| Quick Answer: Murphy Bed Sizes, Murphy Door® wall beds come in twin, full, queen, and king. A twin unit folds to roughly 42 inches wide; a full runs about 56 inches wide; a queen about 62 inches; a king about 78 inches. Depth when folded against the wall is typically 12–16 inches depending on cabinet configuration. Every Murphy Door® wall bed fits standard mattresses up to 12 inches thick, no special mattress required. |
By Jeremy Barker, Founder and CEO, Murphy Door®
Published 2026-09-15
Here's the thing: "what size is a murphy bed" sounds like a simple question, but the answer has a lot of moving parts. The sleeping surface follows mattress-industry standard dimensions. The cabinet that houses it does not. And the rough opening your wall needs is different again. We've been building wall beds and hidden door systems out of Ogden, Utah since 2012, serving 200,000+ households, and the size question comes up on nearly every call we take at 888-458-5911. So I want to answer it properly, in one place.
The short version: a twin murphy bed fits a 38-by-75-inch mattress, a full fits 54-by-75, a queen fits 60-by-80, and a king fits 76-by-80. The cabinet that stores the bed adds width and depth beyond those numbers. I'll give you the full breakdown below, then answer every follow-up question we hear from homeowners before they buy.
What Are the Standard Sizes of a Murphy Bed?
The sleeping surface of any murphy bed matches the standard mattress size it's built for. What changes between brands and models is the cabinet footprint, the folded depth, and whether you add side cabinets or a desk.
| Size | Mattress (W x L) | Approx. Cabinet Width | Folded Depth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twin | 38" x 75" | 42"–44" | 12"–14" |
| Full | 54" x 75" | 58"–60" | 12"–14" |
| Queen | 60" x 80" | 64"–66" | 14"–16" |
| King | 76" x 80" | 80"–82" | 14"–16" |
Vertical murphy beds (the classic fold-down-from-the-long-side configuration) need ceiling height of at least 84 inches for a queen or king. Horizontal configurations fold out from the short end instead and work in rooms where the wall is wide but the ceiling is standard 8-foot height. You can browse our vertical murphy bed collection and our horizontal murphy bed collection to see both formats side by side.
If you're adding side cabinets (for storage, a desk, or a media console), the total wall footprint grows. A queen bed with left and right cabinets can run 100 inches or more across. Measure the wall before you configure. That's not a suggestion, it's the difference between a unit that installs cleanly and one that needs a full reorder.
A full-size Murphy Door® wall bed shown in the open position. The cabinet width on a full (shown here in Paint Grade Unfinished) runs about 58–60 inches, so a bedroom wall that fits a 60-inch dresser will typically fit this unit. Note how the cabinet face becomes the bed face when folded down: the decorative panel faces up, the hardware is interior.
Is There a Difference Between a Murphy Bed and a Wall Bed?
No meaningful difference. "Murphy bed," "wall bed," and "fold-down bed" all describe the same product: a bed frame that pivots on a hinge system and folds flush against the wall when not in use. Murphy Door® is a registered trademark and the largest hidden door company in the world, having built the category to what it is today. The mechanism might be a piston, a spring, or a counterbalance, but the concept is identical across all those names.
What's another name for a wall bed?
Wall bed, fold-down bed, fold-away bed, pull-down bed. You'll also hear "Murphy," used generically in conversation, though Murphy Door® is a registered trademark. The term "hideaway bed" sometimes floats around but that phrase historically referred to sofa beds, which are a different product entirely.
Do Murphy beds have to be attached to the wall?
Yes. Every murphy bed has to anchor to the wall structure, not just the drywall surface. The pivot and lifting mechanism generate real torque when the bed opens, especially when a queen frame plus mattress (which can easily exceed 300 pounds) swings down. At Murphy Door®, our wall-mounting system is engineered to the same factory-tested quality standards as our hidden door line. You're bolting into studs or a structural backing panel, full stop.
Can I Put Any Mattress Into a Murphy Bed?
Mostly yes, with one real constraint: thickness. Our murphy beds are compatible with standard mattresses up to 12 inches thick. Beyond that, the bed won't close flush, you'll see a gap between the cabinet face and the wall, and the locking mechanism won't engage properly. This rules out some pillow-top and ultra-plush mattresses that push past 12 inches, but it covers the vast majority of memory foam, hybrid, and innerspring options sold today.
Can a regular mattress be used on a Murphy bed?
Yes. You don't need a specialty "murphy bed mattress." What you need is a mattress that's the right size for your bed frame and 12 inches thick or less. A standard queen memory foam mattress from any major retailer will work. The only time you'd need something specific is if your mattress is unusually thick or unusually flexible (some all-foam mattresses fold awkwardly in a vertical configuration). Medium-firm tends to work best for vertical fold-down beds.
What kind of mattress can you put in a Murphy bed?
Innerspring, memory foam, latex, and hybrid all work. Avoid anything advertised as "ultra-plush" or "Euro-top" if it pushes past 12 inches. For vertical units, a mattress with some firmness handles the fold better than one that flops. For horizontal units, mattress flexibility matters less since the bed pivots from the short end rather than bending lengthwise.
How thick of a mattress can you use with a Murphy bed?
12 inches is the ceiling for Murphy Door® wall beds. Measure your mattress before you order. If you already own a mattress you love and it runs 13 or 14 inches, that's the conversation to have with us before you configure (call 888-458-5911 and we'll work through it with you).
What Are the Downsides of a Murphy Bed?
I'll be direct here. Murphy beds aren't for everyone, and I'd rather you know the real limitations than discover them after installation.
- You have to make the bed every time you fold it up. Sheets need to be tucked and secured, or they'll bunch inside the cabinet. Most households get a routine going within a week.
- Setup and takedown takes 30–60 seconds. It's faster than a sofa bed, but it's not zero effort. If you're sleeping in the room every night, that's a non-issue. If guests are using it occasionally, that's fine too.
- The wall footprint is permanent. Once the unit is anchored and the casework is built out, moving it is a half-day project. Pick the wall thoughtfully.
- Ceiling height matters for vertical units. You need at least 84 inches of clear ceiling height for a queen or king vertical bed. Low-ceiling rooms need a horizontal configuration.
Can you sleep on a Murphy bed every night?
Yes. A murphy bed frame is not mechanically different from a standard bed frame when it's open. The quality of sleep you get depends entirely on your mattress, which is the same as any other bed. We have plenty of households that use murphy beds as their primary bedroom setup, not just for guest rooms. The pivot mechanism on our beds uses a dual-piston lifting system that stays calibrated through daily use.
Why are Murphy beds not popular?
They're actually growing fast. The friction historically was price and quality, cheap versions exist that don't stay calibrated, make noise, or require two people to operate. A well-built unit from a manufacturer that controls its own hardware changes the equation. The other factor is space: murphy beds shine in studios, guest rooms, and home offices, and as those room types have become more common, so has demand for the product.
Which is better, a Murphy bed or a wall bed?
Same thing, different words. See the naming section above.
What is better than a Murphy bed?
Depends entirely on the use case. A dedicated guest bedroom with a traditional bed is more convenient for frequent overnight guests, but wastes the room 350 days a year. A murphy bed with a desk or side cabinets turns that same room into usable square footage year-round. For studio apartments, nothing else really competes on space efficiency. The honest answer is: a murphy bed is better when you need the room to do two jobs.
The king-size Murphy Door® wall bed shown open in Paint Grade Unfinished finish. At approximately 80–82 inches wide in the cabinet, a king unit needs a clear wall span of at least 82 inches plus room to swing the bed fully horizontal, plan for about 84 inches of floor depth in front of the wall when configuring your room layout.
How Thick of a Mattress Will Fit a Murphy Bed?
We covered this briefly above, but it's worth a dedicated section because it's one of the most common pre-purchase questions we get. The spec is 12 inches maximum for Murphy Door® wall beds. That's not arbitrary, it's the point at which the folded depth starts to exceed the cabinet interior and the door face won't close flush.
What is the thickest mattress you can put on a Murphy bed?
12 inches. Measure from the mattress surface to the bottom of the box spring (if applicable). If you're using a platform-style bed frame insert with no box spring, measure the mattress alone.
Do you really need a special mattress for a Murphy bed?
No. This is a myth that some specialty mattress companies have leaned into. What you need is a standard mattress at the right size and under 12 inches thick. We've seen households use everything from a $200 foam mattress to a $2,000 hybrid without issue, as long as it fits the thickness spec.
How big of a mattress can you put in a Murphy bed?
Up to king size (76 by 80 inches). The king unit at Murphy Door® starts at $2,174.18 and the cabinet is built specifically to house a 76-inch-wide mattress. Don't try to fit a California king (72 by 84 inches) into a standard king frame, the 4 extra inches of length won't fold correctly. If you need a Cal king configuration, call us to discuss custom sizing.
What Murphy Bed Sizes Does Murphy Door® Offer?
We build in twin, full, queen, and king, in both slab and shaker panel styles, with options for no cabinets, left cabinet, right cabinet, or both cabinets. Every unit is built in our Utah and Kentucky factories and ships in about 10 days. Here's a quick reference:
| Configuration | Starting Price | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Twin, No Cabinets, Shaker | $1,774.18 | View |
| Full, No Cabinets, Slab | $1,724.18 | View |
| Full, No Cabinets, Shaker | $2,173.18 | View |
| King, No Cabinets, Slab | $2,174.18 | View |
| King, No Cabinets, Shaker | $2,623.18 | View |
| Horizontal Queen | $2,490.00 | View |
| Horizontal Twin | $1,370.00 | View |
| Murphy Bed with Desk | $3,870.00 | View |
Every finish option runs through real wood veneer in oak, knotty alder, maple, or walnut over a Vaultwood Core substrate, or paint grade MDF for painted finishes. The same Limited Lifetime Warranty that covers our hidden door line applies here: lifetime warranty on labor, hardware, and hinges; 5-year warranty on finishes and veneer; 1-year warranty on electronics if you add any. See the full warranty policy for complete tier details.
You can also see the full catalog at the Murphy Beds collection page, or filter by orientation at vertical beds and horizontal beds.
How Much Wall Space Do You Need for a Murphy Bed?
This is the question people forget to ask until after they've fallen in love with a configuration. Here's the math:
- Cabinet width: add 2–3 inches to the mattress width for the cabinet frame. A queen mattress is 60 inches; the queen cabinet is about 64–66 inches wide.
- Side cabinets: each additional side cabinet typically adds 18–24 inches to the total width. A queen with both cabinets can run 100–110 inches across the wall.
- Floor depth when open: the mattress length when the bed is down equals the depth the bed projects into the room. A queen (80 inches long) needs 80 inches of clear floor space in front of the wall, plus a few inches for the mechanism. Call it 84 inches of floor clearance to be safe.
- Ceiling height for vertical units: 84 inches minimum. If your ceilings run shorter, go horizontal.
Measure twice. We build our units in Ogden to tight tolerances, but we can't fix a room that wasn't measured before ordering. Our measurement charts page has printable guides for every configuration.
Understanding how a wall unit projects into room space is just as important for murphy beds as it is for hidden bookcase doors. This studio render illustrates how a panel unit occupies its wall plane when open, the same planning logic applies to any fold-down system. Know your clearances before you configure.
What Makes Murphy Door® Wall Beds Different from Other Options?
Look, here's what we've learned after serving 200,000+ households: the mechanism is everything. A murphy bed that loses calibration after six months, or that requires two people and a prayer to close, stops getting used. Our beds run a dual-piston lifting mechanism sized to the specific weight of the frame-plus-mattress combination you configure. The Vaultwood Core construction (a proprietary MDF engineered stronger than standard MDF) with real wood veneer skins, solid hardwood face frames, and solid-wood components means the cabinet itself doesn't rack or warp over time, which is what keeps the mechanism operating smoothly year after year.
We also manufacture our hardware in-house at our Utah and Kentucky factories. We own the tooling. That's why we can back the hardware with a lifetime warranty on labor, hardware, and hinges and actually stand behind it, not just print it on a card. If you want to see how this plays out across configurations, the why Murphy Door® page walks through it in detail. Questions welcome at 888-458-5911.
Start Your Project
Call us at 888-458-5911 or visit murphydoor.com to configure your murphy bed. Our team in Ogden, Utah is available to walk through sizing, wall requirements, and finish options before you order. Most units ship in 10 days. If you'd like help planning the full room layout, book a virtual consultation, no cost, no pressure.
About Murphy Door®
Murphy Door®, headquartered in Ogden, Utah, has served 200,000+ households since 2012 from our Utah and Kentucky factories. We build hidden bookcase doors, hidden pantry doors, murphy beds, and a full line of space-saving furniture systems. Every unit ships with pre-cut components, torque specs, and installation hardware. Our Limited Lifetime Warranty covers labor, hardware, and hinges for life, with a 5-year warranty on finishes and veneer and a 1-year warranty on electronics. Murphy Door® has been featured in Forbes, Fortune, Fox News, HGTV, Architectural Digest, and Martha Stewart's House Beautiful. We have 500+ five-star Google reviews. Learn more at murphydoor.com/pages/about or reach us directly at 888-458-5911.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can a Murphy bed use a regular mattress?
A: Yes. Any standard mattress up to 12 inches thick works in a Murphy Door® wall bed. You don't need a specialty product. Memory foam, innerspring, hybrid, and latex all fit without issue as long as the mattress dimensions match the bed size (twin, full, queen, or king) and the thickness stays at or under 12 inches.
Q: What is the thickest mattress you can put on a Murphy bed?
A: 12 inches. Beyond that, the cabinet door won't close flush and the locking mechanism won't engage. Measure your mattress before you order, and if you're right at the limit, go with a firm or medium-firm to avoid any compression-related clearance issues when the bed is folded.
Q: Why are Murphy beds not popular?
A: The perception lags behind the reality. Older murphy beds had spring mechanisms that wore out, made noise, or required effort to operate. Modern dual-piston systems (like ours) are balanced to the mattress weight and open or close with one hand. Demand has grown consistently as studios and multi-use rooms have become more common.
Q: What are the downsides of using a Murphy bed?
A: The main ones: you need to secure your bedding before folding up, the wall footprint is a longer-term commitment than a freestanding bed, and low-ceiling rooms (under 84 inches) need a horizontal rather than vertical configuration. None of these are deal-breakers for most households, but they're worth knowing before you buy.
Q: Is there a difference between a Murphy bed and a wall bed?
A: No functional difference. Both terms describe a bed that folds against the wall when not in use. "Murphy bed" is more common in casual conversation; "wall bed" is the industry term used in catalog and specification contexts. Murphy Door® builds both vertical and horizontal configurations under either name.
Q: How big of a mattress can you put in a Murphy bed?
A: Up to king size (76 by 80 inches). Murphy Door® offers twin, full, queen, and king configurations. California king (72 by 84) requires a custom discussion since the extra 4 inches of length affects the fold geometry. Call 888-458-5911 if you need a non-standard size.