Glossary
Underbed clearance
The gap between the floor and the bottom of a bed frame, which bed risers increase and which also determines how much storage fits underneath.
Underbed clearance is the vertical gap between the floor and the lowest part of a bed frame, and it varies a lot between bed styles, from platform beds with almost no gap at all to traditional frames on tall legs with over a foot of open space underneath.
For a tall person, more underbed clearance usually means an overall higher bed, which reduces how far the knees have to bend when sitting down or standing up, similar to the effect of adding bed risers to an existing frame. It also determines what size of storage bins or containers will actually fit underneath the bed.
Before buying risers or a new frame, measure the current clearance and decide how much more height is actually needed, since going too high can make a bed awkward to get into for shorter members of the same household. Checking a bed frame's listed underbed clearance before buying avoids the common surprise of a platform bed that leaves no storage room at all.
Where this comes up
- Best Bed Risers for Tall PeopleBuying guide
- Best Tall Bed Frames for Easy Access and StorageBuying guide