A standard dresser is 35 to 58 inches wide, 30 to 50 inches tall and 18 to 24 inches deep. A chest of drawers is taller and narrower: 44 to 60 inches tall and 30 to 40 wide. Leave about 3 feet in front to open the drawers and stand: Wayfair says 36 inches, so a 20-inch-deep dresser takes 56 inches from the wall.
Standard dresser size
These are the sizes in Wayfair's dresser guide. A dresser is the low, wide one; a chest is the tall, narrow one.
| Width | Height | Depth | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard dresser | 35 to 58 in | 30 to 50 in | 18 to 24 in |
| Chest of drawers | 30 to 40 in | 44 to 60 in | 16 to 20 in |
From Wayfair's dresser dimensions guide. It also sorts dressers by width (narrow under 38 in, standard 38 to 58 in, wide over 58 in, extra wide over 64 in) and height (low under 36 in, standard 36 to 50 in, tall over 50 in).
Inside, Wayfair puts most drawers at 16 to 18 inches deep. Top drawers are usually 4 to 6 inches tall, middle ones 6 to 8, and the bottom ones 8 to 12 for jeans and sweaters.
15 real dressers, measured
These are the sizes IKEA lists for its dressers and chests, narrowest first:
| Dresser | Drawers | Width × depth | Height |
|---|---|---|---|
| IKEA STORKLINTA chest | 5 | 15¾ × 18⅞ in | 47¼ in |
| IKEA RAST | 3 | 24⅜ × 13¾ in | 26¾ in |
| IKEA LILLBERGET | 3 | 27½ × 16⅞ in | 26¾ in |
| IKEA TARVA | 5 | 29⅞ × 15¾ in | 50 in |
| IKEA BRIMNES | 4 | 30¾ × 18⅛ in | 48⅞ in |
| IKEA FÅGELFJÄLLET | 6 | 32¼ × 20⅛ in | 48⅜ in |
| IKEA GULLABERG | 6 | 35 × 18⅞ in | 48 in |
| IKEA HEMNES | 3 | 42½ × 19⅝ in | 37¾ in |
| IKEA HEMNES | 6 | 42½ × 19⅝ in | 51⅝ in |
| IKEA RAST | 6 | 48⅞ × 13¾ in | 26¾ in |
| IKEA HAUGA | 6 | 54⅜ × 18⅛ in | 33⅛ in |
| IKEA STORKLINTA | 6 | 55⅛ × 18⅞ in | 29½ in |
| IKEA RÅDMANSÖ | 6 | 62⅝ × 18⅞ in | 31⅞ in |
| IKEA HEMNES | 8 | 63 × 19⅝ in | 37¾ in |
| IKEA STOREMOLLA | 8 | 67⅜ × 19⅝ in | 35⅞ in |
From each dresser's product page at IKEA US.
The drawer count doesn't tell you the shape. Wayfair says a standard six-drawer dresser is about 60 inches wide, but the six-drawer models here run from 32¼ inches wide and 48⅜ tall (FÅGELFJÄLLET) to 62⅝ wide and 31⅞ tall (RÅDMANSÖ). Check the width and height, not the drawers.
Depth varies less: most are 18 to 20 inches deep. The exceptions are worth knowing in a tight room: the RAST is 13¾ inches deep and the TARVA 15¾.
How tall should a dresser be?
Wayfair calls a dresser under 36 inches low, 36 to 50 standard and over 50 tall, and gives 30 to 40 inches as the average. Pick by what goes on top or above it:
- Under a window: measure from the floor to the sill and keep the dresser lower.
- With a mirror or TV above: measure to the ceiling, or to a shelf, and leave room for both.
- Short on floor: a chest, 44 to 60 inches tall, takes less wall (Wayfair). The STORKLINTA chest is 15¾ inches wide.
How much room a dresser needs
Wayfair recommends 36 inches between the front of a dresser and the bed or any furniture facing it, to open the drawers. To find the deepest dresser that fits, measure from the wall to the bed and take off 36 inches. Our Clearance Checker plans 34 inches: a 16-inch open drawer plus 18 inches to stand.
- Beside the bed: in a 10×10 room, a dresser fits beside a twin with both sides of the bed open, but not beside a full or a queen. A 10×11 bedroom fits a queen and a dresser.
- Near a door: make sure the bedroom and closet doors can swing past it (Wayfair).
- On the way in: measure the doors and hallways it has to pass through (Wayfair).
Questions
What are standard dresser dimensions?
35 to 58 inches wide, 30 to 50 inches tall and 18 to 24 inches deep (Wayfair). A chest is 30 to 40 wide and 44 to 60 tall.
How deep is a dresser?
Usually 16 to 20 inches; Wayfair's standard range runs to 24. Most of the IKEA dressers above are 18 to 20 inches deep, and the shallowest, the RAST, is 13¾.
How wide is a 6-drawer dresser?
Wayfair says about 60 inches, but it depends on the layout: the six-drawer IKEA models above run from 32¼ to 62⅝ inches wide.
How tall is a dresser?
30 to 40 inches on average (Wayfair). Low dressers are under 36 inches, standard 36 to 50, and tall ones over 50.
How much space do you need in front of a dresser?
36 inches to the bed or other furniture, says Wayfair. Our Clearance Checker plans 34 inches: a 16-inch open drawer and 18 inches to stand.
What's the difference between a dresser and a chest?
A dresser is wider and shorter; a chest is taller and narrower (Wayfair). A chest suits a small bedroom with more height than wall.
Sources
- Dresser Dimensions: How to Choose the Right One (Wayfair): standard 30 to 50 in tall, 35 to 58 in wide, 18 to 24 in deep; chest 44 to 60 in tall, 30 to 40 in wide, 16 to 20 in deep; drawer depths and heights; width and height classes; 36 in in front; six-drawer about 60 in wide
- Dressers and chests of drawers (IKEA US): product pages for the STORKLINTA, RAST, LILLBERGET, TARVA, BRIMNES, FÅGELFJÄLLET, GULLABERG, HEMNES, HAUGA, RÅDMANSÖ and STOREMOLLA