Under Bed Storage: The Gap Has a Published Name, and It Is Not Clearance
Under bed storage has to clear the gap between your floor and the underside of your bed, and that gap has a published name that is not clearance.
On the IKEA MALM bed frame page I read, in Queen, it is published under the label Height under furniture and it reads 8 1/4 “. The word clearance appears nowhere on that page. And the same Measurements section prints four separate lines with the word height in them, so a browser find lands on all four and only one of them is the gap you are shopping for.
- 8 1/4 “Height under furniture, MALM bed frame in Queen
- 7 1/2 “Height of the SKUBB storage case, 805.910.51
- 4 linesContain the word height in that one section
- No figureFor what the box is rated to carry, on either page
Ask the seller what the box is rated to carry. Under Measurements and Packaging on the SKUBB page, and at every line of Measurements on the MALM page, I found no maximum load, so I have no figure to hand you. In the Measurements, Good to know and Safety and compliance sections of both pages, I found none either, for the box or for the frame, and no product weight beyond the packaging.
So if what you want to slide under there is books, tools or anything dense rather than off-season sweaters, that is a question for the seller before you order, and get the answer in writing. The SKUBB page publishes no safety text at all.
Take the gap at its lowest point. Page 2 of our free Small Space Fit Planner is this one measurement, and it warns you where to put the tape: a centre rail often hangs lower than the side of the frame, and that is the point the box has to pass. Get the free planner
The line that gives you the under bed storage gap
8 1/4 “
Here is the part I did not expect. That same Measurements section publishes four separate lines with the word height in them. Footboard height: 15 “. Headboard height: 39 3/8 “. A line labeled simply Height: 39 3/8 “. And Height under furniture: 8 1/4 “. Only the last one is the gap. Read the whole label before you write the number down.
Go measure your gap first
Step 1
Tape on the floor, up to the rail
Put a tape on the floor beside one leg and run it up to the underside of the frame. Not to the mattress, not to the bed skirt. To the rail your box would have to slide beneath. Write that number on your phone before you open another tab: it is the one figure in this purchase that belongs to your room, and no listing can supply it for you.
Step 2
Take the clear run in
From the gap outward, where you will actually push the box. That is not the width of the bed, and it is what decides which way round the box goes in.
Step 3
Then read the box listing
The IKEA SKUBB storage case, 805.910.51, publishes Height: 7 1/2 “, with Width: 35 1/2 ” and Depth: 20 3/4 “. IKEA says plainly on that page that you can slide it under the bed. Hold its published height against the frame’s published 8 1/4 “, then hold it against your own gap. Your bed is the one it has to go under.
Does the box clear your gap
Your gap against the published box height, and your opening against its footprint. It runs in your browser, and nothing leaves this page.
Tape on the floor beside a leg, up to the underside of the frame rail. The rail, not the mattress and not the skirt.
The clear space along the side of the bed where the box goes in. Optional.
The figures here are the ones the IKEA listings print, and I name where each one sits. The pages are the SKUBB storage case, 805.910.51, and the MALM bed frame in Queen.
What to measure, and what it is notthree rows, and three things people measure by mistake
| What to measure | Where to put the tape | What it is not |
|---|---|---|
| The gap under the bed | Floor to the underside of the frame rail | Not the mattress top, not the bed skirt |
| The clear run in | From the gap outward, where you will push the box | Not the width of the bed |
| The box height | The SKUBB listing publishes it as Height | Not the width and not the depth |
And the published figures, with where each one sits
| The figure | Where it is published | What to do with it |
|---|---|---|
| Height under furniture, 8 1/4 “ | Measurements, MALM bed frame Queen | Compare with your own gap, measured |
| Height, 7 1/2 “ | Measurements, SKUBB storage case | Compare with the gap, not with the mattress |
| What the box is rated to carry | Not under Measurements or Packaging | Ask the seller before you load it with anything dense |
What these two pages do not tell youand why two IKEA listings are not a market
In the Measurements, Good to know and Safety and compliance sections of both pages, I found no maximum load, for the box or for the frame.
The SKUBB page publishes no safety text, and the MALM bed frame page publishes no label called Clearance under furniture. The label that exists there is Height under furniture, and that is the line to read when you are shopping for under bed storage.
Two pages is a small sample, and both of them are IKEA. Treat everything above as the record of those two listings rather than a survey of the market.
Our guide to beds with storage drawers takes the other version of this question, where the drawer is part of the bed and the inside height is the published figure. If the bedroom is the problem rather than the bed, a garment rack takes a wall instead of a floor.
Questions people ask4 questions
How much space is under a bed?
It depends on your frame, so measure rather than guess. On the IKEA MALM bed frame page in Queen that I read, the figure is published under the label Height under furniture and it reads 8 1/4 inches. To take your own, put a tape on the floor beside a leg and run it up to the underside of the frame rail, not to the mattress and not to the bed skirt.
What height under bed storage box should I buy?
Take your gap first, then read the box listing. The IKEA SKUBB storage case, 805.910.51, publishes a Height of 7 1/2 inches in its Measurements section, and IKEA’s own page says you can slide it under the bed. Compare that published height with the gap you measured, and leave yourself room to push the box in rather than wedge it.
Can I put heavy things in an under bed box?
Under Measurements and Packaging on the SKUBB storage case page, and at each line of Measurements on the MALM bed frame page, I found no maximum load for either. That is worth knowing before you fill a case with books. Ask the seller what the box is rated to carry, and get the answer in writing.
Does the bed skirt change anything?
For measuring, yes. The box has to clear the frame rail, and the rail is wood or metal, not fabric. Measure to the rail, and treat the skirt as something that hides the box afterward rather than something that sets the height.
Taking the tape around the bedroom?
The Small Space Fit Planner gives you a box for the gap, for the clear length you can slide into, and for the thing you mean to put in there, lying down. Four steps, five printable pages.
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