Thinking about buying a king sized bed? Be certain you have the mattress before you buy your linens. Most people aren't of aware of this, but there are three different sizes of king size beds! And each type measures different compared to the others. So before spending your money on new linens or a new frame, learn about the different styles. You could have a standard king, a California king bed, or possibly a European king size bed.

A standard king size bed measures 76 inches wide by 80 inches long. You will find these linens most prevalent and they must be clearly marked as standard 76 x 80. I always recommend that you spend some time and measure the bed yourself. This way you can make sure that your measurements are in fact 76 x 80. You also have to take into consideration if your mattress has a topper, or if you make use of a mattress pad. These can add to the depth and may involve you to buy fitted bed covers otherwise you could find your sheets constantly coming off the border while you are resting.

A California king bed frame will normally be more narrow than a standard king, but it will be longer. The usual size is 84 inches long by 72 inches wide, or +- 4 inches from the standard size. The Cal King is ideal for two occasions. One is in case you have a more narrow room but still like the additional space of a king bed. The other case is for taller persons, as this bed is perfect for those tall people. Sheets for this style bed are marked "California King", but you have to always verify the measurements on the packaging. As mentioned previously, make sure to manually measure the width, length, and depth of your bed.

You need to also know that each style has alternative names that people or manufacturers may name them by. A standard is sometimes called an eastern king. California king beds are sometimes called western type king bed.

Lastly, and I can't reinforce this enough, always make sure to confirm the dimensions of your bed. Pick up the tape measurer and put it to use. It will save you a lot of headache at the store!

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