Extra Length Beds: 200cm for Taller Sleepers
A standard South African bed is 188cm long. That is fine for most people and quietly miserable for anyone over about 1.83m, which is why extra length beds exist — they run 200cm, giving you another 12cm. We list 477 extra length options against 628 standard, so it is a genuine choice rather than a special order.
Who actually needs extra length beds
The rule of thumb is simple: you want at least 10cm between the top of your head and the end of your feet and the edges of the mattress. At 1.83m on a 188cm bed you have almost nothing, and you will spend the night either curled slightly or with your feet over the end.
That matters more than it sounds. Sleeping diagonally or with knees permanently bent is a common and completely unnecessary cause of hip and lower back discomfort.
Growing teenagers are the other obvious case. A 16-year-old who is already 1.80m is not finished growing, and buying standard length means buying again.
XL changes the length, not the width
This catches people out. A Queen XL is exactly as wide as a queen — it is simply longer. If you need more shoulder room rather than more leg room, the answer is a wider size, not an XL.
If you need both, that is where King XL comes in. Our bed sizes guide sets out every width side by side.
What we stock in extra length
All the common sizes: Single XL with 90 options, 3/4 XL with 86, Double XL with 87, Queen XL with 96 and King XL with 94.
That spread matters, because being tall should not restrict you to one price bracket or one brand.
Plan for the bedding
The one genuine inconvenience of XL is linen. A standard fitted sheet will not stay on a 200cm mattress — it will pull off the corners within a night or two. Buy XL fitted sheets, and buy a couple of sets at once, because they are less commonly stocked than standard.
Duvets and pillows are unaffected; only the fitted sheet cares about length. A mattress protector does, too — check it is the XL version, and why every bed needs one explains the rest.
Check the room first
An extra 12cm is not much until the bed is against a wall and a door needs to open. Measure before you order — leave 60cm clearance on any side you walk down — and if it is tight, that is the moment to find out rather than on delivery day.
Browse the full range of bed sets and mattresses, or ask us which sizes a particular model comes in.
