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What is a wardrobe loft, and do you need one?
A wardrobe loft is the short cupboard on top of the wardrobe, under the ceiling. Add a loft if you store bulky things you use a few times a year. Your ceiling must clear your wardrobe height plus the loft. In our 8 ft example, the loft brings the top to about 10 ft. In this example it also needs 4 more board sheets.
Without loft
7 ft 6 in tall in this example.
Example itemsWith loft
Top at about 10 ft in this example.
- Your ceiling must be above this line (with the loft).
Should you add one?
Add a loft if
You store bulky things you use a few times a year. You want storage up to the ceiling.
- Yes
Skip it if
Your ceiling is low or a beam is in the way. You would reach up there every day.
- No
The other option
Want a little more height without a top cupboard? A taller wardrobe is the other option. Our planner allows a wardrobe up to about 7 ft 10 in tall.
Check your ceiling
Your top height is your wardrobe height plus the loft. Check for beams or a false ceiling before you order.
In our example, 7 ft 6 in tall
- Smallest loft our planner allows
- about 1 ft
- Top at about 8 ft 6 in
- Default loft in our planner
- about 2 ft 6 in
- Top at about 10 ft
- Tallest loft our planner allows
- about 2 ft 11 in
- Top at about 10 ft 5 in
What it adds
In this design the loft is one open cupboard per section, with no shelf or rail.
Keep things you use daily below; the loft is for things you reach rarely.
In this example the loft floor is about 7 ft 7 in up. Plan how you will reach it; you may need a step stool.
Inside one loft cupboard, in this example
- Width inside
- about 3 ft 10 in
- Height inside
- about 2 ft 4 in
- Depth inside
- about 2 ft
For your carpenter: the full count
With the loft, 12 sheets become 16, with 8 more hinges and 37.1 m more edge band.
The loft needs 8 loft boards (4.6 m²) and 4 loft doors of 596.5 × 747 mm each, 2 hinges on each.
Space: 0.498 m³ per cupboard, 1 m³ on the whole wardrobe, at the box's full 600 mm depth with 18 mm boards (2 cupboards).
| Item | Without loft | With loft |
|---|---|---|
| Loft boards (floors, tops, sides) | 0 | 8 |
| Back boards | 5 | 7 |
| Door boards | 6 | 12 |
| Doors | 4 | 8 |
| Hinges | 20 | 28 |
| Board sheets | 12 | 16 |
| Edge band | 135.7 m | 172.8 m |
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Loft height allowed | 300–900 mm |
| Default loft | 750 mm (about 2 ft 6 in) |
| Top of a 2286 mm wardrobe with it | 3036 mm (about 10 ft) |
| Tallest wardrobe with the tallest loft | 3300 mm (about 10 ft 10 in) |
| Each loft door | 596.5 × 747 mm |
| Clear height inside | 714 mm (about 2 ft 4 in) |
| Inner width of one loft cupboard | 1163 mm (about 3 ft 10 in) |
| Loft floor above the room floor | 2304 mm (about 7 ft 7 in) |
For wardrobe makers
Lofts change the sheet count and the hinge count, not the wardrobe below.
I make wardrobes
Tell us about your workshop and the lofts you build.
Related pages
- Guide
Wardrobe dimensions in feet and mm
How big a wardrobe your wall and ceiling allow, in feet and mm: how a 6 to 12 ft wall splits into cabinets, doors and gap strips, and how tall a loft can be.
- Comparison
HDHMR vs plywood for wardrobes
HDHMR or plywood for wardrobes? Plywood gives the box a grade you can check: MR, BWR or BWP. For doors, no Indian standard we found ranks HDHMR above plywood.
- Comparison
Sliding vs hinged wardrobe doors
Sliding or hinged wardrobe doors? Sliding doors need no floor to swing open. A hinged door needs clear floor as deep as it is wide: about 2 ft in our example.
- Tool
Wardrobe plywood and material calculator
Enter your wall in feet or mm. Get units, doors, boards, 8 × 4 ft sheets per thickness, edge band and hinges. An 8 ft wardrobe needs about 12 sheets.