Bed Height Guide South Africa: Standard, Low and Custom Heights in cm
Quick answer: most South African retailers who publish a total bed height at all put a standard bed, base plus mattress, at roughly 55 to 60cm off the floor. Nobody publishes it in a table you can actually use to plan a purchase. We can, because we manufacture the bases ourselves. Our own standard base is 30cm plus 80mm feet, 38cm total, which carries our mattresses to between 54cm and 68cm depending on the model. Our lowest base, custom order only, is a 150mm base on 50mm feet, 20cm total, which brings the same mattresses down to between 36cm and 50cm. The full table is below.
The real South African bed height numbers, nobody else publishes these
We checked. Outside of one specialist product listing that states a single base height for one item, no South African mattress or bed retailer we could find publishes a full table of finished bed heights in centimetres. Retailers publish width and length. Height gets left out. We publish ours because we build the base as well as the mattress, so we actually know the number.
| Mattress | Mattress height | On our standard base (38cm) | On our lowest custom base (20cm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comfort Foam | 16cm | 54cm | 36cm |
| Active Foam | 20cm | 58cm | 40cm |
| Revive Memory Foam | 24cm | 62cm | 44cm |
| Ultra 200 | 30cm | 68cm | 50cm |
Standard base: 30cm base plus 80mm feet, 38cm total. Lowest custom base: 150mm base plus 50mm feet, 20cm total, quote-only, no stocked SKU yet. Mattress heights taken from our own published range specs, checked live against Shopify on 10 September 2026. Our Hybrid Coil mattress (Double and Queen only) has not yet had its total height published on our specs pages, so it is left out of this table rather than guessed. WhatsApp us and we will give you the exact figure.
How to measure your correct bed height
This is a fit rule, not a medical one. It works for anyone deciding what height suits them, whatever the reason.
- Sit and check your knee angle. Sit on the edge of your current bed, or a chair of a similar height, with both feet flat on the floor and your knees bent at roughly 90 degrees.
- Measure your popliteal height. While seated in that position, measure straight down from the floor to the back of your knee, the crease behind your knee. That number is your popliteal height.
- Add 1 to 2cm for mattress sink. Your body settles slightly into any mattress once you sit or lie on it, so add 1 to 2cm to your popliteal measurement.
- Match it against the table above. The result is your target finished bed height. Find the mattress and base combination closest to it.
Worked example: your popliteal height measures 42cm. Add 2cm for mattress sink and your target finished bed height is 44cm. Looking at the table above, a Revive Memory Foam (24cm) on our lowest custom base (20cm total) lands at exactly 44cm.
What is a standard bed height in South Africa?
Most South African retailers who state a total height at all put a standard bed at roughly 55 to 60cm from floor to mattress top. On our own range, a standard base carries our mattresses to between 54cm (Comfort Foam) and 68cm (Ultra 200), which sits inside and just above that same range.
How high should a bed be?
There is no single correct number for everyone. Use the popliteal fit rule above: sit on the edge with your feet flat on the floor and your knees near 90 degrees, measure floor to the back of your knee, add 1 to 2cm for mattress sink. That is your target finished height, whatever it turns out to be.
What is a low bed?
Generally, a finished bed height meaningfully below the 55 to 60cm South African standard. On our range, going from a standard base to our lowest custom base drops the finished height by 18cm across every mattress in the table, taking a Comfort Foam from 54cm down to 36cm, for example.
How do I lower my bed?
Two real options, in order of how big a change they make. The smaller change is choosing a lower-profile mattress on your existing base, for example moving from Ultra 200 (30cm) to Comfort Foam (16cm) drops 14cm with no base change at all. The bigger change is a lower base. We build bases to order down to 150mm plus 50mm feet, 20cm total, see the custom option below.
Who a lower bed actually helps
Framed as fit and access, not as a medical benefit:
- Anyone whose feet do not comfortably reach the floor when sitting on the edge of a standard bed.
- Wheelchair users matching a bed height to their own transfer height. See our dedicated guide to mattresses for wheelchair users for the full picture on transfers, edge support and custom builds.
- Older people who find a lower, firmer edge easier to push off from when getting up. A stable edge means the mattress does not collapse when you sit on it.
- Children moving out of a cot into their first bed.
- Anyone who simply finds a standard bed height a climb.
Bed height and short stature: what is actually published
We looked, worldwide, for a specific published bed height recommendation for people of short stature. There isn't one. Little People of America's own guide to home modifications does not mention beds at all, and no South African, UK or clinical source we found states a number either. That absence is exactly why the measuring method above matters: there is no shortcut figure to quote, so the popliteal method is the honest answer for anyone, including someone of short stature, working out their own correct height.
On language: Little People of America's own position is that "dwarf, little person, LP, and person of short stature are all acceptable," while a term like "midget" is considered offensive and outdated. In South Africa, the SAHRC Disability Toolkit's recommended terminology is "short stature, little person," and Equal Citizens of Short Stature, Southern Africa (ECOSS-SA), the active South African advocacy body for this community, uses "persons of short stature" and describes the barriers its members face this way: "Persons of short stature face a wide range of physical and attitudinal barriers, including very high levels of stigma and discrimination."
We are not going to claim our beds are "recommended" for any condition, because nobody has published that recommendation, us included. What we can offer is what this whole page is about: real numbers, and a base built to whatever height you actually need.
The custom option: we build to your requested height
Because we manufacture our own bases, we can build to a requested finished height rather than only offering fixed stock heights. Our lowest achievable base is 150mm plus 50mm feet, 20cm total. There is no stocked SKU for this yet, it is a custom order.
Frequently asked questions
What is a standard bed height in South Africa?
Most South African retailers who state a total height at all put a standard bed at roughly 55 to 60cm from floor to mattress top. On our own range, a standard 38cm base carries our mattresses to between 54cm and 68cm depending on the model.
How high should a bed be?
There is no single correct number for everyone. Sit on the edge of the bed with your feet flat on the floor and your knees near 90 degrees, measure floor to the back of your knee, then add 1 to 2cm for mattress sink. That total is your target finished bed height.
What is a low bed?
Generally, a finished bed height meaningfully below the 55 to 60cm South African standard. Moving from our standard base to our lowest custom base drops every mattress in our range by 18cm.
How do I lower my bed?
Either choose a lower-profile mattress on your existing base, which can drop the height by more than 10cm with no base change, or order a custom lower base. We build bases to order down to 150mm plus 50mm feet, 20cm total.
What is the lowest bed height Mr Mattress can build?
Our lowest achievable base is a 150mm base on 50mm feet, 20cm total. Paired with our lowest mattress, Comfort Foam at 16cm, that is a 36cm finished bed height. This is a custom, quote-only order with no stocked SKU.
Does a custom low base come with the 365-night trial?
No. A custom-height base carries the same 10-year warranty as our standard range, but because it is built to your specific requested height, it is not covered by the 365-night home trial or the standard money-back guarantee.
Is there a published bed height for someone of short stature?
No. We searched worldwide and found no published bed height recommendation for people of short stature, from Little People of America, from any South African body, or from any clinical source. That is exactly why the popliteal measuring method on this page is useful: it lets anyone work out their own correct height rather than relying on a figure that does not exist.
Related guides
- Custom Size Foam Mattress, Made to Order
- Mattress for Wheelchair Users in South Africa
- Mattress Size Guide South Africa
Reviewed by Andries Taljaard, Founder of Mr Mattress. Base and mattress figures confirmed against our own factory specifications and live Shopify product data on 10 September 2026.