California King Mattress, Built in the Firmness You Pick
California King Mattress Size, Answered First
A California King mattress is 72 inches wide by 84 inches long. That makes it 4 inches narrower and 4 inches longer than a standard King, which is 76 inches wide by 80 inches long. So if you are shopping for extra length, this is the size you want. If you are shopping for extra width, a King is the better buy.
At Sleep Essentials in Roanoke, Virginia we do not pull a finished California King off a shelf and hand it to you. We build it. You choose a Top Layer, a Middle Layer and a Bottom Layer, each one in the firmness you want, and those three layers go inside a Cover. You order the size as Cal. King, or as Split Cal. King if you want the two halves of the bed to feel different from each other. That second option is the one most couples end up wanting, and it is covered further down this page.
Who a California King Is Actually Right For
This size solves two specific problems. If neither one is your problem, a King will serve you better and cost you less floor space in length.
- Tall sleepers. The extra 4 inches of length is the entire reason this size exists. If you are 6 feet 2 inches or taller, an 80 inch King runs out before your feet do, and you spend the night with your heels hanging over the edge or your knees pulled up. 84 inches gives your feet somewhere to go.
- Long, narrow bedrooms. A California King is narrower than a King, so it fits a room a King crowds. If a King leaves you edging sideways past the footboard, or it blocks a closet door, a dresser drawer or a radiator, then a california king bed hands you back 4 inches of floor width and spends it on length instead.
- Beds that get shared with more than two people. A dog at the foot, or a child who arrives at two in the morning, takes up length before it takes up width.
- Rooms with a tall headboard and footboard set. A framed bed adds its own inches at the head and foot, so the length you plan for is the frame, not just the mattress.
Measure the room before you decide anything else. A California King plus a frame needs real clearance at the foot of the bed, and that is the measurement people get wrong. Walk the route you take from the door to your side of the bed and count the inches you actually have.
California King Compared With a King and the Oversized Sizes
Here is the california king mattress size set against a standard King, which is the only comparison that matters for most buyers.
| Size | Width | Length | Compared with a King |
|---|---|---|---|
| California King | 72 inches | 84 inches | 4 inches narrower, 4 inches longer |
| King | 76 inches | 80 inches | The reference size |
One thing worth knowing before you spend the money: a California King is not a bigger bed than a King. It is a differently shaped bed. Multiply it out and a California King covers 6,048 square inches of sleeping surface, while a King covers 6,080. The King is very slightly larger in total area. What the California King gives you is 4 inches of length, taken out of the width. Buy it for the length or do not buy it.
If 84 inches of length and 72 inches of width still is not enough bed, the same layered build is made in larger sizes. We make Texas King, Florida King, Family King and Wyoming King, each with a split version, and you can see the oversized bed sizes we build if a California King is going to be tight. Those sizes need a frame made for them, which is a bigger project than a California King, so only go there if you have the room for it.
If you are still deciding between latex and the other things on the market, we put a plain side by side look at latex, foam and innerspring together, with no sales language in it.
How a Layered Latex California King Is Built
Every mattress we make is three layers inside a Cover. You pick the firmness of each layer separately, from these six:
- Ultra Soft
- Soft
- Medium Soft
- Medium
- Medium Firm
- Ultra Firm
The Top Layer is the one you feel first and the one that decides whether the bed reads as soft or firm. The Middle Layer carries most of your weight and is where a bed either supports your hips and shoulders or lets them sink. The Bottom Layer is the base the other two sit on. The Cover holds the stack together and comes in two depths, Standard 9 Inch and Deep 12 Inch, and the Cover is also offered in California King.
The latex itself is organic latex. We want to be precise about that, because the bedding trade is not. The individual latex components carry the certification. The finished mattress does not carry a certification as a whole, and we are not going to tell you that it does.
Latex behaves differently from foam, and that is most of why people come to us. If you have not slept on it before, read what latex does well and where it does not before you order, and read how many years a latex bed actually holds up, because the answer changes the math on what this costs you per year.
Why Split Firmness Matters Most at This Size
This is the part that sells a California King to couples, and it is the real reason to buy a built mattress instead of a finished one.
A Split Cal. King is two halves rather than one slab. Because each half is built from its own layers, each half can be a different firmness. One of you can sleep on Medium Soft and the other on Medium Firm, in the same bed, on the same night. Nobody has to lose that argument. Nobody has to compromise on a feel that is almost right for both of you and right for neither.
That matters more on a California King than on any other size, because the people who need 84 inches of length are usually the taller person in a couple, and the taller, heavier person almost never wants the same firmness as the shorter, lighter one. A single firmness across a bed this long means one of you is sleeping on a mattress built for someone else’s body.
It also matters later. Because every layer is ordered on its own, in its own firmness and its own size, the feel of one half of the bed is a layer decision rather than a whole mattress decision. What feels right at 40 does not always feel right at 55, and a bed built in layers does not have to be thrown out when that changes.
If you want one firmness across the whole bed, order Cal. King. If you want the two sides to differ, order Split Cal. King. That is the entire decision.
What Frame and Foundation a California King Needs
A standard King frame will not fit a California King, and this is the single most common and most expensive mistake buyers make with this size. A King frame is built for 76 by 80. A California King is 72 by 84. Put one in the other and the mattress overhangs the foot of the frame by 4 inches with nothing underneath it, while sitting with 2 inches of empty gap down each side. The foot end sags because it is unsupported, the sides shift because nothing holds them, and the mattress wears unevenly from the day you put it there.
So you need a california king size bed frame, bought and labelled as that size, not a King frame you hope will do. A california king mattress frame is built to 72 inches by 84 inches, and if a retailer cannot tell you those two numbers about a frame, they do not know what they are selling you.
Under the mattress you have three sensible options:
- Our Self-Assembled Mattress Foundation. We make it in Cal. King, in three heights, 5 Inch, 8 Inch and 11 Inch, with or without legs. Order it with legs if it is standing on its own and holding the bed off the floor. Order it without legs if it is dropping inside a frame that already does that job. The height you pick decides how high you sit when you get out of bed in the morning, so choose it against your own knees and not against a photograph.
- A Southerland Sleep adjustable base. We carry the G94, the G96 and the B26. An adjustable base raises your head or your feet, and it works with a layered latex build because latex bends with the base instead of fighting it.
- A platform frame with close slat spacing. A cal king mattress needs continuous support underneath, not a few widely spaced boards. Wide gaps let the layers dip between the slats, and you will feel that inside a year.
Whichever you pick, the support has to be 72 by 84, the same as the mattress. Check that number twice before you order anything.
Sheets for a California King
King sheets do not fit a California King. The mattress is 4 inches longer, so a King fitted sheet will come up short at the corners and pop off in the night, which is a small thing that will annoy you every single week. Buy sheets cut for a California King and check the stated size on the package before you buy. We carry Ocochi Premier Bamboo Sheet Sets, and if you are ordering a Deep 12 Inch Cover rather than the Standard 9 Inch, allow for that depth in the fitted sheet as well.
How to Order
You build it in four decisions: the firmness of the Top Layer, the firmness of the Middle Layer, the firmness of the Bottom Layer, and the Cover with its depth. Then you choose Cal. King for one firmness across the bed, or Split Cal. King for two. You can choose your layers and sizes in the store, and if you are not sure which firmness belongs in which layer, call us in Roanoke and tell us how you sleep and where you hurt in the morning. That conversation takes a few minutes and it is the difference between a bed you tolerate and a bed you like.
Questions People Ask About a California King Mattress
What are the exact dimensions of a California King mattress?
72 inches wide by 84 inches long. A standard King is 76 inches wide by 80 inches long, so a California King is 4 inches narrower and 4 inches longer. In feet, a California King is 6 feet wide by 7 feet long.
Is a California King bigger than a King?
No, not in total area. A California King covers 6,048 square inches and a King covers 6,080, so a King is fractionally larger overall. The California King simply moves 4 inches from the width into the length. It is the right choice for a tall sleeper or a narrow room, and the wrong choice if what you want is more room side to side.
Can two people have different firmness in one California King?
Yes, and this is the main reason to buy this size from us. Order a Split Cal. King and each half is built from its own layers, so each half can be a different firmness. One side can be Medium Soft while the other is Medium Firm. Neither of you has to sleep on a bed chosen for the other person.
Will a standard King bed frame fit a California King mattress?
No. A King frame is 76 by 80 and a California King mattress is 72 by 84, so the mattress hangs 4 inches past the foot of the frame with no support under it and sits loose with a 2 inch gap on each side. You need a frame made for a California King, at 72 inches by 84 inches.
What foundation should I put under a California King?
Either our Self-Assembled Mattress Foundation in Cal. King, which comes in 5 Inch, 8 Inch and 11 Inch heights, with or without legs, or a platform frame with closely spaced slats. Widely spaced slats let the layers dip between them. If you want to raise your head or your feet, we carry the Southerland Sleep G94, G96 and B26 adjustable bases, and a layered latex build works on an adjustable base.
Is the mattress organic?
The latex is organic latex and the individual latex components carry the certification. The finished mattress does not carry that certification as a whole. We say it that way on purpose, because plenty of sellers do not, and you are entitled to know exactly which part of the bed the paperwork covers.
Do you make anything longer or wider than a California King?
Yes. The same layered build is made in Texas King, Florida King, Family King and Wyoming King, each with a split version. Those sizes need a frame and a foundation made specifically for them, so decide on the bed frame first if you are going larger than a California King.
Common questions
What are the exact dimensions of a California King mattress?
72 inches wide by 84 inches long. A standard King is 76 inches wide by 80 inches long, so a California King is 4 inches narrower and 4 inches longer. In feet, a California King is 6 feet wide by 7 feet long.
Is a California King bigger than a King?
No, not in total area. A California King covers 6,048 square inches and a King covers 6,080, so a King is fractionally larger overall. The California King simply moves 4 inches from the width into the length. It is the right choice for a tall sleeper or a narrow room, and the wrong choice if what you want is more room side to side.
Can two people have different firmness in one California King?
Yes, and this is the main reason to buy this size from us. Order a Split Cal. King and each half is built from its own layers, so each half can be a different firmness. One side can be Medium Soft while the other is Medium Firm. Neither of you has to sleep on a bed chosen for the other person.
Will a standard King bed frame fit a California King mattress?
No. A King frame is 76 by 80 and a California King mattress is 72 by 84, so the mattress hangs 4 inches past the foot of the frame with no support under it and sits loose with a 2 inch gap on each side. You need a frame made for a California King, at 72 inches by 84 inches.
What foundation should I put under a California King?
Either our Self-Assembled Mattress Foundation in Cal. King, which comes in 5 Inch, 8 Inch and 11 Inch heights, with or without legs, or a platform frame with closely spaced slats. Widely spaced slats let the layers dip between them. If you want to raise your head or your feet, we carry the Southerland Sleep G94, G96 and B26 adjustable bases, and a layered latex build works on an adjustable base.
Is the mattress organic?
The latex is organic latex and the individual latex components carry the certification. The finished mattress does not carry that certification as a whole. We say it that way on purpose, because plenty of sellers do not, and you are entitled to know exactly which part of the bed the paperwork covers.
Do you make anything longer or wider than a California King?
Yes. The same layered build is made in Texas King, Florida King, Family King and Wyoming King, each with a split version. Those sizes need a frame and a foundation made specifically for them, so decide on the bed frame first if you are going larger than a California King.