Storage PlannerThis closet design tool takes care of the small math that closet design comes down to. Enter your wall size, arrange shelves, rods and drawers in 3D, then download a dimensioned drawing, a cut list and a shopping list. It's a closet designer with no store attached, so the parts are sized for panels you cut yourself.
How this closet designer works
- Type your closet's width, depth and ceiling height on the Room tab.
- Choose which walls get storage. The back wall alone is a reach-in, and adding the sides makes it a walk-in.
- Pick a starting layout, then tap any shelf, rod or section in the 3D view to change it. You can drag parts around, split sections and add shelves, rods, drawers or shoe shelves.
- Read the notes under the panel. They flag things like a shelf that could sag, a rod without enough drop, or a panel that won't tilt up under your ceiling.
- Download the PDF. It has an overhead plan, a front view of each wall, the cut list, cutting diagrams, a shopping list and build notes.
There's no closet design software to install, because it all runs in your browser on a phone or a computer. And if you only want a closet planner for trying layouts before you call someone, you can stop at the 3D view and the wall drawing.
How to measure your closet
You need a tape measure and about five minutes. Write everything down in inches, or in millimetres if you prefer.
- Width: measure the back wall at the floor, at waist height and near the top. Walls bow, so these often differ. Use the smallest number.
- Depth: measure from the back wall to the front of the door opening, on both sides. Use the smaller one.
- Height: measure floor to ceiling in a few spots. A low spot can stop a tall panel from standing up, and the tool warns you if a panel won't tilt into place.
- Door opening: measure its width, and how far the trim sticks in on each side. Parts have to fit through the opening, and anything hidden behind the trim is harder to reach.
- Obstacles: mark outlets, light switches, vents and attic hatches. The tool doesn't model these, so note them on your printout.
- Baseboard: measure its height and thickness. Towers that sit on the floor either need a notch in the panel or the baseboard removed behind them.
Closet design ideas to start from
The Room tab has four starter closet designs, which resize to fit the walls you enter. Pick the closest one and change it from there.
Sort your clothes before you choose. Anything short that hangs does well in double hang, where two rods share the width of one. Long coats and dresses need a long hang section, and you may need less of it than you'd guess. If most of what you own gets folded, drawers and shelves will do more for you than another rod.
Small closet ideas you can build
On a 4 ft wall, each starter comes out as two sections, so a small closet is mostly a question of which two sections you need. These are the moves that help most, and you can try each one in the tool.
- Double hang your short clothes.Rods at about 81" and 41" give you two rows of shirts and folded pants. Use the Double hang section type.
- Put shoes under the rod.Hang + shoes sets two sloped shoe shelves at the bottom of the section, with the rod at 81".
- Bring the dresser inside.Drawers + shelves stacks four drawers with shelves above. In a 14" tower the drawers run on 12" slides, so they'll be shallower than most dresser drawers.
- Build up to the ceiling.A high top shelf is good for bins and luggage. Under an 8 ft ceiling, a 90" tower that's 14" deep measures about 91" corner to corner, so it tilts into place. A 96" one measures about 97" and doesn't. The tool warns you when a tower is too tall to stand up.
- Fold if the closet is shallow.Hangers need about 22" from the wall. If you don't have that, use 12" towers with shelves and drawers. The tool warns you if a rod won't work in your depth.
Other closet organizer ideas, like pull-out baskets, belt racks and corner units, aren't things this tool can draw. If you want them, leave a section open and add them once the closet is built.
Walk-in closet design: what fits in common sizes
In the tool, a walk-in is towers on the back wall plus one or both side walls. The number to check first is the closet walk, the strip of floor between the towers. Aim for 36" and don't go under 24". The tool warns you about both.
It measures from the fronts of the towers, though, and hanging clothes stick out past a 14" tower. With the rod about 12" from the wall, hangers reach about 22". So count from there, or set that wall's towers deeper on the Room tab so the warning accounts for it.
This table assumes 14" towers on all three walls and clothes hanging on both side walls. Room size is the back wall width by the side wall length.
| Room | Back run | Side runs | Walk | What that means |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 x 6 ft | 32" | 58" | 16" | Too narrow with both sides hanging. Hang on one side, put shelves on the other, and you get 24". |
| 6 x 6 ft | 44" | 58" | 28" | Hanging on both sides fits, but it's tight. |
| 6 x 8 ft | 44" | 82" | 28" | The same walk, with 2 ft more on each side. |
| 7 x 8 ft | 56" | 82" | 40" | Comfortable with hanging on both sides. |
| 8 x 8 ft | 68" | 82" | 52" | Room to spare, so you can go deeper on one wall. |
| 8 x 10 ft | 68" | 106" | 52" | Room to spare, with long side runs you can split into more sections. |
The back and side runs are shorter than the room because of the corners. Where two runs meet, the shelf behind the corner is out of reach, so the tool leaves that square empty and starts each run past it. You lose a bit of storage and avoid building a box you can't get into.
The tool doesn't plan doors. There's no storage on the fourth wall, so a door there works as drawn. A side run always fills its wall, though, so if your door is on a side wall, you'll need to leave that wall out. Check the door swing yourself too.
Standard closet hanging heights
These are the usual starting points, measured from the floor to the center of the rod. The starter layouts in the tool use them. Measure your longest clothes before you commit, since your wardrobe matters more than any chart.
| Setup | Rod height | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Single rod | 66" to 72" | Dresses, long coats, mixed hanging |
| Double hang, top rod | 80" to 84" | Shirts, jackets, folded pants |
| Double hang, bottom rod | 40" to 42" | Shirts, skirts, folded pants |
| Rod to shelf above | At least 2" | Room to lift the hanger hook off |
How much drop each type of clothing needs
| Clothing | Space under the rod |
|---|---|
| Pants folded over a hanger | 26" to 30" |
| Shirts and jackets | 38" to 42" |
| Coats | 48" to 52" |
| Long dresses and full-length pants | 60" to 69" |
Standard shelf depths and spacing
| What it holds | Depth | Space between shelves |
|---|---|---|
| Folded clothes | 12" to 14" | 10" to 12" |
| Flat or angled shoes | 12" to 14" | 6" to 8" |
| Boots | 12" to 14" | 14" to 18" |
| Bins and luggage on top | 14" to 16" | Whatever is left |
| Hanging clothes (a whole closet) | 24" wall to door | Rod about 12" from the wall |
Two more limits matter. A loose 3/4" plywood shelf starts to sag over about 32" under a full load, and 3/4" melamine or MDF does it sooner, at about 28". A closet rod needs a center support past about 48". The tool flags shelves that are too wide, and adds a center support to the shopping list when a rod runs long.
Custom closet design without hiring a closet company
You can get a layout made for your room without a closet company. You set each section's width, you put every shelf and rod at the height you want, and the run gets sized to your wall instead of being picked from set sizes. What you give up is everything a company does besides the layout.
| Designing it here | Hiring a closet company | |
|---|---|---|
| Measuring | You do it, and a mistake is yours to fix | They usually measure on site |
| Building | You, or a carpenter you hire | Their installers |
| Odd rooms | Rectangular rooms only, with no door planning or angled walls | They can work with most rooms |
| Parts | Butt joints, screws and side-mount slides | More finishes, pull-outs and accessories |
| Cost | Materials, tools and your time | A quote that includes labor |
| If it goes wrong | That's on you, since the plan comes with no warranty | Ask what their warranty covers |
There's also a middle route. Design it here, then take the drawing to a carpenter or a closet company and ask for a quote. If your room has odd angles, or you don't want to own the tools, paying someone is a perfectly good decision.
DIY closet system: building it from the cut list
With a store kit, you fit your wall to the kit's sizes. A DIY closet system made from sheets gets cut to your wall instead. You'll need a way to cut sheets straight, like a table saw or a circular saw with a guide, plus a drill. Here's how the PDF fits into the build.
- Buy from the shopping list. It covers sheets, rods and sockets, slides, shelf pins, screws and edge banding. Screw counts are estimates, so buy the next box size up.
- Cut from the diagrams.Rip strips along the sheet first, then crosscut. The letters on the diagrams match the cut list, and each layout allows 1/8" per saw cut. Cut one section first and check it against your closet.
- Band the edges.The PDF's cut list says how many edges of each part get iron-on banding. MDF skips the banding and gets painted.
- Put the towers together. Fixed shelves get 3 screws per end, and rails and toe kicks get 2. Adjustable shelves sit on pins. The plan gives you shelf heights but no drilling pattern, so mark the pin holes yourself.
- Fasten it to the wall.Screw each hanging rail into the studs. A tall tower that isn't anchored can tip.
- Finish with rods and drawers.Rods are cut 1/8" shorter than the section to leave room for the sockets. Check your slides' instructions before you cut drawer boxes.
Making it look like a built-in closet
A built-in closet looks that way mostly because of how it meets the room. Walls are rarely straight or square, and a closet built to the exact wall size usually won't go in. So by default each run stops 1/2" short, split between the two ends, and trim or caulk covers the gap. You can change this on the Room tab. Towers with a base sit on a toe kick, and where they meet a baseboard, you'll need to notch the panel or take the baseboard off behind it. Trim, filler strips and any molding across the top aren't on the cut list, so add those yourself.
A worked example: a 6 ft reach-in
Here's a real design from the tool, so you can see what you get and check the math. The closet is 72" wide, 24" deep, with an 8 ft ceiling. The towers are 84" tall and 14" deep, in 3/4" plywood.
The width math:72" of wall, minus the 1/2" fit gap, leaves 71 1/2" to fill. Three sections need four side panels, and 4 x 3/4" = 3". That leaves 68 1/2" of clear width, split into 26 1/4" + 16" + 26 1/4".
Its cut list
| Part | Qty | Length | Width | Thick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Side panel | 4 | 84" | 14" | 3/4" |
| Top shelf | 2 | 26 1/4" | 14" | 3/4" |
| Top shelf | 1 | 16" | 14" | 3/4" |
| Bottom shelf | 1 | 26 1/4" | 14" | 3/4" |
| Bottom shelf | 1 | 16" | 14" | 3/4" |
| Fixed shelf | 1 | 16" | 14" | 3/4" |
| Adjustable shelf | 1 | 26 3/16" | 14" | 3/4" |
| Adjustable shelf | 3 | 15 15/16" | 14" | 3/4" |
| Shoe shelf | 2 | 26 3/16" | 13 1/2" | 3/4" |
| Shoe shelf lip | 2 | 26 3/16" | 1 1/2" | 3/4" |
| Hanging rail | 2 | 26 1/4" | 3" | 3/4" |
| Hanging rail | 1 | 16" | 3" | 3/4" |
| Toe kick | 1 | 26 1/4" | 3" | 3/4" |
| Toe kick | 1 | 16" | 3" | 3/4" |
| Drawer face | 1 | 15 7/8" | 9 7/8" | 3/4" |
| Drawer face | 1 | 15 7/8" | 7 7/8" | 3/4" |
| Drawer face | 1 | 15 7/8" | 5 7/8" | 3/4" |
| Drawer box side | 2 | 12" | 9" | 1/2" |
| Drawer box side | 2 | 12" | 7" | 1/2" |
| Drawer box side | 2 | 12" | 5" | 1/2" |
| Drawer box front/back | 2 | 14" | 9" | 1/2" |
| Drawer box front/back | 2 | 14" | 7" | 1/2" |
| Drawer box front/back | 2 | 14" | 5" | 1/2" |
| Drawer bottom | 3 | 15" | 12" | 1/4" |
That's 41 parts, plus 3 rod pieces at 26 1/8", which all come out of one 8 ft rod. It works out to 3 sheets of 3/4" plywood, 1 sheet of 1/2" plywood, 1 sheet of 1/4" plywood. The 3/4" parts cover 62.5 square feet, so two sheets would be enough on area alone, but four 14"-wide side panels can't all come out of one sheet, and three panels leave only short offcuts. You need a third sheet. That's a common surprise, and a good reason to look at a real cutting diagram before you go to the store.
Some details people often get wrong: the shoe shelves are 13 1/2" deep and not 14", because a 13" run on a 15° slope measures 13.46" along the shelf. The 14" tower only takes 12" drawer slides, because the inset face and clearance use up 1 1/4". Each drawer box is 1" narrower than its opening to make room for the slides.
Its shopping list
- 3 sheets: 3/4" plywood, 4 x 8 ft
- 1 sheet: 1/2" plywood, 4 x 8 ft
- 1 sheet: 1/4" plywood, 4 x 8 ft
- 3 rolls: Iron-on edge banding, 13/16" wide, 25 ft roll
- 1 rod: Closet rod, 1 5/16" round, 8 ft length
- 3 pairs: Rod sockets (flanges)
- 3 pairs: Side-mount drawer slides, 12"
- 3 each: Drawer pulls
- 24 each: Shelf pins, 1/4" (or 5 mm)
- 56 each: Wood screws, #8 x 1 1/2"
- 48 each: Wood screws, #6 x 1"
- 9 each: Cabinet screws, #10 x 3"
How this compares to other closet designers
Most of the closet design tools you'll find belong to a store or a closet brand. They're free because they lead to a sale, so they use that company's parts and sizes, and the last step is a cart or a quote. That's fine if you've already picked that brand. If you're still deciding, or you want to build it yourself, it gets in the way.
The best independent option we've tried is 17squares, and it does several things this tool doesn't: it builds a closet for you from a few sliders, handles non-rectangular rooms, and adds doors and corner units. Its PDF is good too, with 3D views, a dimensioned drawing of each wall and a parts list. Here's where the two differ. When we tried 17squares in November 2026, it wouldn't open on a phone held upright and asked us to rotate it, while this tool is built for upright phones. Its parts list is catalog-style, with lines like a 22.5" wide closet drawer, because it's designed to feed a closet dealer. It doesn't tell you how many sheets to buy, how to cut them, or what size each drawer box part is. This tool does, because it assumes you're cutting your own panels.
Questions people ask
Is this closet design tool really free?
Yes. There's no quote request and nothing to buy here. The site doesn't sell closets or get paid by anyone who does.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes, the whole thing does, including the 3D view and the PDF. Tap a part to select it, then drag it, or use the Up and Down buttons if your thumbs are big. A bigger screen is nicer for reading a long cut list, so you can tap Copy link and carry on from your computer.
Where is my design saved?
In the browser you're using. It saves as you go and comes back when you return, but clearing your browser data erases it, so download the PDF once you're happy. Copy link puts the whole design into the link itself, which is how you move it to another device.
Can I keep more than one design?
The tool autosaves one design at a time. To keep several, tap Copy link for each version and save the links somewhere, since each link holds a full design.
How accurate is the cut list?
The sizes are calculated from your layout, not estimated. Each run fills the wall minus the fit gap, fixed shelves are the exact section width, and adjustable shelves are 1/16" narrower so they drop in. Sheet counts allow 1/8" for each saw cut. Numbers are only as good as your measurements, so cut one section first and check it. The worked example above was checked by hand.
Can I use it to plan a store-bought system?
You can use the layout and the wall drawing to plan and to get quotes, but the part sizes are for cutting your own panels. Store systems come in their own set sizes, so their parts won't match. If you've already chosen a brand, its own designer will price it for you.
What can't it do yet?
It only handles rectangular rooms with up to three straight walls of storage, so no angled walls or sloped ceilings. There's no door planning, and it doesn't show clothes in the 3D view. Parts are designed for one simple way of building: butt joints, screws and side-mount slides.