A clothes rail, also known by various names such as garment rail, hanging rail, clothes rack or coat stand, is a railing used in wardrobes for holding clothes hangers. They can provide space-efficient storage and easy access to clothing.
Several types of clothes rails exist. In wardrobes, clothes rails are typically either wall mounted or secured inside the walls of cabinets. Freestanding racks may be suitable as a solution that does not require drilling in walls. There are also special variants such as telescopic rails or over-the-door storage. In retail stores, clothes racks are used for retail display, and often have wheels to make them portable so they can be more easily moved for storage outside shopping hours.
The closet rod is often made of a metal pipe such as tubular steel (for example 25 mm or 30 mm), but can also be made of other materials such as wood (typically for aesthetic reasons) or plastic (typically for budgetary reasons). Metal rods have the advantage that they provide low friction against the metal hooks commonly used on clothes hangers, which can make it easier to sort through clothing. Solutions to further reduce the friction have also been patented.
The rail should have a suitable load capacity to be able to carry the weight of any heavy garments that can be expected to be placed on it (such as coats; a winter coat can for example weigh up to 2 kg) with a factor of safety. For example, some consumer racks are rated at 15 kg or 30 kg, while some heavy-duty clothing rails are rated for up to 100 kg when the load is evenly spread across the rail. It is also beneficial that the rail does not bend from the weight. Some considerations are the distance between mounting points, weight of the clothes that may be used, and the length of the rail. The stability of the stand is also important to ensure that it does not tip over.
For clothes rails to be user-friendly, they need to account for different ergonomic considerations. The rail should be placed at a height that takes into account:
Garments can be grouped into length-wise categories to make storage more efficient. Optimal lengths will differ with a persons height, as well as current style and fashion trends. For example, tailors from different regions could lean towards sewing longer or shorter jackets for the same customer. Below are some rules of thumb that can be helpful during planning to ensure the longest items are hanging freely without touching the bottom of the wardrobe, the rail below or the shelf above:.
Wardrobes for children should be at a lower height, typically the clothes are shorter so that about 70 cm per level is sufficient.
According to Human Dimension and Interior Space (1979), hanging rails should be placed just above eye level for the shortest user. The figure Closet and storage facilities (p. 310 of 689) and its accompanying table suggests a rail height of about 163âÂÂ173 cm for men, and 152âÂÂ178 cm for women, representing 5th and 95th percentiles, respectively. Those recommendations are likely based on average heights in United States in the late 1970s and subjective judgements by the authors, and updated figures could vary by average human height by country. This way, recommendations can be formed that are suitable for 95% of the population.
Some adjustable wardrobes make it possible to adjust the height as children grow or when the home changes owners. They also make it possible to reconfigure the wardrobe to different types of clothes.