Types of Bed Frames

Updated October 4, 2026 · By Serge, King Size Bed

The main types of bed frames are platform, panel, upholstered, storage, sleigh, wingback, canopy and four-poster, low profile, floating and metal frames, plus adjustable bases. They differ in how they hold the mattress, how high they sit and what they cost. Across 933 king bed listings from US retailers, storage beds had the highest median price ($897) and panel beds the lowest ($571).

In brief

• King Size Bed had 121 bed frames live in its catalog on November 12, 2026: 101 king and 20 California king.
• 93 of those 121 frames need no box spring by their listings, 14 require one and 14 do not say.
• 83 of our 101 king frames are platform beds, the most common type in our range.
• Our 8 style collections run from 4 farmhouse frames to 23 modern ones.
• None of the 122 products we sell is a bunk, loft, trundle, Murphy or futon bed, a daybed or an adjustable base.

Types of bed frames at a glance

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Prices are the median of king bed listings from US online furniture retailers, read on September 29, 2026. The box spring column comes from 249 king bed frames listed by a US furniture distributor, counting only the frames whose specifications say either way. When a type has fewer than about 20 listings, read its price as a rough guide.

Every type below is built from the same short list of parts of a bed, combined in different ways.

Platform bed

A platform bed carries the mattress on its own slats or on a solid deck, so it needs no box spring. In the distributor's catalog, not one of the 94 platform frames that mention a box spring asks for one. That makes the platform the simplest choice for a foam or hybrid mattress, as long as the slats are close together: the median gap across the 114 frames that publish it was 3 inches, and the mattress warranties we read cap the gap at 2 to 5.5 inches.

Platform beds sit anywhere from a couple of inches off the floor to well above a foot, depending on the legs. Our king platform beds include king beds that sit right on the floor, the Tahoe about 2 inches above it, and frames like the Aspen, with 13.8 inches of space underneath.

Panel bed

A panel bed has a flat headboard, usually a matching footboard, and side rails between them. It is often designed to hold a box spring, and the numbers show it: 31 of the 33 panel frames that mention it, outside those sold as platform beds, require a box spring. Many panel frames give no answer at all (48 others say nothing), so check before you order. Panel beds were also the cheapest type in our price sample, with a median of $571 for a king. Four of our panel beds are built that way, the Greenville, the Solvang, the Burlingame and the Capitola cane bed, as is the Cleveland farmhouse bed: they need a box spring or a foundation, as their makers say. Our guide what is a panel bed? checks our panel beds one by one: slats, or a box spring.

Upholstered bed

An upholstered bed has its headboard, and often its rails and footboard, covered in fabric over padding. It is less a structure than a finish, so an upholstered bed can be a platform, a panel bed or a storage bed underneath. Upholstered frames are everywhere: 105 of the 249 king frames in the distributor's catalog were upholstered, 42%. Whether they need a box spring depends on the base below the fabric; 18 of the 64 that say needed one.

Two things to plan for. Padding takes room, so upholstered frames are often several inches wider than a wood frame: ours mostly measure about 78 to 94 inches wide outside, against 76 inches for the mattress. Our upholstered vs wood bed frame guide compares the two in numbers. And large upholstered frames usually ship by freight truck rather than parcel. See our upholstered king beds, from the Malibu in bouclé to the Hudson with its 65 inch headboard. For widths and heights by bed size, see our headboard sizes guide.

Storage bed

A storage bed hides drawers in its sides or foot, or lifts up on hydraulic arms to reveal a well under the mattress. It costs more: the median storage king in our sample was $897, 57% more than a panel bed and 43% more than a platform bed. Support varies, and 4 of the 10 storage frames that mention it required a box spring. If you only need room for under-bed boxes, a frame with high clearance can do the job for less. See our king bed frames with storage: side drawers, lift-up decks and storage headboards.

Wingback bed

A wingback bed has an upholstered headboard with side panels that wrap forward, like a wingback chair. It is a headboard style rather than a support system, so the base below decides whether it needs a box spring. The median king wingback in our sample cost $675.

Sleigh bed

A sleigh bed has a headboard and footboard that curve outward, like an old horse-drawn sleigh. The curved ends add length, so measure the outside length before you order. It was one of the pricier types in our sample, with a median of $834 for a king. Ours run 86.75 to 98.5 inches long against 80 inches for the mattress: see our king size sleigh beds, from the dark brown wood Georgetown to the upholstered Princeton in a beige linen-look fabric.

Canopy and four-poster beds

A four-poster bed has a tall post at each corner. A canopy bed adds a frame that joins the posts overhead, which can carry fabric. Both make a strong statement and need ceiling height: check the overall height against your room, especially with a ceiling fan. In our sample the median king canopy bed cost $765 and the median four-poster $695, but only 17 and 12 listings had a price. Our king canopy beds stand 68.9 to 88 inches tall, among them the Newport in metal with a faux leather headboard (78.7 in), the Beaufort in dark brown pine (70.8 in) and the Saratoga in gray wood (77 in).

Low profile bed

A low profile bed keeps the frame, and often the mattress, close to the floor. It suits rooms with a low ceiling, a sloped wall or a window behind the bed, and it makes a large king look smaller. The Tahoe, for example, sits about 2 inches off the floor and is only 3.2 inches wider than the mattress. Low profile frames leave little or no room for storage underneath. Our low profile king bed frames include soft, padded cloud bed frames.

Floating bed

A floating bed sets its legs or base far back under the frame, so the bed seems to hover above the floor. The look is modern and light, and the hidden base can make a large bed feel smaller. Floating frames are rare: one listing in our price sample of 933, none in the distributor's catalog of 249. Our Soho is one, in gray linen.

Metal bed frame

The word covers two very different things. A basic metal frame is a set of steel rails on legs, made to hold a box spring and mattress, and it needs that box spring. A metal platform frame adds slats or a mesh deck and does not. Metal beds with a headboard and footboard, often in iron, cost a median of $840 for a king in our sample, though only 17 listings had a price. Ours are in our metal king bed frames: ten frames on steel or iron, from the black steel Brooklyn with wood-look panels to the Pittsburgh, whose maker rates it for 1,200 lb. To weigh a metal frame against a wood one, see our metal vs wood bed frame comparison.

Adjustable base

An adjustable base is a motorized foundation that raises the head and feet. It replaces the box spring, and it can sit on the floor or inside some frames. Check that the frame you like is listed as compatible, because the base needs room to move.

Other types of bed frames

Some names describe a feature more than a structure. A floor bed sets the mattress on a low deck that rests on the floor, with no gap underneath: see our king floor beds. A bookcase headboard bed has shelves or cubbies built into the headboard for books, a lamp or a phone: see our king beds with a bookcase headboard. A cloud bed wraps the mattress in thick, soft padded rails and a padded headboard. An LED bed adds a light strip to the headboard or under the frame.

Others are mostly made for twin and full mattresses and are not part of our king range. A daybed is a twin-size bed with a back and sides, used as a sofa by day. A trundle bed hides a second, lower mattress on a frame that rolls out from under the main bed. A bunk bed stacks one bed above another, and a loft bed raises a single bed to leave room for a desk or storage below. A Murphy bed folds up into a wall cabinet, and a futon frame folds from a sofa into a bed.

How to choose the right type of bed frame

Start with your mattress. A foam or hybrid mattress wants close slats or a solid deck: a platform bed, or a frame whose slats are about 3 inches apart. An innerspring mattress on a panel frame usually goes with a box spring. Our box spring guide goes frame by frame.

Then measure the room. The frame is always bigger than the mattress. A king mattress is 76 x 80 inches, and frames often add several inches each way, more for padded or curved designs. Our king bed frame dimensions guide has the room math.

Decide what goes under the bed. If you want storage, pick a storage bed or a frame with high clearance; across the 202 frames in the distributor's catalog that list it, the median clearance was 6 inches. If you want the bed to look light, pick low profile or floating.

Think about delivery. Wood frames often ship by parcel in one or two cartons. Large upholstered frames often come by freight truck, with a delivery appointment.

Want names, not types? Our best king bed frame guide picks 7 of our frames by need, with their maker specs side by side.

Settle the size before the type; if you hesitate between the two middle US sizes, our full vs queen bed guide weighs them by room, price and sleepers.

Types of beds beyond the frame

Types of beds go beyond bed frames: bunk, loft, trundle, daybed, Murphy, futon and adjustable beds change how a bed is used. King Size Bed sells none of these seven; all 121 of our frames are king or California king.

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Bunk, loft, trundle and Murphy beds save floor space. In a king bedroom that needs room for boxes or clothes, the nearest thing we sell is one of our 18 king bed frames with storage.

Bed frame styles: the look, not the build

Bed frame styles describe how a bed looks, while bed frame types describe how it carries the mattress. A frame can carry several labels at once: our 8 style collections list 92 entries for 69 distinct frames, counted by King Size Bed on November 12, 2026.

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Listings count the king and California king frames live in each collection on November 12, 2026; the last column counts those whose listing says no box spring is needed. Our fabric styles mostly skip the box spring: 11 of 13 wingback frames, 15 of 19 tufted frames and 8 of 9 cloud frames need none. The country looks are split: 2 of our 4 farmhouse frames and 2 of our 5 rustic frames require a box spring or foundation. Those two styles also share frames: 3 of the 4 farmhouse frames are listed as rustic too.

Antique bed frame styles

Antique bed frame styles are traditional looks: the four-poster, the sleigh bed, the iron and brass bed and the spindle bed. King Size Bed sells new king frames in three of these four looks, and no true antiques.

Four-poster. A post rises at each corner, sometimes joined overhead by a canopy rail. Our king canopy beds group 9 frames, including the Kennebunk, a four poster in white pine that stands 74.8 inches tall and needs no box spring.

Sleigh. The headboard and footboard roll outward in a scroll. Two of our 8 king size sleigh beds keep a period look and need a box spring or foundation: the Bristol in brown cherry with a Louis Philippe profile, and the carved Stamford in antique brown faux leather. The other 6 sit on slats. Our guide what is a sleigh bed goes further.

Iron and brass. Head and footboards in cast or wrought metal, often with scrolls, finials or a polished brass finish. We sell no bed in this antique iron and brass style. Of our 10 metal king bed frames, only the Newport canopy bed lists iron, in a steel and iron frame, and none names brass.

Spindle. Rows of thin turned rods fill the headboard and often the footboard. The Concord is the one bed we sell as a spindle king bed: an arched headboard, espresso or white, on slats that need no box spring. The Asbury canopy bed also has low spindle panels at the head and the foot.

Questions people ask

What type of bed frame is best?

For most people buying a king today, a platform bed: it needs no box spring, suits foam and hybrid mattresses, and sat near the middle of the price range in our sample ($626). Choose a panel bed if you already have a box spring you like, and a storage bed if you are short on closet space.

What are the different types of bed frames and their names?

The common types are platform, panel, upholstered, storage, wingback, sleigh, canopy, four-poster, low profile, floating and metal frames, plus adjustable bases. Some names describe how the bed holds the mattress (platform, panel), others how it looks (sleigh, wingback, floating). Floor, bookcase headboard, cloud and LED beds name a feature, and daybeds, trundle, bunk, loft and Murphy beds are types too, mostly in twin and full sizes.

What are the four types of beds?

There is no official list of four. In our sample of 933 king listings, the four most common types by name were panel (23%), platform (18%), upholstered (14%) and storage (13%).

Which type of bed frame is the cheapest?

In our sample, panel beds, with a median king price of $571, followed by platform beds at $626. A basic metal rail frame costs less than either, but it needs a box spring. Our cheap king bed frames are all under $300 at current prices.

Do upholstered beds need a box spring?

It depends on what is under the fabric. An upholstered platform bed does not; an upholstered panel bed often does. In the distributor's catalog, 18 of the 64 upholstered frames that say needed one.

Is a platform bed better than a bed with a box spring?

Not better for everyone, but simpler. A platform bed saves the cost of a box spring and suits most foam and hybrid mattresses. A traditional innerspring mattress may be made to sit on a box spring: check your mattress label or warranty.

What are the types of king bed frames?

The main types of king bed frames are platform, upholstered, storage, low profile, floor, metal, canopy and four-poster, sleigh and panel beds. Of the 101 king frames King Size Bed listed on November 12, 2026, 83 were platform beds, 54 upholstered, 18 storage and 18 low profile, 10 floor and 10 metal frames, 9 canopy and 8 sleigh beds; one frame often counts under two types.

What are bed frame styles called?

Bed frame styles take their names from the look. The 8 that King Size Bed sorts its frames by are modern, mid-century modern, farmhouse, rustic, rattan, wingback, tufted and cloud. Older style names still in use include four-poster, canopy, sleigh, spindle, and iron and brass.

Settled on a type? Every one of our king bed frames with headboard lists its outside size, so you can check it against your room before you order. Choosing between the two kings first? See our king vs California king guide.

Sources: prices of 933 king bed listings from US online furniture retailers, read on September 29, 2026 (median per type; listings named by type from their titles); specifications of 249 king bed frames listed by a US furniture distributor, read on September 30, 2026 (box spring, slat spacing and clearance as published). Our own beds: their product pages.

Prefer to hang your own headboard or set the bed under a window? We also sell king bed frames without a headboard.

Going for a king? Compare our king bed frames with headboard by type and height.

For the parts of a canopy bed, the difference with a four poster and the ceiling height each of our nine needs, see our guide what is a canopy bed.

For storage bins or a robot vacuum under the bed, see our tall king bed frames: each leaves 10 to 14 inches of open floor under the frame, by its maker's figures.

Related reading: the guide What Is a Captain's Bed?

Frame type also matters in a feng shui bedroom: legs leave floor showing, while floor beds and drawer bases close it off. Our feng shui bed placement guide counts which of our king frames do which.

Whatever the type and the style, the frames themselves sit in one place: all 101 of our king bed frames.

A four poster frame can be as bare as four posts and a top rail: our white pine four poster bed king, the Kennebunk, has no headboard and no footboard at all.

Whatever the type you pick, a frame that lets the middle drop shows up as a sagging mattress, and our guide explains how to check for it.