Why have UK standard single bed lengths never increased?

[CurlyhairedAssassin]

All the young people these days are so tall! DS1 is 6ft 3, he can never comfortably fit in a standard single bed if it has a footboard. DS2 will be over 6ft as well. The average adult seems to be getting taller, judging from when I was a dwarf at 5ft6 in a crowd at an event which consisted of 20 somethings.

If Ikea standard singles are longer than standard UK ones, how come standard UK ones have never increased? I assume the standard has been around a long time, way back when adults were shorter?

As for standard caravan single beds....forget it once your child is about 12.....

It’s probably because rooms are becoming smaller. There probably just isn’t as big of a market for the largest beds.

Because room sizes haven't increased much maybe. A single room sometimes only barely fits a single bed.

Because of the changeover costs and inconvenience - changing over what is classed as standard single bedding, lots of rooms can only accommodate standard length, lots of people have built furniture around a particular length etc. Surely people if they want bigger just buy euro sized (eg IKEA) or a double/king sized?

I find it much more inconvenient that parking spaces, garages etc don’t keep up with bigger cars!

A longer single bed option exists in the US and it’s called a Twin XL. However, I don’t think many people old enough to be 6ft + routinely sleep in singles, excluding maybe at uni halls. I had a double as a teen, as did almost everyone I know, same now for my teenage nieces/nephews. Although a double isn’t even any longer than a single, you have to go all the way to a King for extra length which I think is madness. We have a California King bought when we lived in the states which is a whopping 7ft long so plenty of space for tall DH plus the cat who sleeps at the bottom.

I think most teenagers have double beds now. Which I initially thought was weird, but it's actually quite handy when we have guests :)

I'd like to take a sleeper train on holiday some time. But I struggle to find one that DH could be comfortable on because of bed length.

We've got a super king zip and link bed that's 6'6 long. I assume you can get longer single sheets of it if you choose to unlink it, but haven't ever looked for them.

Because bedrooms aren't magically growing! You can buy longer ones but standard sized are all many houses can fit

@LakeShoreD where 9n earth do you find bed linen for that? I’d love a bigger bed, ours is a super king, but I still find it not wide/long enough.

Related to this, why do womens shoes usually only go up to an 8? People are getting taller but shoes aren’t getting any bigger unless you go a specialist. I’m only 5ft6 but take a size 9 ( had a tall mum and average sized dad) and I have found it an absolute nightmare trying to get women’s walking boots. I’m a 9 in length but a man’s size 9 boot swamps me volume-wise.

And I have a 6ft4 boyfriend who struggles with the length of my bed!

Single beds and double beds are 6ft 3…. Kings and super kings are just an extra 3” at 6ft 6

Yes to shoe sizes being impossible to get a good size 9.

I would like a longer single bed for my son, but there isn’t the room in his bedroom.

Always annoyed me that a double bed was actually giving you less sleeping room that two singles stuck together. I think? Tired, so now I have typed it I am unsure.

You can get shoes above a 9 in the USA or Denmark, it's just the UK women who don't matter. I remember being told at the shoe shop that the size 9s sold almost instantly and that none more would be sent to the shop which seems rather poor marketing.

I don't believe that most teenagers have double beds as less and less houses have the space for that, especially if you have to share the room with someone else.

Because we like "old imperial " sizes as opposed to " European" ones?

Because people really aren't getting that much taller. Average male height in the UK is 5'9, female is 5'3. I'm 46 and a 6'3 female, I'm very aware of how unusual my height still is, nothing much has changed since I was a teenager.

Always annoyed me that a double bed was actually giving you less sleeping room that two singles stuck together. I think? Tired, so now I have typed it I am unsure.

You are absolutely right, a single is 3ft, a double 4ft 6, so effectively 50% wider, king is 5ft (that 6 inch makes a massive difference) super king 6 ft so double the size of a single. Few houses can take them, not to mention I think changing them must be a faf.

@Shmithecat2

Because people really aren't getting that much taller. Average male height in the UK is 5'9, female is 5'3. I'm 46 and a 6'3 female, I'm very aware of how unusual my height still is, nothing much has changed since I was a teenager.

See I disagree, I am 5ft10 and always felt tall, taller than a lot if men when I went out in the 90s when I go out now the woman tower over me, bjg tall girls in 6" heels proud of their height not stooping and wearing flats like I did.

We just bought a mattress pad and cover for DGS who is heading to uni. The beds in his dorm are twin xl which is good as he is at least 6'3". This is in Canada.

I also disagree that people aren't getting taller. I'm 47 and 5'7 and when I was an older teenager or early 20s it was rare that I saw a woman who was taller than me, it was something I really noticed if I did. Long length trousers often didn't fit me or only just did.

Now many younger women seem to be taller than me, some considerably so and trousers have got longer, I often now buy regular length instead of long and even those are often too long. I feel much more average in height.

@Cherrysoup It’s a standard bed size in the US so we bought a big stash of bedding back with us in our shopping when we moved to the U.K. knowing that it might be hard to find it here. Under normal circumstances we’d also travel back and forth at least once a year so could bring new bedding back with us if necessary. There is also some stuff on Amazon but choice is quite limited. I don’t know why they’re not sold in the U.K., they’re really popular in the US, just about every retailer sells them apart from IKEA.

6ft nearly 70 year old here. I really stood out years ago now there arelots of women as tall as me. As for shoes it's always been a nightmare but it has got a little easier. In the sixties an 8 was unusual. Now you can get nines now and again. Evans was great for big shoes sadly no more.

DH built a shelf at the end of DS bed initially it was for books etc now for his ginormous feet 

@SweatyBetty20 and @WolfFleeceSpotter try ottoandivy.com/ for size 9+ shoes

Ooh thanks @movingstars - will have a look at those.

Thanks @movingstars Shopping now!

@Sunnysal @BarbaraofSeville @Foobydoo

IME, I stood out 30+ years ago, and I still do now - I've rarely seen a woman taller than me, ever. And the averages that I posted just show that the average height certainly hasn't grown that much, hence why beds aren't made any longer - because for the massive majority, there is absolutely no need.

None of my teens had a double bed, rooms were either glorified box rooms or shared with twin singles.
Dd's current partner is 6 foot 7!! They cant come and stay because there's nowhere for him to sleep.