Duvet Cover Sizes and Fit, Explained
Buy the duvet insert for your mattress size and the cover to match the insert; go up one size for a tall mattress or more overhang.
By Elissa SanciContributing writer.
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The short answer
A duvet has two parts: the insert (the filled quilt) and the cover (the washable case it goes in). Size them in that order. The Sleep Foundation's advice is to buy an insert that matches your mattress size, and to go up one size if you have a high profile mattress or simply like more bedding hanging over the sides. Then buy a cover with the same size label and, ideally, the same measurements as the insert.
Duvet insert vs comforter
Both are filled with down or a synthetic fill, and both keep you warm. The difference is the outside:
- A duvet insert is plain and is meant to live inside a cover. The Company Store notes that inserts usually have corner loops to hold them in place inside the cover.
- A comforter is a finished top layer, used on its own without a cover.
Because the cover is the part you wash, a duvet is easier to keep clean and to restyle. Wikipedia notes that many people with a duvet skip the top sheet for that reason. A comforter can also go inside a cover if it fits, and loops or corners help it stay put.
What size duvet cover for a queen bed?
Start with the mattress. These measurements come from the Sleep Foundation:
| Bed size | Mattress (W x L) |
|---|---|
| Twin | 38 x 75 in |
| Twin XL | 38 x 80 in |
| Full | 54 x 75 in |
| Queen | 60 x 80 in |
| King | 76 x 80 in |
| California king | 72 x 84 in |
For a queen bed, the usual choice is a queen insert in a queen cover. Some makers combine two sizes on one label; IKEA, for example, sells its covers as Twin, Full/Queen and King. If your queen mattress is thick, or you want the duvet to reach well down the sides, follow the Sleep Foundation's tip and size up to a king insert and king cover.
Matching the cover to the insert
Duvet cover sizes are not standardized across brands, so the label alone is not enough. Check the listing for:
- Width and length in inches. Compare them with the measurements on your insert's own tag, not just the size name.
- Closure. Covers close with buttons, ties, snaps or a zipper, according to the Sleep Foundation.
- Inside corners. If your insert has corner loops, check whether the cover has ties or tabs inside to hold them, which keeps the fill from shifting.
- What the set includes. If the listing is a set, check which pieces come with the cover and their sizes.
Warmth is the insert's job
The insert sets the warmth, so read its label rather than the cover's. Makers describe warmth in different ways: down fill power, a weight label such as lightweight or all season, grams per square meter, or, in some countries, a tog rating, where Wikipedia notes that a higher tog means a warmer duvet. Our guide to comforter fill and warmth explains fill power, and the bed sizes guide covers each mattress size. Duvet covers and inserts sit in the home and kitchen department.