You can buy a round bed in an afternoon. Finding sheets for it takes months. Most people end up doing one of two things — forcing a rectangular fitted sheet over a circular mattress so it bunches underneath, or giving up and sleeping on a folded flat sheet. Neither is a fit, and neither is your fault: round mattresses were never standardised, so almost nobody cuts bedding for them. This guide gives you the diameters in inches and centimetres, the two measurements we actually need, and the one size rule that surprises people.
Why round bed sheets are so hard to buy
A rectangular fitted sheet has four corners, and every one of them is doing a job — anchoring the cloth at a right angle. A round mattress has no corners at all. There is nothing to hook the sheet onto, so the tension has to come from the whole perimeter at once, which means the sheet has to be cut as a circle from the start. You cannot adapt a king sheet into a round one, and manufacturers who cut thousands of identical rectangles have little reason to try.
The second problem is that no two round beds are the same. Rectangular sizes settled into conventions decades ago — a US king is 76 × 80 inches almost everywhere. Round beds never did. American makers quote diameters in feet, European makers in centimetres, and plenty of round beds are one-off pieces built to a room. So even where a round sheet exists, the odds of it matching your bed are poor.
Round mattress diameters, in inches and centimetres
Two things are worth reading twice on that chart. The first is that the American and European ladders interleave rather than match: a 7-foot round bed is 84 inches, or 213 cm, which falls between the European Ø 200 and Ø 220 and matches neither; and the most common European round, Ø 200 cm, is 79 inches — not the round 80 you might assume. If you have imported a bed, or bought one online from another market, this is where the confusion usually starts.
The second is the lower panel. A fitted sheet does not just cover the top of the mattress; it wraps down and under, in every direction at once. So the cloth it needs is your diameter plus roughly twice the mattress depth. A 7-foot bed that is 12 inches deep already needs about 108 inches of cloth across — which is why round beds outrun standard bedding far faster than their diameter suggests.
The two measurements we need
The diameter is measured across the widest point of the mattress, straight through the middle. Measure the mattress itself, not the frame — a great many round beds sit inside a wider platform or a wrap-around base, and measuring the furniture instead of the mattress is the single most common mistake we see.
The depth is measured from the base-facing edge of the mattress up to the surface you actually sleep on, with any topper in place. Depth is what decides how deep the pocket is cut. Get it right and the sheet stays put; guess low and the corners lift, exactly as they do on a rectangular bed.
Enter those two numbers and nothing else. You do not add anything for the tuck-under — working that out is our job, not yours. The top sheet is the one exception, and it works the opposite way round: there you enter the finished width and length you want the sheet itself to be, not the mattress, because that is how you choose your own overhang.
Is there a round bed too big for us?
This is the question we are asked most, and the honest answer splits in two, because the fitted sheet and the top sheet are made quite differently.
A round fitted sheet has no diameter limit. Our cloth is woven 305 cm wide, and after allowing for shrinkage in the wash and for hems, about 295 cm — roughly 116 inches — is usable across a single width. As the chart shows, a large round bed passes that easily once you count the depth. When it does, we join panels. So there is no round bed too wide for a fitted sheet, whatever the diameter.
The top sheet is rectangular, and one of its sides stops at 116 inches. We do not make round top sheets. A flat sheet lies loose over the bed rather than gripping it, so a rectangle drapes perfectly well on a round mattress and there is nothing to be gained from cutting a circle. Because it comes from a single width of cloth, one of its two measurements has to be 116 in (295 cm) or less; the other can be as long as you reasonably need.
So on a round bed of any size you can have a fitted sheet cut to the exact diameter, with a rectangular top sheet over it. If your bed is a large one, send us the measurements and we will confirm exactly what we can make before anything is cut.
What is in a round sheet set
A made-to-measure round sheet set is one round fitted sheet, one rectangular top sheet and two reversible pillowcases with contrast stitching. Only the fitted sheet has to follow the shape of the bed; the top sheet does not grip anything, so it is cut rectangular. You can order a single shade throughout, or combine two tones — the pillowcases flip to show the second colour, which is a cheap way to change the look of a round bed without changing the bedding.
If you already have a top sheet you are happy with, or you prefer a duvet with no top sheet at all, the round fitted sheet can be ordered on its own. It is the part that has to be round; it is also the part that has to be right.
Round cots and cribs
A round cot is the same problem in miniature, and parents feel it more sharply — a sheet that lifts off a cot mattress is not merely untidy. Because every round fitted sheet we make is cut to the diameter and the depth you enter, a cot or crib mattress is made exactly the same way as a full-size round bed: the same circular cut, the same elastic running the whole way around, the same cottons. Measure across the middle of the mattress, measure its depth, and enter those two numbers.
One distinction worth being clear about. What we make for a round cot is the fitted sheet, cut to your measurements. We do not make cot bedding sets — no bumpers, quilts or skirts. If you have an oval cot rather than a truly circular one, send the two measurements across and we will work from those.
Percale or sateen, and what the colour range really means
Every round sheet is made in your choice of cotton percale or cotton sateen. Percale is the crisp, cool, matte one — the hotel-bed feel, lightweight and breathable. Sateen is silky and lustrous with more drape and a softer hand. Percale runs from 200 up to 800 TC and sateen from 300 up to 1000 TC, so you can pick the weight as well as the weave.
One thing worth knowing before you fall for a colour: the colour range is not the same at every thread count. Percale 200 and 500 TC and sateen 300 and 600 TC come in the full colour range; Percale 400 and 600 TC are made in white and ivory; and our finest qualities, Percale 800 TC and Sateen 1000 TC, are white only. On a round bed, where the sheet is the whole visible surface, that choice matters more than it would on a rectangular bed half-covered by a duvet.
Every fabric in the range, apart from Percale 200 TC, is woven and dyed in Italy, and each quality is tested for shrinkage, colourfastness and consistency. The cottons are OEKO-TEX® certified — tested for harmful substances.
Made to your bed, priced on the spot
The barrier to ordering custom is almost never the price — it is the fear of getting the measurements wrong and waiting weeks to find out. So there is no quote to request and nothing to wait for: enter your diameter and depth, choose the fabric, thread count and colour, and the price updates on the page. Start with the round fitted sheet, take the full round sheet set, or browse everything we make for circular mattresses in the round bed sheets collection.
Frequently asked questions
What size sheets do I need for a round bed?
There is no standard size to look up, because round mattresses were never standardised. Measure the diameter across the widest point of the mattress and the depth including any topper, and the sheet is cut to those two numbers. The chart above will tell you which of the common diameters yours is closest to, but always trust your own tape measure over the label.
Do round fitted sheets actually exist, or is it just a flat sheet?
They exist, and they are a genuinely different thing. A round fitted sheet is cut as a circle with a pocket for the mattress depth and elastic running the whole way around the perimeter, so it grips a mattress that has no corners to hook onto. A flat sheet lies loose on top and has no elastic at all — and we cut those rectangular, even for a round bed.
Is there a maximum diameter?
No. Beyond a single width of cloth we join panels, so a round fitted sheet can be made to any diameter you measure. The top sheet in a set is rectangular rather than round, and one of its two sides has to be 116 inches (295 cm) or less.
Do you make round top sheets?
No — top sheets are made rectangular, including in a round sheet set. A flat sheet is not attached to the mattress, so a rectangle drapes over a round bed perfectly well; cutting it as a circle would use far more cloth for no benefit.
Do you make sheets for a round cot or crib?
Yes. A round fitted sheet is cut to whatever diameter and depth you enter, so a cot mattress is made in exactly the same way as a full-size round bed — the same circular cut, the same elastic all the way around. Measure the mattress itself, not the cot frame, and enter those two numbers. What we make is the fitted sheet; we do not make cot bedding sets.
Is a circle bed the same as a round bed?
Yes — “circle bed”, “circular bed” and “round bed” all describe the same shape, and the same round sheets fit all of them. What matters is the diameter and the depth, not the word your retailer used.
My round bed is in a yacht cabin and it is not a perfect circle.
That is very common, and it is exactly what made-to-measure is for. If the mattress is an oval, a circle with a cut edge, or something stranger still, send us a sketch with the measurements and we will price the exact shape.
How do I stop a round fitted sheet from twisting?
Depth is the usual culprit. A sheet cut for a shallower mattress than yours has to stretch to reach underneath, and a stretched sheet migrates. Measure the mattress with the topper on it and enter the real, combined depth — that alone fixes most of it, and the full-perimeter elastic does the rest.
Still choosing between the weaves? Our guide to percale versus cotton sateen covers how each one feels and wears. Wondering whether a round bed is right for the room in the first place? Start with round beds as a style choice. And if the bed you are actually trying to dress is rectangular but simply enormous, see oversized king sheet sizes in inches.
