Short answer: measure your mattress width and depth, add twice the depth to the width, and pick the quilt closest to that number. Bed-size names alone are not reliable enough.
| Size | Quilt measures | From | Best on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single | 59" x 70" | $99.99 | a single bed, a day bed, or as a throw over a larger bed |
| Twin | 69" x 90" | $119.99 | a twin mattress with enough length to tuck under the foot |
| Queen | 90" x 90" | $149.99 | a queen mattress with an even drop on both sides |
| King | 104" x 94" | $159.99 | a king mattress, and the widest drop in the range |
Why the mattress name is not enough
Two queen mattresses can differ by six inches in depth once you add a pillow top or a topper. Width is standardised; depth is not. A quilt that looked right in the listing can end up sitting flat on top of a deep mattress with almost no drop down the sides.
So measure. Width across the mattress, then depth from the top surface to the bottom of the mattress. The quilt needs the mattress width plus roughly twice the depth to hang evenly on both sides.
Worked example
A queen mattress 60" wide and 12" deep needs about 60 + 24 = 84" of quilt width for an even drop. The 90" Queen gives you 84" plus a little slack, which is what you want. On a 16" pillow-top mattress the same maths asks for 92" — that is where people size up to King even though the mattress is a queen.
When you are between two sizes
Size up. A quilt that is slightly too large drapes; a quilt that is slightly too small rides up and leaves shoulders uncovered on whoever loses the nightly tug of war. The cost difference between sizes is smaller than the cost of replacing the wrong one.
A note on Single
Single measures 59" x 70", which is shorter than a twin mattress. It suits a single or day bed, a child's bed, or use as a throw layered over a larger bed. If you want full coverage on a standard twin, Twin is the size to choose.
What you are measuring for
Every size listed here is the quilt itself — the filled top layer. The two pillow shams that complete the set are standard sham size regardless of which quilt size you pick. What comes in a 3-piece set covers that in full.