Before designing a closet or buying a wardrobe, it helps to know how much hanging space your clothes really take. This calculator turns a count of garments into rod length, and shows how much wall a double-hang section saves.
How much rod per garment
Typical widths on the rod, including the hanger:
| Item | Rod space |
|---|---|
| Shirts, blouses, tops | about 1 in |
| Pants and skirts on hangers | about 1 in |
| Dresses and suits | about 1.5 in |
| Coats and heavy jackets | about 3 in |
Add 10% or more of free space so hangers slide easily and clothes do not crease. Slim velvet hangers save space; bulky wooden ones take more.
Example
Thirty shirts, 10 pants, 6 dresses and 4 coats: 30 + 10 + 9 + 12 = 61 in, plus 10% = about 67 in of rod, roughly 5.5 ft.
Single or double hanging
Short items, such as shirts and folded pants on hangers, hang in about 40 in of height, so two rods can be stacked:
- double hang: rods at about 80 to 84 in and 40 to 42 in from the floor;
- long hang for dresses and coats: one rod at about 66 to 72 in.
In the example, the long items need 21 in of rod and the short ones 40 in. With a double-hang section, the short items take only 20 in of wall, so the closet needs about 45 in of wall instead of 67.
Depth and clearances
- A closet needs about 24 in of depth for hangers to fit without touching the back wall or the door.
- Keep the rod about 12 in from the back wall.
- Leave a shelf about 2 in above the top rod for storage.
Shoes
Allow about 7 to 8 in of shelf width per pair for women’s shoes and 8 to 10 in for men’s shoes and sneakers. Twelve pairs at 8 in need 96 in of shelf, for example three shelves of 32 in. Slanted shoe shelves with a lip show more shoes in less depth.
Folded clothes
Sweaters and T-shirts keep their shape better folded on shelves or in drawers. A stack about 12 in wide and 10 to 12 in high holds 6 to 10 items.