Headboard Size Calculator

The short answer

Make the headboard about as wide as the mattress, no more than 2 in past each side: a queen headboard is usually about 62 in wide. For the classic plump-pillow look, its top goes 42 to 48 in from the floor, which shows 17 to 23 in above a 25 in mattress. A low headboard rises 10 to 24 in above the mattress, and a tall one stands 52 in or more from the floor. Under a window, keep it to the bottom of the glass.

How to measure

1. The mattress top: measure from the floor to the top of the mattress, topper included.
2. The bed frame: if the headboard will bolt on, check the frame’s size and the mounting holes at its head.
3. The window: if there’s one behind the bed, measure from the floor to the top of the sill and to the top of the trim.
4. The wall: note the nightstands, outlets and switches the headboard should leave clear.

A big upholstered headboard makes the bed longer and wider; the bed size calculator checks that it still leaves room to walk around it.

How to use the calculator

1. Pick your bed and enter the top of the mattress. A bed you picked in another tool carries over.
2. Choose how the headboard is held up: bolted to the bed frame, on the wall, or on the wall and extra wide.
3. Choose the height: low, standard or tall.
4. Check the box for a window behind the bed, then enter its sill and its top.
5. Read the result: the width, where the top goes, how much shows above the mattress and, on the wall, where to hang it. Every height is listed as Fits, Tight or Doesn’t fit for your bed.
6. Save or share it. Copy link keeps your numbers in the address.

How we calculate

The maker’s instructions for your headboard come first. The sizes and heights below are where to start.

• The width: a headboard that bolts to the frame comes in the bed’s size, because its legs have to line up with the frame’s holes. Standard headboards run 0 to 4 in wider than the mattress in all, no more than 2 in past each side, and each bed size has a width headboards are usually sold in (the table below). An extra-wide headboard runs 25 to 30 in wider than the bed, and it’s mostly wall-mounted, so the bed size stops mattering.
• The height: a low headboard rises 10 to 24 in above the mattress. A standard one has its top 42 to 48 in from the floor, for a plump-pillow look. A tall one stands 52 in or more, so 52 to 70 in in all. Any headboard shows at least 10 in above the mattress, so a high bed raises the lowest top that works.
• The mattress: the default top is 25 in from the floor, about average for a mattress on its foundation and frame.
• Under a window: a headboard Fits when it covers no more than the bottom quarter of the window, leaving three quarters of the glass clear. Up to a third of the way up, it’s Tight. Higher than that, it doesn’t fit.
• On the wall: the bottom edge goes 3 to 4 in below the top of the mattress, hidden behind it. The cleat goes into at least 2 studs, and a king headboard takes 3 brackets.

Worked examples

Worked example

A headboard for a queen bed

What we know

• Bed: queen, the mattress top 25 in from the floor
• Headboard: bolts to the bed frame, standard height

How it works out

1. Width: a queen mattress is 60 in wide, so 60 to 64 in, usually 62 in.
2. Height: a standard headboard has its top 42 to 48 in from the floor, 17 to 23 in above the mattress.

A queen headboard, 42 to 48 in tall. A headboard that bolts to the frame comes in the bed's size, so its legs line up with the frame's holes: a queen one is usually about 62 in wide, anywhere from 60 to 64 in. Its top at 42 to 48 in from the floor shows 17 to 23 in above the 25 in mattress, the standard height for a plump-pillow look. Most bed frames have slots to raise or lower it a couple of inches.

Worked example

A king bed on the wall under a window

What we know

• Bed: king, the mattress top 25 in from the floor
• Headboard: on the wall, standard height
• Window: the sill 30 in and the top 84 in from the floor

How it works out

1. Width: a king mattress is 76 in wide, so 76 to 80 in, usually 80 in.
2. Height: a standard headboard has its top 42 to 48 in from the floor, 17 to 23 in above the mattress.
3. Window: a quarter of the way up is 43.5 in, a third 48 in.

A 76 to 80 in wide headboard, its top 42 to 43.5 in from the floor. On the wall it can be any width: 76 to 80 in lines it up with the king mattress, no more than 2 in past each side. Its top at 42 to 43.5 in from the floor shows 17 to 18.5 in above the 25 in mattress, the standard height for a plump-pillow look. That keeps it to the bottom quarter of the window, up to 43.5 in, and leaves the rest of the glass clear. Hang it with its bottom edge 21 to 22 in from the floor, 3 to 4 in below the mattress top so it stays hidden, which makes the panel 20 to 22.5 in high. Screw it into at least 2 studs, with 3 brackets for a king. With curtains behind the bed, pull it 4 to 6 in away from the wall.

Worked example

A tall headboard for a full bed under a low window

What we know

• Bed: full, the mattress top 25 in from the floor
• Headboard: bolts to the bed frame, tall height
• Window: the sill 28 in and the top 76 in from the floor

How it works out

1. Width: a full mattress is 54 in wide, so 54 to 58 in, usually 56 in.
2. Height: a tall headboard has its top 52 to 70 in from the floor, 27 to 45 in above the mattress.
3. Window: a quarter of the way up is 40 in, a third 44 in.

A tall headboard covers too much of this window. A headboard that bolts to the frame comes in the bed's size, so its legs line up with the frame's holes: a full one is usually about 56 in wide, anywhere from 54 to 58 in. Even at its lowest, 52 in, it would reach past 44 in, a third of the way up the window, the most it should cover. A low headboard suits it instead. Its top at 35 to 40 in from the floor shows 10 to 15 in above the 25 in mattress, a low headboard. That keeps it to the bottom quarter of the window, up to 40 in, and leaves the rest of the glass clear. Most bed frames have slots to raise or lower it a couple of inches. With curtains behind the bed, pull it 4 to 6 in away from the wall.

Headboard sizes by bed

The width range around each mattress, and the width headboards for it are usually sold in.

Headboard heights

Where each height puts the top of the headboard, for a mattress at an average height. With a higher or lower mattress, the calculator moves the low headboard with it.

Choosing the height

• The ceiling: tall headboards look best in rooms with high ceilings, where they fill the space, and lower-profile beds suit lower ceilings. Under a tall ceiling, a very low headboard can look out of proportion.
• Art above the bed: keep the headboard to 50 to 55 in from the floor at most, to leave room for art. The wall art size calculator sizes the art for the bed.
• Nightstands: an extended headboard runs the full width of the wall or just past the nightstands. The nightstand height calculator sizes the nightstands to the mattress.
• A frame headboard’s height: most bed frames have slots to raise or lower the headboard a couple of inches.

Hanging it safely

• On the wall: secure the headboard to the wall the way its instructions say, with fasteners made for your wall. Screw into the studs, or use heavy-duty anchors rated for the headboard’s weight where there’s no stud.
• Freestanding: a freestanding headboard must stand against a wall to stay steady.
• Adjustable bases: with small children in the house, leave no more than 1 to 3 in between the mattress’s surface and the bottom of the headboard, so they can’t get trapped.