M INSIGHTHORIZON NEWS
// culture

How wide does a closet need to be to hang clothes

By Chloe Ramirez

Minimum walk-in bedroom or walk-in coat closet: 4’D x 4’W. However, ideally a walk-in will be at least 72″ wide. The minimum for a walk-in pantry or linen closet: 32″D x 32″W but closer to 72″ width is preferred so that you can wrap standard size shelves along three sides.

How wide does a closet have to be to hang clothes?

Typical Widths and Depths Walk-in closets should be a minimum of 4 feet wide by 4 feet deep. With these minimum dimensions, the closet will accommodate shelves and hanging space on one side wall and the back wall.

How much space do you need to hang clothes?

Shelves for folded clothes should be placed around 12 inches apart. 84 inches is considered the minimum height to hold double hanging rods. Blouses and shirts will take up about 1 inch of rod space, pants and skirts around 1 1/4 inches and dresses, jackets and suits about 2 to 3 inches.

How wide does a closet need to be to hang clothes on both sides?

The short answer: If you want hanging clothes on both sides, you need at least a full 6′ wide space. Any less and people will have a really hard time maneuvering in the space.

How narrow can a closet be?

The comfortable recommended depth of a closet is 24” (61 cm), but closet depths as narrow as 20” (50.8 cm) can be used if desired. Shelf depths of 12” (30.5 cm) should be used for shoes and smaller clothing elements.

How wide is a standard bedroom closet?

Dimensions You Need to Know The ideal reach-in closet (we’re not talking walk-ins here) is 6 to 8 feet wide and 24 to 30 inches deep. Standard double doors are best, assuming there’s room to swing them open.

What is standard closet shelf depth?

Unless your closet uses tall doors or doors that go all the way to the ceiling, a 12 inch shelf depth is recommended. The reason is because of the space between the header and the top shelf in the closet. In standard construction, the bottom of a header is typically positioned at 72 inches from the floor.

How much clearance do you need between closet rod and shelf?

A minimum of 10 inches is best, but it’ll depend on the size of your hangers. If there is a shelf above the rod, determine the vertical distance from the rod to the shelf; two inches should be suffice.

What is the recommended clearance space in front of a closet?

Generally, the minimum walkway clearance you want is 24 inches between shelving, rods, clothing hangers, and other items that may obstruct the walkway. If you intend on having clothes hanging up on both sides of the closet, you will need a closet that is at least six feet wide.

How do you calculate closet space?
  1. Measure the width of the wall: Measure the wall where you want to put the closet system three times using three different height locations (high, middle, low). …
  2. Measure from floor to ceiling: Make sure the system will fit in the space height-wise.
Article first time published on

How big should a closet be?

A standard full-size walk-in closet for two people should measure a minimum of 7 by 10 feet. It should preferably have an area of 100 sq. ft as this allows you to have storage units on all three walls with even a sitting area in the middle. In case you want a smaller one, small walk-ins can be built in as low as 25 sq.

How small can a bedroom closet be?

A bedroom walk-in closet size must have a depth of at least 36-48 inches. The bedroom closet’s width is practically half the room’s width. Moreover, a standard 12 x 12 bedroom can customarily accommodate a closet with a depth of 48 inches and a width of 6 feet.

What is the minimum depth for a wardrobe?

The minimum depth needed is 650 mm (25 1/2 inches). The standard depth of a wardrobe with hinged doors needs to be 500 mm but with a sliding wardrobe, you have to cater for the top track which is approximately 80 mm.

Can a closet be 22 inches deep?

The standard minimum depth for a reach-in closet is 24 inches, but a closet intended to store coats or other bulky hanging items may need to be as deep as 28 inches. A closet less than 22 inches deep isn’t deep enough to allow hanging clothes.

How wide is a hanger?

Standard-sized adult hangers measure 17-18 inches. Our over-sized hangers measure 19″ wide, giving more support to heavy coats or larger jackets.

What is a good shelf depth?

The shelves shouldn’t be too deep. The standard depth of most shelves is 16 to 20 inches deep. The highest shelf should be shallower, like 12 inches deep, to make those items easier to access. If you find that stuff seems to get pushed to the back and forgotten about, you should consider even shallower shelves.

What is the average hanging space per person?

Aim for a minimum of 2.4m of wall space per person (without additional bedroom furniture). Allocate 600mm for the widest items you wish to hang, plus an extra 100mm for easy viewing. You’ll need a corridor of at least 800mm as your ‘walk-in’ space.

How much space do you need between toilet and shower?

Plan a clear floor space of at least 30 inches from the front edge of all fixtures (lavatory, toilet, bidet, tub, and shower) to any opposite bath fixture, wall, or obstacle. Code Requirements: A minimum space of 21 inches must be planned in front of the lavatory, toilet, bidet, and tub.

How much room do you need for toilet?

Most codes require at least 15 inches (measured from the center of the toilet) from any side wall or obstruction and not closer than 30 inches center to center to any other sanitary fixture. (The NKBA actually recommends 32 inches.) There should be at least 24 inches of clear space in front of a toilet or bidet.

How wide is a walk in closet?

The standard width of a walk-in closet can range anywhere between 5 to 12 feet or more. This allows space for a 3-foot hallway into the closet, even after storing or hanging items along the closet walls.

How many hangers should be in a closet?

If you are planning to hang only t-shirts which do not take much space, then you may hang up to 19 hangers per foot. However of you want to hang jackets and suit that are bulky you may make space for 15 hanger per foot. Simple shirts and casual to format dresses would allow you to use 15 to 16 hangers per foot.

Do closets count in bedroom square footage?

In general, areas like staircases and closets count as finished square footage. Spaces like garages, three-season porches and unfinished basements or attics are not included in the square footage of a house.