75 cm of clearance between the top of the lower mattress and the underside of the upper bunk is the EN 747 minimum for a bunk bed sold in Europe. A guardrail must stand at least 16 cm above the upper mattress, and the upper bunk is not recommended for children under six. Those three numbers, plus a ladder at 70–75°, cover most of what goes wrong.
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The clearance numbers in one table
| Measurement | Requirement | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lower mattress to upper bunk underside | ≥ 75 cm | An adult sitting up needs 85–90 cm; 75 cm is the legal floor, not the comfort figure |
| Upper mattress to ceiling | ≥ 75 cm | Same headroom rule; a 240 cm ceiling caps the bunk at 165 cm tall |
| Guardrail above upper mattress | ≥ 16 cm | Stops a sleeping child rolling out; some standards ask 26 cm for under-6s |
| Guardrail gap at the ladder | ≤ 30 cm opening | Wide enough to climb through, narrow enough not to fall through |
| Gap between mattress and rail | ≤ 5 cm | A limb or head cannot pass; the mattress must fill the frame |
| Ladder angle | 70–75° from horizontal | Steeper is a climb, shallower is a trip hazard |
| Ladder rung spacing | ≤ 30 cm | Matches a child's stride; 25 cm is comfortable |
| End guard rails (both ends) | ≥ 16 cm above mattress | Required even when the bunk is against a wall |
Why 75 cm is the minimum, not the target
An adult sitting upright on a mattress needs 85–90 cm from mattress to the obstruction above. At 75 cm, an adult can sit but not lean forward without ducking; a child of 8–10 fits comfortably. That is the design intent: EN 747 assumes the lower bunk is used by a child.
In practice, most bunks on the market give 75–90 cm, and the upper bunk frame is 12–15 cm thick, so the total stack runs 160–185 cm. Add the upper mattress (15–18 cm) and the upper sleeper's head sits at 175–200 cm — which is why a ceiling under 240 cm makes a bunk feel like a coffin cluster.
Guardrails: the failure that actually happens
Falls from the upper bunk are the most common bunk bed injury, and almost all involve a guardrail that was too low, too short, or missing at the ladder opening.
- Height: measure from the top of the mattress, not the frame. A 16 cm rail over a 15 cm mattress is only 16 cm above the sleeping surface if the mattress sits flush; a compressed mattress drops the effective height.
- Length: the rail should run at least two-thirds of the mattress length, with the opening at the ladder. A rail that stops halfway leaves a gap a rolling child finds.
- Gap: no gap wider than 5 cm between the mattress edge and the rail, and no gap in the rail itself wider than 7.5 cm — that is a head-width rule from crib standards, applied to bunks.
- Both ends: end rails are required even against a wall, because children push the bed away from the wall.
Age, weight and the honest limits
Most European bunk beds are rated for the upper bunk at 6 years and up, and for 80–90 kg per bunk. Two things follow:
- Under six: use the lower bunk only, and take the ladder out of the room so it is not an invitation.
- Teenagers and adults: check the stated load rating, not the marketing photo. A 90 kg adult on a 75 kg-rated upper bunk is over the limit by 20%.
Bunk beds also need a wall strap if the frame is a single-sided ladder design: a child climbing with the ladder on one end applies a lateral load that a 40 kg frame will not resist alone.
Room layout for a bunk
A bunk is 200 × 100 cm of floor, but it needs more clear space than a single bed:
- 60 cm of clear floor at the ladder end, so a child can step off backwards.
- 50 cm between the bunk and any wardrobe or desk, or the ladder cannot be used.
- No bunk under a window unless the window has a restrictor — the upper bunk puts a child at sill height on the first floor.
- No bunk under a ceiling fan or a pendant light within 100 cm.
The rest of the room is a separate calculation: the kids room dimensions guide covers desk, storage and play space; the children's desk height chart handles the study corner.
Keep reading
More dimension guides are in the collection, and the full index is on the furnolio journal.
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