queen Bed

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Anonymous comments

The biggest reason I have a queen size mattress is because of my height. I am 5 feet 8 inches. Unless I sleep with my head and feet perfectly positioned, (or diagonally when I was single), I have my feet hanging off. There is a mattresses size called 'full extra-long', (or in Europe, 140 x 200 cm. , which is roughly equivalent ), but I don't see it in stores often, and more importantly, owning an odd size mattress would make it harder to find sheets). I would consider buying the full extra long though, if it were a common size. 

99.111.25.172 on 2012-04-14 22:27:26

So, in the 1940's and 50's all my family and everyone I knew had double ( full ) beds and we managed to sleep two to a bed with no problem. My grandmother had a three quarter bed made in 1876 ( that's between an full and twin). Nobody had bigger beds because the stores did not carry them then.

71.170.1.47 on 2011-02-19 19:56:14

Both the article and the previous comment are wrong. The full size mattress is 54x75, but the typical frame is bigger at 58.5x78. Unless, you are sleeping on a mattress directly on the floor a wooden frame is going to be bigger than the mattress. Now add to that, two side tables so that each partner has their own light and drawers. The typical 1,000 square foot three bedroom house is simply NOT going to be big enough to fit a big queen size bed comfortably along with two equally big matching queen size side tables, placed side by side. A queen mattress gives each partner an extra 3 inches. Whoopy! Happily married couples are supposed to be sleeping on top of each other rather than retreating to their own corner of the bed.

184.76.200.21 on 2010-12-31 16:07:56

Whoever wrote this article has an attitude problem. Queen beds became popular in this country because of an era of "obesity and McMansions"??? In the 1960s, I lived on a very ordinary suburban street, and my parents, along with the parents of everybody on the street I knew, had queen or king beds and they weren't rich, living in mansions, or fat. Personally, I slept in a queen bed with my first wife: I am 5'8", 130 lbs, and she is built about the same. Obese? Hardly. Combined, we barely constitute one obese person. Queen beds are popular because they only take up an extra 6" in each dimension, which is hardly noticeable in almost any room, yet the amount of increased sleeping comfort is huge. To say anything else is just plain silly.

98.246.131.109 on 2010-11-15 04:44:26