Hospital Bath Blanket Sizes: 4 Standard Options [2026]

Hospital Bath Blanket Sizes: 4 Standard Options [2026]

Check out our hospital bath blanket collection page!

If you manage linens for a hospital, clinic, or long-term care site, blanket sizing is a small detail that turns into a big operational decision.

The goal is simple: pick sizes that cover most patients, fit your carts and shelves, and stay consistent across units.

Quick answer: the 4 standard bath blanket sizes most facilities stock

Below are four sizes you’ll see again and again in healthcare purchasing lists and linen programs.

Size (inches)

Where it usually fits best

Why teams keep it on hand

66 × 90

Rehab, clinic overflow, transport, short-stay

Solid full-body coverage without extra bulk

70 × 78

General med-surg, procedure areas, day rooms

A practical “standard” footprint for mixed use

70 × 90

Inpatient units, higher coverage needs

Extra length for taller patients or added tucking

74 × 96

Facilities that want “one size that covers almost everyone”

Extra width and length for broader coverage

Size references (so you can match your spec to real procurement language)

  • 66″ × 90″ shows up as a “Bath Blanket” line item in a county purchasing spec (“Bath Blanket, multi-purpose, 66” x 90””) in the Bucks County, PA bedding & linen supplies contract (Spec #43-09/21).

    70″ × 78″ is commonly listed as a bath blanket size, and 74″ × 96″ is often offered as a larger alternate option in US healthcare linen catalogs.

How to choose the right bath blanket size for your facility

You do not need to carry every option.

Start with what your team sees most days:

  • Typical patient profile: Are you mostly adult inpatient, outpatient, rehab, pediatrics, or mixed?

  • Use case: Is the blanket mainly for warmth, post-bath coverage, transport, procedure comfort, or visitor use?

  • Storage reality: What fits your carts, shelving, and linen closets without overstuffing?

  • Laundry flow: What sizes are easiest for your fold-and-stack process?

A simple stocking approach many teams use

If you’re trying to standardize without overthinking it, a practical pattern is:

  • One “standard” size for most units

  • One “coverage” size for taller or broader patients

  • One “flex” size for clinics, rehab, transport, or overflow

That can translate into a clean 2–3 size program.

What to put in your bath blanket specification

When you are writing a PO, contract spec, or distributor request, get clear on the details that reduce back-and-forth.

Here’s a checklist you can copy:

Core spec fields

  • Item name: “Bath blanket” (and any internal naming your laundry team uses)

  • Finished size (inches): pick one of the standard options above

  • Material: cotton, cotton/poly blend, or your house preference

  • Color: white, natural, or color-coded borders (if you use them)

  • Edge finish: hemmed ends, reinforced stitching (if required)

Ops-friendly add-ons

  • Unit labeling: color marks or tags that make sorting faster

  • Par level guidance: how many per bed, per unit, or per cart

  • Compatibility notes: any restrictions for specialty units (isolation carts, bariatric needs, etc.)

Handling and laundering basics for reusable blankets

Even the best size plan breaks down if linen handling is inconsistent.

Two reminders your team can post or train from:

Buying notes for procurement and linen managers

Here are a few questions that help you compare apples to apples across distributors:

  • Is the size listed as finished size or cut size?

  • Is the blanket labeled as bath blanket, thermal blanket, or spread blanket?

  • What is the minimum order quantity and case pack?

  • Are you standardizing across acute care and long-term care, or keeping them separate?

If you want help mapping sizes to your unit types and par levels, Talk to our team.

Ready to make your size set more consistent? Shop blankets.

 


 

Standardize Hospital Bath Blanket Sizes in Minutes

Stop guessing on bath blanket sizing. Choose from four proven standards—66×90, 70×78, 70×90, and 74×96—to match patient needs, carts, and laundry flow. Build a clean 2–3 size program, reduce SKU creep, and simplify purchasing. Talk to our team or shop Trusted Thread blankets today for consistent coverage across every unit.

Checkout: 
Hospital Bath Blankets: Unbleached - 70" x 90" - 86% Cotton/14% Poly

FAQ: Hospital bath blanket sizes

1) What bath blanket size should I stock if I can only choose one?

If you can only stock one, choose the size that matches your most common patient group and your most common use case. Then pilot it in one unit for a few weeks and track what staff request when coverage falls short.

2) Should long-term care facilities use different blanket sizes than hospitals?

Not always. Many long-term care sites prefer a simple, standardized linen program because it is easier to train and easier to audit. If your resident population trends taller or requires more coverage, consider adding one larger option.

3) Do bath blankets replace thermal blankets?

Sometimes they overlap, but they are not always the same item in a linen program. If your carts list both, treat them as separate SKUs and standardize each one by size so staff do not have to guess.

4) How do I prevent blanket size creep across different units?

Centralize the approved sizes in one place (contract language, item master, and cart map). Then limit new size requests to an approval process so you do not slowly add extra SKUs over time.

5) What’s the fastest way to align distributors on the same size?

Send the exact size in inches, the item name, and a short note on where it will be used (inpatient, clinic, rehab, LTC). Ask for a spec sheet or listing that matches your wording before you place the first bulk order.

 

by Brian SEO – January 13, 2026