A muslin blanket has two sizes. "Stretched" is the blanket pulled flat at the corners. "Relaxed" is how it actually lies on a bed after washing, crinkle and all. The relaxed size is smaller, and it's the one that tells you how much of your bed the blanket covers. If a listing gives only one number, find out which.
Why a crinkled blanket has two measurements
The crinkle in a muslin blanket is gathered fabric (we explain how it forms in what is a muslin blanket?). Pull the blanket flat at the corners and you smooth that gathering out, so the tape measure reads much bigger. Let go, and it settles back to its relaxed size.
Ours is a good example. It measures about 45 × 73 in (115 × 185 cm) relaxed and 63 × 83 in (160 × 210 cm) stretched. The crinkle takes up roughly 18 inches of width and 10 inches of length. Same blanket, same fabric; one number is simply more useful than the other when you're making a bed.
Washing matters too. Cotton gauze pulls in a little in the washer and dryer, which is what forms most of the crinkle, so a size taken before the first wash will be bigger than what you end up sleeping under. The relaxed size we list is measured after a wash and dry, so the first wash is already allowed for. (For the full care routine, see how to wash a muslin blanket.)
How to read any muslin blanket listing
- Find out which size you're looking at. Words like "relaxed" or "after washing" point one way; "stretched," "laid flat" or "full stretch" point the other. If there's no label at all, ask before you buy.
- Check when it was measured. Before or after the first wash makes a real difference with crinkled cotton.
- Don't trust the bed name on its own. Blanket sizes aren't standardized the way mattress sizes are, so a "queen" muslin blanket may only reach queen width when it's stretched. Compare the relaxed numbers with your mattress instead.
- Look for both units. Inches and centimeters side by side save you a conversion mistake, especially if you're in Canada or Australia.
- Decide how you want it to sit. Covering one person on top of the mattress, reaching edge to edge, or hanging down the sides are three different sizes. Hanging coverage needs the mattress width plus extra on each side for the drop.
If you've ever ordered a "queen" blanket and unfolded something closer to a throw, step 1 is often where it went wrong.
Throw, twin, full, queen and king: the sizes compared
Throws have no standard size. They're made for one person on a sofa, so check the length before you count on one as a bed blanket. Ours works fine on the couch, but it's cut for a bed: long enough to cover one adult lying down, shoulders to toes.
Mattresses, on the other hand, are standardized. In the US and Canada the usual sizes are twin 38 × 75 in, full 54 × 75 in, queen 60 × 80 in and king 76 × 80 in (Homes & Gardens mattress size chart), though actual mattresses can differ by around half an inch from maker to maker. Australian beds are measured in centimeters: single 92 × 188 cm, king single 107 × 203 cm, double 138 × 188 cm, queen 153 × 203 cm and king 183 × 203 cm (Wikipedia's bed size reference, which also lists the North American sizes).
Two things worth noticing: an Australian queen is about the same width as an American one, but an Australian king is narrower than a US king. And the bed Americans usually call a twin is a single in Australia, though the Australian single is a little narrower.
How our blanket covers each bed
Our blanket is sized for one adult, about 45 × 73 in (115 × 185 cm) relaxed. Here's how that sits on the top of each mattress:
| Bed | Mattress top | Width covered | Length covered | In practice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US twin | 38 × 75 in (97 × 191 cm) | Full width, about 3½ in spare each side | 73 of 75 in | Covers the top of the bed; doesn't hang down the sides |
| US full | 54 × 75 in (137 × 191 cm) | 45 of 54 in | 73 of 75 in | One sleeper, with room to spare |
| US queen | 60 × 80 in (152 × 203 cm) | 45 of 60 in | 73 of 80 in | One sleeper's side |
| US king | 76 × 80 in (193 × 203 cm) | 45 of 76 in | 73 of 80 in | One sleeper's side |
| AU single | 92 × 188 cm | Full width, about 11 cm spare each side | 185 of 188 cm | Covers the top of the bed |
| AU king single | 107 × 203 cm | Full width, about 4 cm spare each side | 185 of 203 cm | Covers the top width |
| AU double | 138 × 188 cm | 115 of 138 cm | 185 of 188 cm | One sleeper, with room to spare |
| AU queen | 153 × 203 cm | 115 of 153 cm | 185 of 203 cm | One sleeper's side |
| AU king | 183 × 203 cm | 115 of 183 cm | 185 of 203 cm | One sleeper's side |
On length, it covers one adult from shoulders to toes on every bed in the table. It isn't long enough to tuck in at the foot and still pull up over your pillows, and on a twin or single it covers the top of the mattress rather than draping down the sides like a comforter.
Why ours is sized for one adult (and how couples use it)
We sized it for one person on purpose. A personal blanket is easier to adjust in the night, easier to wash and fold, and it means nobody has to share. On a full, queen or king it covers one sleeper. It isn't meant to dress the whole bed, so if you like the bed covered edge to edge during the day, keep your comforter or bedspread for that job.
Couples use one each:
- Each person has their own blanket on their own side, so one of you can kick yours off without uncovering the other.
- Whoever runs warm uses only the muslin; whoever runs cold adds a comforter on their side.
- Two different colors settle the question of whose is whose.
It's the setup behind the Scandinavian sleep method, and it's why every order of our 6-layer cotton muslin blanket is Buy 1, Get 1 Free: two blankets, one for each side, in any mix of Sky Blue, Sand and Blush. If it isn't right, our 30-Night Comfort Guarantee covers a full refund when you email us within 30 nights of delivery, and you don't need to send it back.
FAQ
What size is a muslin blanket for adults?
There's no single standard. Adult muslin blankets range from throw size to bed size, and a crinkled blanket always measures bigger stretched than relaxed. Ours is about 45 × 73 in (115 × 185 cm) relaxed and 63 × 83 in (160 × 210 cm) stretched.
Will one blanket cover a queen bed?
No. On a queen or king, ours covers one sleeper's side. It's sized for one adult, so couples use one each.
Why is the stretched size so much bigger?
Because the crinkle is gathered fabric. Pulling the blanket flat at the corners smooths it out for a moment; on the bed it settles back to the relaxed size.
Will the size change after I wash it?
The relaxed size we list is measured after a wash and dry, so the first wash is already allowed for.