What's in this collection
The king size mattresses here cover the three main construction types.
Pocket spring uses individually wrapped coils that move independently. The spring count, shown as a number like 1000, 2000 or 3500, tells you how many individual springs are in the king size version of the mattress: more coils means finer contouring and more precise support. Because the spring structure allows air to circulate, pocket spring mattresses tend to sleep cool and absorb movement well, making them the most popular choice for shared beds.
Memory foam compresses under heat and body weight to distribute pressure more evenly across the surface. It suits side sleepers particularly well, since it takes pressure off the shoulder and hip rather than holding the body at the widest contact points. The trade-off is that it sleeps warmer than spring and responds more slowly to movement, which not everyone likes. Several mattresses here combine a pocket spring base with a memory foam comfort layer, which gives reasonable pressure relief while keeping the temperature and movement isolation closer to a spring mattress.
Latex is less common but worth understanding. It feels more buoyant and responsive than memory foam, with a natural give rather than a slow sink-and-recover. It also tends to sleep cooler than foam, closer in temperature to pocket spring.
King size dimensions and room planning
A UK king size mattress is 150cm wide and 200cm long. That 200cm length is 10cm more than a standard double mattress, which matters if you're tall. Anyone over about 185cm who has ever slept on a double and felt slightly scrunched will notice the difference.
For room planning, the bed frame adds a few centimetres on each side beyond the mattress itself. Budget around 160 to 165cm of floor width as a working figure. If you're buying a king size bed frame alongside the mattress, check the assembled frame dimensions before ordering rather than relying on the mattress size alone. A bedroom of roughly 3m x 3.5m handles a king size comfortably, with enough clearance on both sides and at the foot to move around properly. Taping the footprint on the floor before ordering is a reliable way to sense-check the fit.
Which mattress type works best for two people
Pocket spring is the most practical choice for most couples, specifically because of how the independent coil system handles movement. When one person turns over, adjusts position, or gets out of bed early, pocket spring absorbs that movement better than foam, which means it's less likely to travel to the other side of the bed. If one of you is a lighter sleeper or one of you keeps different hours, this matters a lot in practice.
Where it gets more nuanced is when one person has a stronger preference for pressure relief than the other. Side sleepers with shoulder or hip discomfort often want something that gives more readily at those contact points than pocket spring typically does. A combination mattress, with pocket spring beneath and a memory foam layer on top, is often a good middle ground for couples with different needs: the spring base handles movement and temperature, the foam layer adds cushioning at the surface. It won't satisfy someone who specifically wants the feel of full memory foam, but for couples where the needs are slightly different rather than completely opposed, it tends to work well.
King or super king
The super king is 180cm wide: 30cm wider than the king, which gives each person roughly the space of a single bed to themselves. That's genuinely generous. The question is whether the room can carry it.
Many standard UK bedrooms are sized comfortably for a king but become tight with a super king once you account for clearance on both sides. If access narrows to less than 50cm on one side, the room starts to feel cramped regardless of how good the bed looks. If you're weighing the two up, the super king mattresses page covers the case for that size in more detail. The honest rule of thumb: if you're asking whether the room is large enough for a super king, the king is probably the better fit.
Spreading the Cost
Finance is available on many of our king size mattresses, subject to status. A king size mattress is something you'll use every night for the best part of a decade, and it's one of those purchases where spending more at the outset tends to mean longer-lasting support and comfort. If you're buying a frame and mattress together, combining both into a single financed purchase makes that easier to manage. Details are shown on each product page.
Why buy from Shawcross
We're a Manchester-based retailer with a showroom and we deliver nationally across the UK. Mattresses are a purchase where a conversation beforehand often helps, particularly for couples who may have different preferences for firmness or construction type. We're happy to talk through the options before you buy, whether that's over the phone or in person. Give us a call if you'd like to discuss what might suit your situation.
