A fitted wardrobe is mostly empty space, and the sizes of that space are what make it good or annoying: a little too shallow and the doors won't shut on the hangers, a rail a little too low and long coats drag on the floor.
These are the sizes most joiners work to. Measure the customer's longest clothes too, because they're what really decide it.
Depth
A coat hanger is about 450 mm across, and clothes on it a bit more. For hanging side to side, allow about 550 mm clear inside, front to back, from the back panel to the inside of the doors. With hinged doors on an 18 mm carcass that's about 600 mm overall.
- Sliding doors need room for their track in front of the carcass: allow another 70 to 100 mm, so about 650 to 700 mm overall.
- Shallower than about 450 mm, clothes won't hang side to side: use an extending rail that pulls out towards you, with the hangers facing the door.
Hanging rail heights
Measure from the floor to the top of the rail. The rail sits about 50 mm below the shelf above it, so the hangers lift off easily.
- Long hanging (coats, dresses): a clear drop of about 1500 to 1700 mm, so the rail goes at about 1700 to 1800 mm.
- Short hanging (shirts, jackets, folded trousers): a drop of about 900 to 1000 mm.
- Double hanging: two rails of short hanging, one above the other, the top one at about 2000 mm and the lower about 1000 mm. It nearly doubles the hanging in the same width.
Most wardrobes want some of each: a section of long hanging, a section of double hanging, and shelves or drawers.
Shelves and drawers
Shelves for folded clothes work at 300 to 350 mm apart. Above the rails, the top shelf takes things used less often. Drawers inside a wardrobe are best kept below about 1200 mm so you can see into them.
Drawers behind hinged doors must clear the doors and their hinges when they open: set their fronts back from the doors, and check the hinges don't stop the drawers sliding out. For drawer depths and runner lengths, see drawer runner lengths and drawer depth; the drawer box calculator gives every part's size.
Doors
Hinged doors give full access and use the least depth, but need room to swing: keep each door to about 400 to 600 mm wide, so they don't hit the bed. Tall doors need more hinges: 2 up to 900 mm, 3 up to 1600 mm and 4 up to 2200 mm is a common rule, with more on anything taller or heavy.
Sliding doors suit tight rooms, but only half the wardrobe is open at once, and the track adds depth.
Fitting to the room
Walls, floors and ceilings are rarely square. Build the carcasses a little smaller than the space, level them on a plinth or adjustable legs, and close the gaps with scribed fillers at the walls and a scribed piece at the ceiling. Under a sloping ceiling, see fitted furniture under a sloping ceiling. Measure the space as for an alcove: how to measure an alcove.
Design it in JoinerKit
In JoinerKit, add a wardrobe to the wall, then split its inside into spaces with shelves and dividers, tick the hanging rail in a space, and add drawers or doors where you want them. Drawers behind doors are set back so their handles clear the doors, each door gets the hinges for its height, and the cutting list, sheet layouts and price are worked out for you.
Questions
How deep should a fitted wardrobe be?
About 600 mm overall with hinged doors, giving about 550 mm clear inside for hangers. With sliding doors allow 650 to 700 mm for the track.
What height should a wardrobe hanging rail be?
About 1700 to 1800 mm from the floor for long hanging. For double hanging, about 2000 mm for the top rail and 1000 mm for the lower one.
How many hinges does a wardrobe door need?
A common rule is 2 hinges up to 900 mm tall, 3 up to 1600 mm and 4 up to 2200 mm, with more above that. Heavy or wide doors may need one more; the hinge maker's guide has the last word.