How do I choose the right Clothes Rail for Business?
Needless to say, Clothes Rails are an absolute staple for fashion stores, but they have such an array of purposes for many business, and within the office environment. The clothes rail really will become your essential best friend to help equip your display or storeroom with the highest efficiency and sleekest aesthetics.
Whether you are displaying your fashion collection, offering a place for staff to hang up their coats or even transferring stock between warehouses, it is essential that you have one which is solid, reliable and one your trust to do its job. You might be surprised how often a clothes rail gets touched and leant on, or the battles it faces against the elements when being moved between buildings. Flimsy and cheaply-made just won’t do in these situations.
With plenty of choice across the market, it’s difficult to know what to look for so we have listed our top three considerations to help you purchase the right clothes rail.
Is it the right size?
If you are looking to hang a lot of items, you will want to ensure that the rail is not only big enough to fit everything on, but also useable so that people can browse through. Although you do not want huge gaps, there needs to be some space for the hangers to glide and for items to be taken off or put back on with relative ease.
By packing clothes in too tightly, customers will not be interested in looking through the whole selection to try and properly see items they are interested in. While staff looking to pick up their jacket at the end of a working day will also be frustrated if it is hard to get to. Over packing often results in a messy surrounding area as people struggle to put things back on the rail properly due to lack of space.
Most rails come in the choice of 3ft – 6ft widths, so try to work out what is appropriate for your use. If you are placing it in one specific spot, measure the area you have allotted. If you are going to be transporting from one place to another, and will have varied amounts of garments, then maybe you can easily house one of the larger widths. As well as the width, you will also have to consider the height. If you are hanging ball gowns, your rail should be considerably taller than if you are just displaying tee shirts or shorts. Choose adjustable height and width clothes rail options or simply add height adjusting tubes. These can be added to most standard rails, but be aware these may need to be purchased separately. Always check that the tubes are the right size for the model of your rail too. If you are looking to save even more space but have too much stock for a single bar to support, you can always opt for two tiers, parallel or double rail to distribute outfits without using up as much additional room as an extra clothes rail.
How many you can store on a clothes rails?
As a guide, if you are planning on utlisiing your rails for thick winter gear, you would be looking at storing around 15 thick garments on a 2ft rail and up to 40 thick garments on a 6ft rail.
Also, bear in mind a winter coat can weigh up to 2kg and more which is the same as 6 cotton shirts – so adjust the number of items you hang according to our load capacity recommendations of up to 100kg for all Heavy-Duty rails, and don’t forget to include the hangers weight too. Therefore, hanging dresses or t-shirts on a 6ft rail wouldn’t be much of a concern weight-wise, it would merely be space, which the hanger thickness itself will dictate, so expect to store around 60-80 items.
Is it strong enough?
Some items are heavier than others, so something to consider when you are choosing a frame to avoid disappointment and unnecessary cost. To prevent toppling over under the weight of the items on it, you should choose a heavy-duty clothes rail model made up of 30mm steel tube. Heavy duty clothes rails are ideal for advertising garments, using as storage for clothing or simply for ease when transporting attire and industry standard ones will be coated in an epoxy resin which provides tough long-lasting protection.
The general rule when dressing a rail is to spread out the garments evenly so that the weight is distributed across the frame. However, with these strong tubes, this is not as much of a necessity as the structure is sufficiently resilient to withstand a change in weight. From a display point of view however, keeping your items spread across the bar will be more visually appealing.
Is it mobile?
Those that are not built to industry standards will come with wheels that are likely to be unable to withstand the weight of a heavy load when on the move. This can be disastrous with the stress of setting up for an event, relocating, running a sale or setting up a pop up shop.
If you require a rail which can easily be transported from place to place, then heavy duty castor wheels are a must. They are made of robust rubber with metal fixings and can easily be removed if you wish for the rail to remain static. Not every model will include them as standard, so always check with your supplier first.
So now that you know what makes a sturdy clothes rail, you can begin planning how many you need, what size you want in addition to whether height adjustment tubes and wheels are required.
More clothes storage options
In addition to our Clothes Rails, we offer a range of clothes storage solutions to help you organise.
To maximise or save on floor space, consider a Wall-Fix Hanging Rail. Choose from various sizes and colours, it’s a perfect addition to add quick hanging storage, with alcove and wall-to-wall types available.
Clothes Stands, or garments stands, are synonymous with retail, providing 360-visibility of products, with their angled arms.
Or if you like the look of clothes rails but need more storage options, explore our Open Wardrobes. Related to our popular Chrome Wire Shelving, it features durable wire shelves combined with rails, providing a comprehensive storage solution for your clothes. Our Flexx Shelving is a wall-mounted storage solution that combines shelves and hanging rails, along with components like shoe racks and trouser racks, exclusively for the Flexx range.
To get started, you can take a look at our vast selection of clothes rails here, or give us a call on 0800 834 782 if you have any questions.