If you've ever ordered a sheet or a duvet cover and it turned up the wrong size, you're in good company — and it probably wasn't your mistake. Bed sizes in Egypt aren't standardised, and the names we use for them shift from one shop to the next.
This article fixes that permanently. Ten minutes and a tape measure, and you'll never order the wrong size again.
"Double" is not a measurement
This is where nearly all of it starts. When you tell someone you want a double sheet, the number in their head might be 120cm, or 140, or 150, or 160. Every one of those is sold as a double somewhere.
"King" has the same problem — it might mean 180 or 200.
Order by name and you're gambling. Order by numbers and you're not.
Measure the mattress, not the bed
This is the single most common error. People measure the frame, and the mattress sits 3 to 5cm smaller inside it, sometimes more.
Bedding is cut to fit the mattress. Clear everything off it and measure the mattress itself.
The three numbers you need
Tape measure in hand, write down all three:
Width. Across the mattress, along the long edge. You'll usually land on something like 90, 120, 140, 160 or 180.
Length. Head to foot. In Egypt this is nearly always 190 or 200cm. The difference is small but it matters for fitted sheets.
Depth. This is the one nobody measures, and it's behind more bad orders than the other two combined. Depth is how thick the mattress is, top to bottom. Egyptian mattresses generally run between 20 and 30cm, and newer ones are thicker than they used to be.
Put all three in your phone. You won't need to measure again.
Common bed sizes in Egypt
These are the numbers you'll meet in most homes:
| Width | Commonly called | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| 90 × 190 or 200 | Single | A child, or one adult |
| 100 × 200 | Wide single | One adult with room |
| 120 × 200 | Small double | One adult, or two at a squeeze |
| 140 × 200 | Double | Two adults |
| 150 or 160 × 200 | Wide double | Two adults comfortably |
| 180 × 200 | King | Two adults with space |
If your bed isn't on this list — very likely with a custom-made frame — nothing is wrong. It just means you order by numbers rather than by name.
Fitted sheets: depth is what decides it
A fitted sheet has to wrap three dimensions: width, length and depth. Get the depth wrong and the corners will pop off every night no matter how hard you stretch it.
The rule is simple: the sheet needs to accommodate your mattress depth with a little to spare, not match it exactly. If your mattress is 25cm, a sheet made for 30cm will sit fine; one made for 20cm will not stay on.
And if you sleep on a mattress topper, add its thickness before you order. A 25cm mattress under a 5cm topper is a 30cm mattress as far as the sheet is concerned.
A duvet cover size is not your bed size
This is the one that catches the most people, and it deserves saying plainly.
When a duvet cover is listed as 180×220, that's the size of the duvet, not the size of the bed. A 180 cover is not for a 180 bed — it's for a much narrower one, because the duvet is supposed to hang over both sides.
A duvet that works comes out roughly 25 to 30cm past the mattress on each side. Without that overhang, whichever of you turns over first drags the whole thing off the other.
In numbers:
| Mattress width | Duvet size to buy |
|---|---|
| 90 to 120cm | 180 × 220 |
| 140 to 160cm | 220 × 240 |
| 180cm and up | 240 × 260 |
If you fall between two sizes, take the larger one. A slightly generous duvet looks right on the bed; an undersized one looks wrong immediately.
Before you press order
Check these three:
- Your numbers came from the mattress, not the frame.
- For a fitted sheet, depth is part of the decision — including a topper if you use one.
- For a duvet cover, you're choosing the duvet's size, not the bed's.
Those three between them prevent almost every sizing problem.
Every product in the shop lists its exact measurements in centimetres. If your mattress is an unusual size or your bed was made to order, send us your measurements on WhatsApp and we'll tell you which size to take before you order.