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How tall should the hanging space be?
Measure your longest garment on its hanger. That length decides the hanging height. Shirts and folded trousers fit short hanging. Jackets and short coats fit long hanging. Long coats, gowns and lehengas need extra-long hanging. In our example wardrobe, short hanging uses about 3 ft (920 mm) and leaves about 4 ft 1 in (1255 mm) below.
- Short hanging
- about 3 ft (920 mm)
- 3 shelves
- about 3 ft 5 in (1050 mm)
- Long hanging
- about 3 ft 6 in (1070 mm)
- 3 shelves
- about 3 ft 5 in (1050 mm)
- Extra-long hanging
- about 5 ft 3 in (1600 mm)
- 1 shelf
- about 1 ft 2 in (350 mm)
- Double hanging
- about 6 ft (1840 mm)
Four hanging heights, side by side
Drawn to the same scale. Clothes drawn to proportion, not to size.
Short hanging
Shirts, tops, folded trousers.
- Needs about 3 ft (920 mm) in our planner
- Left below in our example: about 4 ft 1 in (1255 mm)
- 3 shelves fit below in our example
Long hanging
Jackets, blazers and short coats.
- Needs about 3 ft 6 in (1070 mm) in our planner
- Left below in our example: about 3 ft 8 in (1105 mm)
- 3 shelves fit below in our example
Extra-long hanging
Long coats, long dresses, gowns, lehengas, sherwanis.
- Needs about 5 ft 3 in (1600 mm) in our planner
- Left below in our example: about 1 ft 11 in (575 mm)
- 1 shelf fit below in our example
Double hanging
Two rows of shirts.
- Needs about 6 ft (1840 mm) in our planner
- Left below in our example: about 1 ft 1 in (335 mm)
- No shelf fits below in our example
Two rows of shirts and a shelf
Two rows of shirts leave no room for a shelf
Two rows of shirts and one shelf need about 7 ft 2 in (2190 mm). That is about 1 in (15 mm) more than our example section has. Use a taller wardrobe, or skip the shelf.
Rail, sarees and depth
The rail sits a little below the top of the hanging space. That leaves room to take hangers on and off.
A saree folded over a hanger may fit a shorter section. Measure the longest item as it will hang before choosing a rail height.
Hangers need depth. Our example wardrobe is about 2 ft (600 mm) deep. Check the depth with your maker.
Plan the rest of your wardrobe
Know your hanging height? Check how many doors and sections fit your wall.
See five complete layouts
Hanging, drawers, shelves and shoes together, drawn to one scale.
For wardrobe makers
Building this for a client? Plan it with them and send a quote.
I make wardrobes
Tell us about your workshop.
For your carpenter: all numbers
Our example section is 1163 mm (about 3 ft 10 in) wide and 2175 mm (about 7 ft 2 in) tall inside, in our 8 ft example wardrobe.
| Garments | Hanging space needed | Left below in our example |
|---|---|---|
| Shirts, tops, folded trousers | 920 mm (about 3 ft) | 1255 mm (about 4 ft 1 in) |
| Jackets, blazers and short coats | 1070 mm (about 3 ft 6 in) | 1105 mm (about 3 ft 8 in) |
| Long coats, long dresses, gowns, lehengas, sherwanis | 1600 mm (about 5 ft 3 in) | 575 mm (about 1 ft 11 in) |
| Two rows of shirts | 1840 mm (about 6 ft) | 335 mm (about 1 ft 1 in) |
Related pages
- Guide
Wardrobe depth in feet, inches and mm
How deep a wardrobe or cupboard should be, in feet, inches and mm: hinged and sliding depths, the minimum for hangers, and what fits a shallow wall.
- Interiors
Wardrobe shelves, bag shelves and cubbies
How far apart wardrobe shelves go (about 1 ft 2 in (350 mm) in our planner), which type suits folded clothes, bags or small things, and how many fit.
- Interiors
Wardrobe interior ideas: what goes inside
Choose what goes inside your wardrobe by what you own: five layouts full of clothes, drawn to one scale in our 8 ft example, and how to pick yours.
- Guide
Wardrobe internal layout
Plan the inside of a wardrobe by height: how much room hanging, shelves and drawers each need, and which of five layouts fit your wardrobe height.