Bedstead vs. Bed — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Urooj Arif — Updated on May 6, 2024
A "bedstead" refers specifically to the frame or structure that supports the mattress and bedding, while a "bed" encompasses the entire sleeping furniture setup, including the mattress, frame, headboard, and sometimes additional features like a canopy.
Difference Between Bedstead and Bed
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A bedstead is the structural framework that holds the mattress, typically consisting of a headboard, footboard, and side rails. A bed, on the other hand, includes not just the frame but also the mattress and bedding, providing the complete setup for sleeping.
Historically, bedsteads were more elaborate and might include intricate wood or metalwork. Beds today are more varied, often featuring simple or minimalist designs that incorporate the frame into the overall look.
While a bedstead serves a foundational, supportive purpose, a bed offers comfort through its mattress and linens, which may include pillows, duvets, and sheets.
The distinction is functional, a bedstead ensures structural integrity, whereas a bed provides the full suite for sleeping and relaxation.
Comparison Chart
Definition
Frame or structural support of the bed
Complete sleeping arrangement
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Components
Headboard, footboard, side rails
Bedstead, mattress, linens
Function
Structural support for the mattress
Complete setup for comfort
Historical Use
Often elaborate frames
Varied designs, simple or ornate
Modern Usage
Integral to bed stability
Emphasizes the sleeping experience
Compare with Definitions
Bedstead
Frame supporting a bed.
The antique bedstead had intricate carvings on the headboard.
Bed
Full sleeping arrangement.
She decorated the bed with colorful cushions and a plush duvet.
Bedstead
Often made of wood or metal.
He chose a cast-iron bedstead for durability.
Bed
Frame with bedding.
The bed in the guest room has a classic wooden frame.
Bedstead
Structure comprising headboard and footboard.
They assembled the bedstead before placing the mattress.
Bed
Setup with mattress and linens.
They chose a firm mattress for their new bed.
Bedstead
Support for the mattress and linens.
Without the bedstead, the mattress would not have a base.
Bed
Includes pillows, blankets, and other items.
The bed was made up with soft sheets and warm quilts.
Bedstead
Traditional foundation for beds.
Victorian bedsteads are valued for their historical design.
Bed
Any sleeping furniture.
Bunk beds are practical for small rooms.
Bedstead
The frame supporting a bed.
Bed
A bed is a piece of furniture which is used as a place to sleep and relax.Most modern beds consist of a soft, cushioned mattress on a bed frame, the mattress resting either on a solid base, often wood slats, or a sprung base. Many beds include a box spring inner-sprung base, which is a large mattress-sized box containing wood and springs that provide additional support and suspension for the mattress.
Bedstead
The framework that supports a bed.
Bed
A piece of furniture for reclining and sleeping, typically consisting of a flat, rectangular frame and a mattress resting on springs.
Bedstead
A framework for supporting a bed.
Bed
A bedstead.
Bedstead
The framework of a bed
Bed
A mattress.
Bed
A place where one may sleep; lodging
Found bed and board at an inn.
Bed
Accommodations for a single person at a hospital or institution
A maternity ward with 30 beds.
Bed
A time at which one goes to sleep
Drank milk before bed.
Bed
A place for lovemaking.
Bed
A marital relationship with its rights and intimacies.
Bed
A small plot of cultivated or planted land
A flower bed.
Bed
An underwater or intertidal area in which a particular organism is established in large numbers
A clam bed.
An oyster bed.
Bed
The ground surface below a body of water such as a sea, lake, or stream.
Bed
A layer of food surmounted by another kind of food
Tomatoes on a bed of lettuce.
Bed
A foundation of crushed rock or a similar substance for a road or railroad; a roadbed.
Bed
A layer of mortar upon which stones or bricks are laid.
Bed
(Printing) The heavy table of a printing press in which the type form is placed.
Bed
The part of a truck, trailer, or freight car designed to carry loads.
Bed
A broad mass of rock or sediment bounded by different material.
Bed
A deposit, as of ore, parallel to local stratification.
Bed
A heap of material
A bed of wood chips.
Bed
To furnish with a bed or sleeping quarters
We bedded our guests down in the study.
Bed
To put or send to bed.
Bed
To have sexual relations with.
Bed
To plant in a prepared plot of soil.
Bed
To lay flat or arrange in layers.
Bed
To embed.
Bed
To establish; base.
Bed
To go to bed.
Bed
(Geology) To form layers or strata.
Bed
A piece of furniture, usually flat and soft, on which to rest or sleep.
My cat often sleeps on my bed.
I keep a glass of water next to my bed when I sleep.
Bed
A prepared spot in which to spend the night.
When camping, he usually makes a bed for the night from hay and a blanket.
Bed
(usually after a preposition) One's place of sleep or rest.
Go to bed!
I had breakfast in bed this morning.
Bed
Sleep; rest; getting to sleep.
He's been afraid of bed since he saw the scary film.
Bed
The time for going to sleep or resting in bed; bedtime.
I read until bed.
Bed
(uncountable) Time spent in a bed.
Bed
(figurative) Marriage.
Bed
Sexual activity.
Too much bed, not enough rest.
Bed
Abbreviation of bedroom
2 beds, 1 bath
Bed
A place, or flat surface or layer, on which something else rests or is laid.
The meats and cheeses lay on a bed of lettuce.
Bed
The bottom of a body of water, such as an ocean, sea, lake, or river.
Sea bed
River bed
There's a lot of trash on the bed of the river.
Bed
An area where a large number of oysters, mussels, other sessile shellfish, or a large amount of seaweed is found.
Oysters are farmed from their beds.
Bed
A garden plot.
We added a new bush to our rose bed.
Bed
A foundation or supporting surface formed of a fluid.
A bed of concrete makes a strong subsurface for an asphalt parking lot.
Bed
The superficial earthwork, or ballast, of a railroad.
Bed
The platform of a truck, trailer, railcar, or other vehicle that supports the load to be hauled.
The parcels were loaded onto the truck bed before transportation.
Bed
A shaped piece of timber to hold a cask clear of a ship’s floor; a pallet.
Bed
The flat part of the press, on which the form is laid.
Bed
(computing) The flat surface of a scanner on which a document is placed to be scanned.
Bed
A piece of music, normally instrumental, over which a radio DJ talks.
Bed
(darts) Any of the sections of a dartboard with a point value, delimited by a wire.
Bed
(trampoline) The taut surface of a trampoline.
Bed
(heading) A layer or surface.
Bed
A deposit of ore, coal, etc.
Bed
(geology) The smallest division of a geologic formation or stratigraphic rock series marked by well-defined divisional planes (bedding planes) separating it from layers above and below.
Bed
(masonry) The horizontal surface of a building stone.
The upper and lower beds
Bed
(masonry) The lower surface of a brick, slate, or tile.
Bed
(masonry) A course of stone or brick in a wall.
Bed
Senses relating to a bed as a place for resting or sleeping.
Bed
(intransitive) To go to bed. I usually listen to music before I bed.
Bed
(transitive) To place in a bed.
Bed
To put oneself to sleep. en
Bed
(transitive) To furnish with a bed or bedding.
Bed
(ambitransitive) To have sexual intercourse with.
Bed
Senses relating to a bed as a place or layer on which something else rests or is laid.
Bed
(transitive) To lay or put in any hollow place, or place of rest and security, surrounded or enclosed; to embed.
Bed
(transitive) To set in a soft matrix, as paving stones in sand, or tiles in cement.
Bed
(transitive) To set out (plants) in a garden bed.
Bed
(transitive) To dress or prepare the surface of (stone) so it can serve as a bed.
Bed
(transitive) To lay flat; to lay in order; to place in a horizontal or recumbent position.
Bed
To settle, as machinery.
Bed
An article of furniture to sleep or take rest in or on; a couch. Specifically: A sack or mattress, filled with some soft material, in distinction from the bedstead on which it is placed (as, a feather bed), or this with the bedclothes added. In a general sense, any thing or place used for sleeping or reclining on or in, as a quantity of hay, straw, leaves, or twigs.
And made for him [a horse] a leafy bed.
I wash, wring, brew, bake, . . . make the beds.
In bed he slept not for my urging it.
Bed
Used as the symbol of matrimony) Marriage.
George, the eldest son of his second bed.
Bed
A plat or level piece of ground in a garden, usually a little raised above the adjoining ground.
Bed
A mass or heap of anything arranged like a bed; as, a bed of ashes or coals.
Bed
The bottom of a watercourse, or of any body of water; as, the bed of a river.
So sinks the daystar in the ocean bed.
Bed
A layer or seam, or a horizontal stratum between layers; as, a bed of coal, iron, etc.
Bed
See Gun carriage, and Mortar bed.
Bed
The horizontal surface of a building stone; as, the upper and lower beds.
Bed
The foundation or the more solid and fixed part or framing of a machine; or a part on which something is laid or supported; as, the bed of an engine.
Bed
The superficial earthwork, or ballast, of a railroad.
Bed
The flat part of the press, on which the form is laid.
Bed
To place in a bed.
Bed
To make partaker of one's bed; to cohabit with.
I'll to the Tuscan wars, and never bed her.
Bed
To furnish with a bed or bedding.
Bed
To plant or arrange in beds; to set, or cover, as in a bed of soft earth; as, to bed the roots of a plant in mold.
Bed
To lay or put in any hollow place, or place of rest and security, surrounded or inclosed; to embed; to furnish with or place upon a bed or foundation; as, to bed a stone; it was bedded on a rock.
Among all chains or clusters of mountains where large bodies of still water are bedded.
Bed
To dress or prepare the surface of stone) so as to serve as a bed.
Bed
To lay flat; to lay in order; to place in a horizontal or recumbent position.
Bed
To go to bed; to cohabit.
If he be married, and bed with his wife.
Bed
A piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep;
He sat on the edge of the bed
The room had only a bed and chair
Bed
A plot of ground in which plants are growing;
The gardener planted a bed of roses
Bed
A depression forming the ground under a body of water;
He searched for treasure on the ocean bed
Bed
(geology) a stratum of rock (especially sedimentary rock);
They found a bed of standstone
Bed
A stratum of ore or coal thick enough to be mined with profit;
He worked in the coal beds
Bed
Single thickness of usually some homogeneous substance;
Slices of hard-boiled egg on a bed of spinach
Bed
The flat surface of a printing press on which the type form is laid in the last stage of producing a newspaper or magazine or book etc.
Bed
A foundation of earth or rock supporting a road or railroad track;
The track bed had washed away
Bed
Furnish with a bed;
The inn keeper could bed all the new arrivals
Bed
Place (plants) in a prepared bed of soil
Bed
Put to bed;
The children were bedded at ten o'clock
Bed
Have sexual intercourse with;
This student sleeps with everyone in her dorm
Adam knew Eve
Were you ever intimate with this man?
Bed
Go to bed in order to sleep;
I usually turn in at midnight
He turns out at the crack of dawn
Common Curiosities
What is the purpose of a bedstead?
To provide structural support and elevate the mattress, often adding style to the bed.
Are all bedsteads made of wood or metal?
Historically, most were, but modern bedsteads include various materials like fabric, leather, or composite.
Do all beds have bedsteads?
Not always. Platform beds or foldable mattresses may not have a separate bedstead.
What is the difference between a headboard and a bedstead?
A headboard is just the vertical panel at the bed's head, while a bedstead includes the entire frame.
Is it necessary to use bed linen with a bedstead?
Yes, bedding and linen are essential for a comfortable sleeping experience on any bed.
What are common bedstead materials today?
Steel, wood, and upholstered fabric are common in modern bedsteads.
How does a bedstead relate to bed height?
The height depends on the bedstead's structure and whether a box spring is used.
Is a bedstead always necessary for a bed?
No, some beds use alternative supports like box springs or platforms instead of a traditional bedstead.
Can a bedstead have storage?
Yes, some bedsteads include storage drawers or compartments.
Does a bedstead include a mattress?
No, the bedstead is only the frame, while the mattress is a separate component of the bed.
Are beds standardized in size globally?
No, bed sizes vary significantly between regions and manufacturers.
Can a bedstead be used with any mattress?
Not necessarily; it depends on the size and support requirements of the mattress.
Can a bedstead style influence the room's design?
Definitely, as its style and material significantly affect the bedroom's aesthetic.
Do canopy beds use bedsteads?
Yes, canopy beds typically incorporate the frame and posts into the bedstead.
Is a bedstead always visible in a bed setup?
Often it is visible, but some beds hide the frame with upholstery or design.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
