Wardrobe Dimensions: Standard Sizes for Single, Double, Triple and Fitted Wardrobes

Standard wardrobe sizes by number of doors

Height and depth are nearly the same for every wardrobe; the door count sets the width. Each hinged door is usually 40 to 60 cm (16 to 24 in) wide, so width grows in roughly 45 to 50 cm steps.

Sliding-door wardrobes are deeper because the door tracks take 7 to 10 cm in front of the hanging space. Fitted wardrobes are made to measure, so their only standard dimension is the 60 to 65 cm depth needed for hangers plus doors.

Single 50 × 190 cmDouble 100 × 190 cmTriple 150 × 200 cmFour door 200 × 200 cm

Why wardrobes are 55 to 60 cm deep

A standard adult hanger is about 43 cm (17 in) wide and a coat or suit hanger 46 to 48 cm (18 to 19 in). Hung from a rail running side to side, the clothes need at least 50 cm of clear depth, and coats 53 cm or more so they don't press against the doors. Add 2 cm for the doors and about 1 cm for the back panel and you arrive at the 55 to 60 cm standard.

Shallow wardrobes, 35 to 45 cm (14 to 18 in) deep, are sold for narrow rooms. They either have only shelves, or an end-on (pull-out) rail where the hangers face the door. An end-on rail holds far fewer garments, since the rail is only as long as the wardrobe is deep.

Wardrobe dimensions inside

Interior width is the outside width less the side panels and any divider: about 3.5 cm for a single wardrobe (two 18 mm sides), and another 1.8 cm for each internal divider. So a 100 cm double wardrobe with a center divider has two compartments of about 47 cm each.

Fit the rail about 5 cm below the shelf above it so hangers lift off. In a 200 cm wardrobe that usually means a hat shelf at about 175 to 180 cm, a rail just below it at about 170 to 175 cm and roughly 165 cm of hanging below the rail. Double hanging needs about 200 cm of internal height (two sections of roughly 100 cm), so it works only in tall or fitted wardrobes. The same drop heights are used for closets; see the closet organizer guide for rod heights in inches.

How much a wardrobe holds

Garments take about 2.5 cm (1 in) of rail each for shirts, 4 cm for trousers, 5 cm for jackets and 10 cm for winter coats. A meter of rail therefore holds about 40 shirts, 25 pairs of trousers, 20 jackets or 10 coats. A double wardrobe with a 95 cm rail across its full width holds about 38 shirts, or 25 shirts and 6 jackets, which is why most people pair it with a chest of drawers for folded clothes.

IKEA PAX sizes

PAX is the most widely used modular wardrobe system, and its frames are a good reference for fitted-style wardrobes. Each frame is a separate column; doors and interior fittings are bought to match.

The 236 cm height suits rooms with ceilings of about 240 cm or more; you need a few centimeters above the frame to tilt it upright during assembly. Hinged doors add about 2 cm to the 58 cm depth, and sliding doors more. Two 100 cm frames side by side make a 200 cm four-door wardrobe.

Regional standard sizes

• UK and Europe: freestanding wardrobes are commonly 180 to 200 cm tall and 55 to 60 cm deep. Ceilings are often 240 cm, so fitted wardrobes are typically 220 to 240 cm with a top box or filler panel to close the gap. Single wardrobes are often 50 to 60 cm wide and doubles 90 to 100 cm.
• India: made-to-measure wardrobes are commonly 7 ft (213 cm) tall and 2 ft (61 cm) deep, with 1.5 to 2 ft door shutters and a loft above for luggage.
• US: freestanding wardrobes are less common because most bedrooms have a built-in closet. Where they are sold they are listed in inches, roughly 36 to 48 in wide, 20 to 24 in deep and 72 to 78 in tall; tall freestanding cabinets with doors are often sold as armoires.

How much space a wardrobe needs in a bedroom

A hinged door swings out by its own width, and you need room to stand in front of the open door. Plan the floor in front of the wardrobe like this:

Example: in a room 300 cm (9 ft 10 in) long with a 190 cm UK double bed (135 × 190 cm) against one wall, there are 110 cm left. A 60 cm deep wardrobe on the facing wall leaves only 50 cm, which is too tight for hinged doors. A 35 to 45 cm shallow wardrobe or a sliding-door unit placed beside the bed works better. See the bed frame size guide for bed footprints and the bedroom furniture size guide for the other pieces.

• Ceiling and skirting: measure the room height at the wall, and allow for a skirting board 1 to 2 cm thick that pushes the wardrobe forward.
• Assembly height: a wardrobe assembled on its back and then stood up needs a ceiling higher than its diagonal. A 200 × 60 cm side panel has a diagonal of about 209 cm.
• Delivery: flat-packed wardrobes come in boxes as long as the tallest panel, often 200 cm or more, which must turn on the stairs.

Anchoring and stability

A wardrobe is tall, narrow front to back and heavy at the top when the hat shelf is full, so it tips if someone hangs on an open door. Fix every freestanding wardrobe to the wall with the strap or bracket supplied. In the US, freestanding clothing storage furniture at least 27 in tall that weighs 30 lb or more and has at least 3.2 cubic feet of enclosed storage must pass the CPSC tip-over tests (16 CFR part 1261, based on ASTM F2057-23) and come with an anti-tip device; armoires are named in the rule, and freestanding wardrobes meeting the criteria are covered the same way. In Europe, storage furniture stability is tested to EN 16122.

Frequently asked questions