Clothes Rail Essential Guide: How Many Clothes Can I Fit on a Free-standing Clothes Rail?

Posted On: September 11, 2024 By: SEOAdmin

The clothes rail is the unsung hero of fashion retail. They steadfastly allow you to get those products out onto the shopfloor in decent quantities so your customers can find their size and make their purchase. They help guide customers around the store and you can even add extra functionality to advertise offers and display complementary items.

We stock a wide range of clothes rails for all manner of different uses and types of shop. And the one thing we find our customers asking when they weigh up their choices is ‘how many clothes can I fit onto a free-standing clothes rail?’

Well, here’s the thing. There is a definitive answer and, annoyingly, it is ‘well, it depends’. Yes, we understand that is not helpful, so we wrote this article to help you understand the capacity of the different types of clothes rails we offer at The Retail Factory. Plus, some other interesting details too!

This is all about helping you find the right free-standing clothes rail for your particular needs, including – of course – the number of clothes you can fit on that rail.

Rail Dimensions Matter

To answer that burning question, let’s look at the dimensions of the different rails. It makes sense that the size of the rail determines how many items you can hang. At The Retail Factory, our standard garment rails range from 2ft to 6ft in length. To give you some ballpark figures:

• A 2ft clothes rail is ideal for small and awkward spaces and will hold around 20 to 30 garments
• A 4ft clothes rail offers more browsing space and can hold between 40 and 60 pieces
• A 6ft clothes rail is great for larger spaces and for forming part of the pathway round your shop. You’ll get around 60 to 80 items of clothing on these.

The dimension of the rail is not the only consideration, of course, but this is a good start.

Garment Type and Hangers

The type of clothing you hang also plays a role in how much fits on the rail. Thicker items like coats, jumpers or jackets take up more space, while thinner pieces such as shirts and blouses can be more densely packed.

To give you an idea of the numbers of garments you can fit in your available rail space:

• Shirts and blouses: About 25-30 pieces per metre of rail
• Jackets and coats: Roughly 10-15 per metre, depending on the thickness of the garments
• Dresses: 15-20 per metre, varying by fabric, size and design.

You can also optimise the space on your clothes rails more effectively by using slimline hangers. These can increase your available capacity by allowing you to place thinner items closer together, without having to accommodate for more bulky hangers.

Weight Capacity and Stability

Free-standing clothes rails vary in terms of weight capacity, which will have a bearing over the number of clothes you can fit in. If you are planning on displaying heavy items like winter coats, one of The Retail Factory’s reinforced rails is the ideal choice. They are specifically designed to allow for greater capacity of these bigger garments.

If you stock winterwear, protective workwear and any other large items with considerable weight to them, invest in the reinforced rail options to display as many items as is possible to your customers.

Stability is also important, especially if you’re hanging multiple heavy items. These heavy-duty rails are designed to withstand substantial weight without tipping, ensuring they stay upright even when fully loaded. This allows you to offer a safe shopping experience, even during busy times in the shop when the rails have to withstand a lot of action from customers picking up, putting back and brushing past.

Fishtail rails help with the stability of your displays. They feature legs that spread outwards, providing a stable grounding, rather than being movable like those on casters.

Maximising Space with Accessories

To further enhance your clothes rail capacity, consider using additional accessories such as:

• Bottom storage shelves: Great for displaying shoes, for example, beneath hanging clothes, making the most of the space below the garments to maximise the amount of stock on the shopfloor.
• Rail extension bars: These allow you to create double hanging layers, especially useful for shorter items like shirts or skirts. You can also display complementary items, one above the other. This can help with cross selling as customers can visualise the full outfit more easily.
• Parallel rails: These allow you to hang double the amount of clothes on your clothes rails, side-by-side. You take up no more floor space, but can fit twice the amount of garments, potentially displaying up to 60 shirts or blouses per metre.

Tailoring Your Choice

Of course, the answer to how many clothes you can fit onto a free-standing clothes rail is entirely dependent on the type of garment, the size of the clothes rail and the type of rail that you are using. However, hopefully this article has given you a good idea as to what you can fit on.

Each retailer has their own individual needs and the best rail for you depends on a number of factors. When selecting the best rail for you, consider:

• Space availability: Measure the area where the rail will be placed to avoid overcrowding and to ensure it fits within the design of your shop
• Garment type: Choose a rail that can comfortably support the number of items you plan to hang and the type of clothes you are displaying
• Movement needs: If you’re constantly moving the rail around, opt for rails with wheels for better mobility. If not, a fishtail rail may add additional stability.

Need Help?

If you need help finding the right clothes rails for your shop, talk to The Retail Factory today. Our team has many years of experience helping retailers find the ideal display items for their shops. We would be more than happy to help. Contact us today to find out more.