Moving House in HK? How to Measure Your Lift for a New Mattress

Hong Kong homes often make excellent use of limited space, but that can create an unexpected delivery problem: the mattress fits the bedroom, yet cannot make it through the building.

This is especially important if you are buying a large mattress, moving into an older building, living in a walk-up, or ordering a mattress that must be delivered flat. Before placing the order, measure the entire delivery route—not only the bedroom and not only the lift.

Why Mattress Delivery Is Different From Moving a Box

A mattress is large, relatively thin and often somewhat flexible. That flexibility can help, but it also makes delivery geometry less predictable than simply comparing one number with another.

A 183 cm-wide King mattress, for example, does not require a 183 cm-wide lift door because it may be carried upright or diagonally. At the same time, a 90 cm-wide lift door does not automatically mean a King mattress will fit, because the mattress still needs enough internal height, depth and turning space to rotate through the opening.

Step 1: Confirm the Exact Mattress Size First

Do not measure your building using only a label such as Double, Queen or King. Mattress naming is not perfectly standard across countries or brands.

Hush Home's current Hong Kong Mattress Size Guide lists common widths including:

Length can be equally important. Hush Home mattresses currently range across common lengths such as 183 cm, 190 cm, 198 cm and 200 cm depending on size and model.

Step 2: Ask How the Mattress Will Be Delivered

This can completely change the access problem.

Hush Home currently states that the Organic Mattress™ is delivered flat to preserve its layers and comfort. The Hush Mattress™, Hush Duo Mattress™, Loft Mattress™ and Essence Firm Mattress™ may be delivered either flat or rolled depending on the model and arrangement.

A rolled mattress is much easier to move through a tight lift because its delivery dimensions are far smaller than the finished mattress.

If access is uncertain, ask the retailer for the delivery dimensions or exact delivery format of the specific size you are buying.

Step 3: Measure the Lift Door Clear Opening

Open the lift doors fully and measure the usable opening—not the decorative frame around it.

• Clear width: the narrowest horizontal distance between the open doors or door jambs.
• Clear height: from the finished floor level to the lowest fixed obstruction at the top of the opening.

Do not count recesses or gaps that the mattress cannot physically occupy. If the door has protective pads, protruding controls or temporary barriers, measure with the real usable clearance.

Step 4: Measure the Inside of the Lift

Record three dimensions:

• Internal width: side wall to side wall at the narrowest usable point.
• Internal depth: closed door line to the rear wall, excluding protruding handrails or panels where relevant.
• Internal height: floor to ceiling, or to the lowest obstruction such as lighting, signage or a suspended panel.

The internal dimensions matter because a large mattress may need to stand on its long edge and lean diagonally across the lift car. A deeper or taller lift can sometimes accommodate a mattress even when the door itself looks narrow.

Measure the Diagonals Too

For tight cases, measure the floor diagonal from one lower corner of the lift to the opposite lower corner, and consider the wall-to-wall diagonal between opposite upper and lower corners.

These diagonal measurements show the maximum straight-line space available inside the lift, but they are not a guarantee that the mattress can enter. The mattress must still rotate through the door and clear the frame while someone safely controls it.

Step 5: Measure the Space Outside the Lift

This is one of the most commonly missed measurements.

A mattress can fit inside the lift but still be impossible to load if there is a wall immediately opposite the lift door. Delivery workers need enough space to angle the mattress before its leading edge enters the lift.

Measure the distance from the lift opening to the wall opposite it, plus the usable width to either side. Repeat this on your destination floor because the lobby layout can differ from the ground floor.

Step 6: Walk the Entire Route to Your Bedroom

Follow the exact route the delivery team will use and look for the narrowest point.

Important points include:

• 90-degree corridor corners.
• Fire doors and security gates.
• Apartment entrance width and height.
• Shoe cabinets or built-in storage near the entrance.
• Narrow hallways inside the flat.
• Bedroom-door clearance.
• Ceiling lights, beams or low soffits at turning points.

A removable door can sometimes create a few extra centimetres, but this should only be considered where permitted and safely handled. Do not assume a building's fire door or common-area fixture can be removed.

Step 7: If There Is No Lift, Measure the Staircase

For a walk-up or lift-failure fallback, measure:

• The narrowest stair width.
• Landing width and depth at every turn.
• Clear height above the stairs and landings.
• Any handrails, pipes, meters or window ledges that reduce usable clearance.
• The entrance and exit doors at each end of the staircase.

Stairs can sometimes accommodate a mattress that cannot enter the lift because there is more vertical and diagonal space, but the opposite can also be true if landings are very tight.

Hush Home currently lists an additional stair-carrying fee of HK$100 per floor or every 10 steps, whichever occurs first, for each mattress, bed frame or crib. Delivery charges can change, so confirm the current fee when ordering rather than relying on an old quote.

See Hush Home’s Additional Delivery Fees page for the latest terms.

A Simple Measurement Checklist to Send to Your Mattress Retailer

Take photos and record all measurements in centimetres. A simple message can include:

Photos of every tight corner are extremely useful because an experienced delivery team can often identify an access issue that is not obvious from one measurement alone.

Do You Need to Measure the Lift's Weight Limit?

Usually, physical dimensions are the bigger issue for a single mattress, but you should still respect the lift's posted rated load and building rules.

Remember that the lift is carrying the mattress plus delivery workers and possibly other furniture at the same time.

If the building requires use of a service lift, has furniture-move booking rules, or restricts moving hours, confirm these with management before delivery day.

Is There a Standard Lift Size in Hong Kong?

No single lift dimension can be assumed for every Hong Kong residential building. Building age, lift capacity, design and subsequent alterations vary widely.

Hong Kong has statutory and code requirements governing lift installations, and current design requirements are administered under the relevant Buildings Department and Electrical and Mechanical Services Department frameworks.

What if My Lift Is Too Small for a King Mattress?

You may still have several options depending on the mattress construction and building.

Option 1: Choose a Rolled-Delivery Mattress

A compatible mattress compressed and rolled at the factory can pass through much tighter spaces than a full-size flat mattress. This can be one of the simplest solutions for Hong Kong high-rises.

Only choose this based on the retailer's delivery specification. Never attempt to re-roll a finished mattress yourself.

Option 2: Choose a Purpose-Designed Foldable or Split-Delivery Version

Some mattress ranges offer special constructions for very large sizes. Hush Home, for example, currently offers King Duo and Super King Duo versions of the Organic Mattress™ specifically to navigate narrow lifts, hallways and restricted entry routes.

Option 3: Use the Stairs

If the staircase has sufficient clearance, the mattress may be carried up manually. Check the route and additional charges before delivery.

Option 4: Special Access Through a Balcony or Window

In unusual cases, furniture may need special equipment or access through a balcony or window. Hush Home lists balcony/window delivery and rental of special equipment as special arrangements that may incur additional fees.

This should only be arranged by qualified delivery professionals after assessing the site. It is not a DIY solution.

Option 5: Choose a Smaller Mattress

If no practical delivery route exists, reducing mattress size may be safer and cheaper than forcing a mattress through a space that cannot accommodate it.

How Much Extra Space Should You Allow?

Avoid planning a delivery around a perfect zero-clearance fit. Measurements taken with a household tape measure have error, walls may not be perfectly square, doors can move, protective wrapping adds thickness, and delivery workers need space for their hands and body.

There is no universal safe margin because the amount required changes with mattress rigidity and the route geometry.

If any critical dimension looks very close, send the measurements and photos to the retailer rather than deciding from a simple subtraction.

Can You Bend a Mattress to Fit It Into a Lift?

Sometimes—but only within the handling limits of that specific mattress.

Foam-heavy mattresses can often flex more than rigid traditional constructions. Some pocket-spring or hybrid mattresses can tolerate gentle flexing during professional delivery, while other models have perimeter structures or materials that should not be sharply folded.

What About the Bed Frame?

If you are ordering a bed frame at the same time, check it separately. A dismantled bed frame may be easier to transport than a mattress, but headboards, storage-bed panels and long side rails can become their own access problem.

Ask for packaged or component dimensions for the largest bed-frame piece rather than assuming that because the mattress fits, every part of the bed will fit too.

You can use Hush Home’s Hong Kong Bed Frame Size Guide as a starting point for comparing finished frame dimensions.

A Practical Example: Checking a King Mattress

Suppose you are buying a Hush Home King mattress measuring 183 × 198 cm.

Do not compare 183 cm directly with the lift-door width and stop there. First ask whether that exact model and size will arrive flat or rolled. If it is flat, record the mattress thickness too.

Then measure the door, car width/depth/height, the space opposite the lift, and the corridor turn on both floors. Send the full set of figures plus photographs to the retailer.

An experienced delivery team can then judge whether the mattress can enter upright, diagonally, by stairs, or whether another delivery format is needed.

The 10-Minute Pre-Order Access Check

1. Confirm mattress width, length and thickness.
2. Confirm whether it arrives flat, rolled or in another special configuration.
3. Measure the building entrance.
4. Measure the lift door.
5. Measure lift-car width, depth and height.
6. Measure the lobby space opposite the lift.
7. Check every corridor corner.
8. Measure your flat and bedroom doors.
9. Photograph every tight section.
10. Send everything to the mattress retailer if the fit is even slightly uncertain.

Common Mistakes When Measuring for Mattress Delivery

• Only measuring the lift door. The mattress still needs enough room to rotate before and after it passes through the opening.
• Only measuring the mattress width. Length, thickness and rigidity are all part of the problem.
• Assuming all King mattresses are the same size. Always check centimetres, especially when comparing Hong Kong and overseas sizing systems.
• Assuming a mattress can be folded. Only bend, roll or fold a mattress in ways approved by the manufacturer or professional delivery team.
• Forgetting the ground-floor lobby. The tightest corner may be before the lift rather than inside it.
• Ignoring building management rules. Some buildings require service-lift bookings, protective padding, deposits or restricted furniture-delivery hours.
• Measuring after you have already ordered. Access should ideally be checked before ordering, especially for large flat-delivered mattresses.

常见问题

Related Reading

• Hong Kong Mattress Size Guide 2026
• King Bed & Mattress Size Guide Hong Kong
• Hong Kong Bed Frame Size Guide
• Organic Mattress™
• Additional Delivery Fees