Headboard Sizes: King, Queen, Full and Twin
Updated November 8, 2026 · By Serge, King Size Bed
A headboard has to be at least as wide as the mattress: 38 inches for a twin, 54 for a full, 60 for a queen, 76 for a king and 72 for a California king. Headboards sold on a frame run wider. In one US store's listings, the median king frame was 80.7 inches wide, headboard included.
Height has no standard. The middle half of the frames we read were listed between about 48 and 64 inches tall, and that figure is mostly the headboard.
Headboard size chart
The first column is the narrowest headboard that still covers the mattress. The second is what you actually get when the headboard comes on a frame: the median outside width of the frames listed by one US online furniture store, read on September 29, 2026. The last column is the listed height of the same frames.
| Bed size | Mattress width (narrowest headboard) | Median frame width, headboard included | Median listed height (middle half) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twin | 38 in (97 cm) | 42.1 in, 66 models | 52 in (48.4 to 53.8 in) |
| Full | 54 in (137 cm) | 57.1 in, 88 models | 52.6 in (49.1 to 54 in) |
| Queen | 60 in (152 cm) | 64.5 in, 265 models | 54.4 in (51.5 to 60 in) |
| King | 76 in (193 cm) | 80.7 in, 309 models | 52 in, across 545 king frames |
| California king | 72 in (183 cm) | 80.5 in, 118 models | 56.25 in (52.3 to 63.8 in) |
Swipe sideways to see the whole table
The king height comes from a larger set: 545 king frames listed by several US online stores, the same figures as our king bed frame dimensions guide.
Two things stand out. A headboard on a frame is 3 to 5 inches wider than its mattress for every size but one. The exception is the California king: its mattress is 4 inches narrower than a king, yet its frames came out just as wide, 80.5 inches against 80.7.
Headboard sizes in centimeters
The same chart in metric, rounded to the nearest centimeter:
| Bed size | Narrowest headboard | Median frame width | Median listed height |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twin | 97 cm | 107 cm | 132 cm |
| Full | 137 cm | 145 cm | 134 cm |
| Queen | 152 cm | 164 cm | 138 cm |
| King | 193 cm | 205 cm | 132 cm |
| California king | 183 cm | 204 cm | 143 cm |
Swipe sideways to see the whole table
King size headboard dimensions
A king headboard is at least 76 inches wide, the width of the mattress. On a frame it is usually wider: 80.7 inches at the median in the store's 309 king listings, so about 2.3 inches past the mattress on each side.
Our own 101 king frames tell the same story. The median outside width is 80 inches. 71 of the 101 are 82 inches wide or less; the Tucson, listed at 77 inches, measures 78 inches across its headboard on the maker's drawing. The 10 frames over 90 inches are wide wingbacks, extended headboards or beds with nightstands built into the headboard, like the Sedona at 102 inches and the Tacoma, an extended headboard at 92.9 inches.
Height is where king headboards differ most. The listed heights of our 101 king frames:
| Listed height | Frames | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40 in | 26 | 4 have no headboard at all, like the Wichita at 10.6 in; the Provo, a low headboard bed, stands 25.2 in; the Spokane soft bed frame has a scalloped headboard 38 in tall; the Mendocino, a mid-century wood and linen bed, is 32 in |
| 40 to 50 in | 43 | The Tucson at 42.5 in, the Natchez velvet sleigh bed at 43.25 in |
| 50 to 60 in | 18 | The Flagstaff wingback at 52.4 in, the Hartford at 54 in, the Bozeman at 50.8 in, the Lafayette king sleigh bed at 53.5 in |
| 60 in or more | 14 | The Hudson at 65 in, the Richmond at 76 in, the Vail wingback at 60 in; 9 of the 14 are canopy or four-poster beds, where the posts set the height, like the Kennebunk four poster bed at 74.8 in and the Camden canopy bed at 88 in |
Swipe sideways to see the whole table
The median is 45.3 inches, lower than the 52 inches of the larger set, because so many of our beds are low platforms. If you want a headboard that fills the wall, our tall headboard king beds run from 50 to 76 inches.
Queen headboard size
A queen headboard is at least 60 inches (152 cm) wide, the width of a queen mattress. On a frame it comes out wider: 64.5 inches (164 cm) at the median of 265 queen frames, about 2.25 inches past the mattress on each side, with a median listed height of 54.4 inches (138 cm).
The middle half of those queen frames were listed between 51.5 and 60 inches tall (131 to 152 cm). With the top of the mattress about 24 inches off the floor, a 54-inch queen headboard shows some 30 inches above it, enough to sit up against. Seven in ten of the same frames were 66 inches wide or less, so most queen beds, headboard included, fit within 5 feet 6 inches of wall.
A queen headboard bought on its own should still be at least 60 inches wide, and its bolt holes have to match the brackets on your frame. It is 16 inches narrower than a king headboard (60 against 76 inches), so it will not cover a king mattress. Our queen size bed dimensions guide gives the full frame sizes and the room each one needs.
Full and twin headboard sizes
A full (double) headboard is at least 54 inches (137 cm) wide and a twin headboard at least 38 inches (97 cm). On a frame, full beds measured 57.1 inches (145 cm) wide at the median of 88 models and twin beds 42.1 inches (107 cm) across 66 models. Their listed heights were close to the queen: 52.6 inches for a full and 52 inches for a twin at the median.
A twin XL mattress is as wide as a twin (38 inches) and only longer, so a twin headboard covers it. A full headboard is 6 inches narrower than a queen one, which is why a queen headboard on a full bed overhangs by 3 inches on each side.
Still torn between the two sizes before you pick a headboard? Our full vs queen bed guide compares the mattresses, the frames and the price gap.
How tall is a headboard?
There is no standard height. The listed height is measured from the floor, so what you see above the mattress depends on how high your mattress sits.
Work it out with your own numbers. Say the slats are 12 inches off the floor and the mattress is 12 inches thick: the top of the mattress is at 24 inches. That is close to a typical bed, as our bed height guide shows. A 52-inch headboard then shows 28 inches above it, enough to sit up against with a pillow. A 40-inch headboard shows 16 inches, which pillows will largely cover: a king pillow is 20 inches across its short side, as our king pillow size chart shows. Among ours, the Princeton sleigh bed stands 38.2 inches and the Hanover wingback 56 inches. A thick mattress or a box spring eats into that: add the box spring height too if your frame needs one, as our box spring guide explains.
Then look at the wall:
- The window. Measure from the floor to the bottom of the window. A headboard taller than that will cover part of the glass.
- Outlets and switches. A solid headboard can hide the outlet you wanted for a lamp or a phone.
- The ceiling. Under an 8-foot ceiling (96 inches), even a 76-inch headboard leaves 20 inches, and a canopy bed like our Litchfield, 85 inches tall, still leaves 11.
Plan the headboard with the lamp in mind: the standard nightstand height is about 24 inches, the median of 17 US stores.
Will a king headboard fit a California king?
Usually, yes. A king headboard is at least 76 inches wide and the California king mattress is 72, so it covers the mattress with 2 inches to spare on each side. California king frames are already that wide: 80.5 inches at the median, against 80.7 for a king.
The real question is how it attaches. A headboard bolts to the frame through brackets or holes at fixed positions. Measure the distance between the bolt holes on the headboard legs and between the brackets on your frame, center to center. If they match, it bolts on. If not, mount the headboard on the wall instead.
The other way round works only if the California king headboard is at least 76 inches wide. Some are narrower: our 20 California king frames run from 73.3 inches wide in total, the Santa Barbara, to 83.4 inches. Measure the headboard itself, not the size printed on the box.
What size is a California king headboard? At least 72 inches wide (183 cm), the width of the mattress. On a frame it comes out wider: 80.5 inches at the median of the 118 California king frames in our chart, with a median listed height of 56.25 inches. Our California king bed frames measure 73.3 to 83.4 inches across, headboard included, and our king vs California king guide compares the two mattresses.
Can you use a king headboard on a queen bed?
You can, but it will look oversized and it will not bolt on directly. A king headboard is 16 inches wider than a queen mattress, 8 inches on each side. Its legs also sit about 16 inches further apart than the rails of a queen frame (80.7 against 64.5 inches at the median), so the bolt holes cannot line up. Fix it to the wall, or use adapter brackets made to bridge the gap.
The same goes for a queen headboard on a full bed: 6 inches wider than the mattress, 3 on each side, and a frame that is about 7 inches narrower than a queen frame. It works on the wall; check the bolt spacing before you count on the frame.
How to measure for a headboard
- Width. Measure your mattress from side to side. The headboard should be at least that wide. If it will bolt to the frame, measure the frame's outside width too.
- Bolt holes. Measure the center-to-center distance between the brackets on the frame where the headboard attaches, and the height of those brackets from the floor.
- Mattress top. Measure from the floor to the top of the mattress, box spring included. Subtract it from the headboard's height to see how much shows.
- The wall. Note the height of the window sill, the outlets and the light switches behind the bed.
Types of headboards
- Part of the frame. The headboard comes with the bed and is sized for it. This is the case for every bed we sell with a headboard: the outside width on each product page includes the headboard.
- Bolt-on. Sold alone, it bolts to brackets on a metal or wood frame. The bolt spacing has to match.
- Wall-mounted. It hangs on the wall above the mattress, so its width and height are free from the frame. Good for a bed on a plain metal frame or a mattress on a platform with no brackets, like our king bed frames without headboard.
- Freestanding. It stands on its own legs behind the bed, with no bolts. Check the leg height against your mattress top.
The headboard is only one piece of the frame; our page on the parts of a bed shows how it joins the rails and footboard.
Our king beds and their headboards
Every frame we sell that has a headboard comes with it, and the outside size on its product page includes it. To compare them by height, start with king beds with a tall headboard, or browse all king bed frames with headboard. If you need a bed with no headboard at all, the Wichita stands 10.6 inches tall. For a king bed in a small room, check the fit first with our room calculator.
Shop king beds by style
Every bed in these collections lists its outside size on the product page, so you can check it against your room and your mattress before you order.
- All king bed frames
- By build: king platform beds, upholstered king beds, wood king bed frames, king beds with storage and king beds with drawers
- By height: low profile king beds, king floor beds with no gap underneath, king bed frames high off the ground with 10 to 14 inches underneath, and king beds with a tall headboard
- By look: modern, mid-century, rustic, cloud beds, velvet, black, brown, beige, gray, white and cream, wingback, boucle, linen, faux leather, solid wood, canopy, sleigh, rattan, metal, tufted, farmhouse and panel king beds, and king beds with a bookcase headboard
- For a 72 x 84 inch mattress: California king bed frames, including California king platform beds that need no box spring
- A few of our king beds: Burbank cloud bed with side shelves, Biloxi canopy bed, Montauk storage bed with 8 drawers and Fresno wood platform bed
Frame figures: listed outside widths and heights of 846 twin, full, queen, king and California king bed models sold by a US online furniture store, read on September 29, 2026, and listed heights of 545 king frames from several US online furniture stores. Our own beds: the outside dimensions on their product pages, October 12, 2026. Fit and measuring steps: arithmetic from those figures, not a fitting test.
Want it built in? See our king bed frames with headboard, by type and height.
A canopy bed adds four posts and a top frame above the headboard: our guide what is a canopy bed gives the height of each of our nine and the ceiling it needs.
Not sure you want one at all? Our guide do you need a headboard? shows what it changes in floor space, price and height across our 121 frames.
Need the mattress size rather than the frame? Our bed sizes chart gives the king size bed dimensions next to the five other US sizes.
Looking for a padded headboard on a 72 x 84 in mattress? See our California king upholstered beds, from 31 to 58 inches tall.
Fitting a headboard to a full? Our double bed dimensions guide has the 54 x 75 inch mattress and the outside size of real full frames.
A twin XL shares the twin's 38-inch width, so it takes the same headboard width; its 80-inch length is in our twin XL bed dimensions guide.
Feng shui asks for a solid headboard set against a solid wall; our page on feng shui bed placement explains that rule and the ones about doors and windows.
Matching a headboard to a bed bought in Europe? Start from the mattress width: our list of European bed sizes gives each one in inches.
Headboard sizes: questions people ask
How wide is a king size headboard?
At least 76 inches, the width of a king mattress. A headboard that comes on a frame is usually wider: the median king frame in one US store's listings was 80.7 inches wide, and our own king frames come out at about 80 inches at the median.
How long is a king headboard?
People who ask how long a headboard is usually mean its width, side to side: at least 76 inches for a king, about 80 inches on a typical king frame. Its height is listed separately: on our own king frames it runs from no headboard at all to 88 inches.
What size is a queen headboard?
At least 60 inches wide, the width of a queen mattress. Queen frames with a headboard measured 64.5 inches wide at the median across 265 models, with a median listed height of 54.4 inches.
How wide is a full size headboard?
At least 54 inches. Full frames measured 57.1 inches wide at the median across 88 models.
What size is a twin headboard?
At least 38 inches wide. Twin frames measured 42.1 inches wide at the median across 66 models, and 52 inches tall.
Will a king headboard fit a California king bed?
Yes in width: it is at least 76 inches wide and the California king mattress is 72. It bolts on only if the holes in its legs line up with the brackets on your frame; measure both, center to center.
Can you use a king headboard on a queen bed?
Only on the wall, or with adapter brackets. The king headboard is 16 inches wider than a queen mattress, and its legs are too far apart to bolt to a queen frame.
Will a queen headboard fit a full size bed?
It covers the mattress, with 3 inches extra on each side, but it will not bolt straight onto a full frame, which is about 7 inches narrower. Mount it on the wall or use adapter brackets.
What is the standard headboard height?
There is none. The frames we read were listed at a median of 52 to 56 inches tall depending on the size, and our own king frames range from no headboard at all to 88 inches.
What size headboard do I need for a king bed with a box spring?
The same width, at least 76 inches, but a taller one. A box spring raises the mattress by several inches, so subtract the height of the mattress top from the headboard height to see how much will still show.