Sizes and weights
Typical ranges for what we actually meet in Central London rather than one manufacturer's specification. Measure yours before you rely on them.
| Type | Size | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Single wardrobe | 50 to 60cm wide, 180 to 200cm tall, 55 to 60cm deep30 to 50kg | 30 to 50kg |
| Double wardrobe | 90 to 120cm wide, 180 to 220cm tall, 55 to 60cm deep50 to 90kg | 50 to 90kg |
| Triple wardrobe | 135 to 150cm wide, 190 to 220cm tall80 to 130kg | 80 to 130kg |
| Solid wood antique | usually 120 to 160cm wide, often knock-down with pegs90 to 180kg | 90 to 180kg |
For reference, a standard UK internal door is 762mm. Older Central London stock is often narrower. Full door and van measurements.
Will it fit?
Will a double wardrobe go through a standard door?
On its side, yes. The dimension clearing the door is the depth, 55 to 60cm, against a 762mm door. Standing up it would need 90 to 120cm and would not. Wardrobes almost always travel horizontally, which is why the ceiling height on the staircase matters as much as the door width.
What about the half landing?
This is where wardrobes die. A 200cm wardrobe carried horizontally needs 200cm of clear space to swing through the turn, and a Georgian half landing offers 90 to 120cm between the wall and the banister. That is the specific measurement to take, and it is why so many wardrobes come apart in Central London and stay assembled everywhere else.
Does it come apart?
Solid wood and antique wardrobes were usually built to knock down, with pegs or bolts, and they come apart and go back together cleanly. Modern flat pack is designed to be assembled once. Cam fixings and chipboard do not always survive a second dismantling and a rebuilt flat pack wardrobe is often looser than it was.
What if it was built in the room?
Then it is coming apart or it is staying, and there is no third option. It happens more than people expect with wardrobes assembled by a previous tenant. We will tell you honestly whether we think it will survive the rebuild before we touch it.
How we move a wardrobe
- Doors and drawers come off first, which takes 15 to 25kg off and makes it a two person carry
- Where the staircase allows it, it goes whole and horizontal on its side
- Where it does not, it comes apart in the room: doors, then top, then back, then sides
- Every fixing goes into a labelled bag taped to a panel rather than into a pocket
- Panels are blanket wrapped separately, because chipboard edges chip against each other
- It is rebuilt in the room it is going to live in, not in the hallway
Why so many wardrobes come apart in Central London
The housing stock explains it. A very large share of the centre is Georgian and Victorian conversions where the staircase turns at every half landing and the turn was designed for a person carrying a candle. A 200cm wardrobe carried flat simply has nowhere to swing.
In a purpose built block with a lift, the same wardrobe goes in whole and the job takes forty minutes. That is the entire difference between the bottom and the top of the price band, and it is why we ask what kind of building you are in before we ask what you own.
Dismantling and rebuilding is inside the price
It is part of the job rather than a line item. Doors off, carcass apart where the staircase demands it, fixings bagged and labelled, and rebuilt in the room it is going to stand in.
What we ask in return is that you tell us at the quote stage. A wardrobe we planned to dismantle is an hour. A wardrobe we discover has to be dismantled, with the crew already on the stairs and the van on a suspension that expires at four, is a different afternoon.
Before we arrive
- Empty it completely, including the top shelf and the shoes at the bottom
- Put hanging clothes into bags rather than leaving them on the rail
- Measure the half landing width at the turn, which is the number that decides everything
- Tell us if it is flat pack and whether it has been moved before
- Find the assembly instructions if you still have them, which speeds up the rebuild
What tends to go wrong
A flat pack wardrobe on its second dismantle
Cam fixings bite into chipboard once. Taken apart and rebuilt, they often will not grip the same holes, and the wardrobe comes back together looser than it went. We say so before we start rather than after, and sometimes the honest advice is to sell it and buy another.
Leaving the clothes in it
A loaded double wardrobe is 120kg rather than 70kg and the weight is all at the top. It cannot be tipped onto its side safely and it puts real strain on the carcass. Empty is not a suggestion.
Nobody measured the landing
The door is fine. The room is fine. The landing turn is 95cm and the wardrobe is 200cm, and that is discovered halfway up the stairs. Thirty seconds with a tape measure tells us whether to plan a dismantle, and planning one is far quicker than deciding on one mid-carry.
Wardrobe moving: common questions
How much does it cost to move a wardrobe in London?
Between £110 and £320 including VAT, most near £175. A double wardrobe with a lift or ground floor at both ends is £110 to £165. Where it has to be dismantled and rebuilt for the staircase, £190 to £320. The dismantling and the rebuild are inside the figure rather than extras.
Will a double wardrobe fit through a standard door?
On its side, yes. Its depth of 55 to 60cm clears a 762mm door comfortably. It is the half landing that stops wardrobes: carried horizontally a 200cm wardrobe needs 200cm to swing through the turn, and a Georgian landing gives you 90 to 120cm.
Do you dismantle and rebuild wardrobes?
Yes, as part of the job rather than an extra. Doors and drawers off first, then the carcass where the staircase requires it, with every fixing bagged and taped to a panel. It is rebuilt in the room it is going to live in.
Will my flat pack wardrobe survive being taken apart?
Sometimes. Cam fixings bite into chipboard once and do not always grip the same holes a second time, so a rebuilt flat pack wardrobe is often looser than it was. We will give you an honest view before we start rather than after, and occasionally the answer is that it is not worth moving.
Do I need to empty it first?
Yes, completely. A loaded double wardrobe is around 120kg with all the weight at the top, which makes it unsafe to tip onto its side and puts real strain on the carcass. Hanging clothes go into bags, which is quicker than it sounds.
Other single items
Moving more than one thing?
This page is about a wardrobe on its own. The single item and furniture delivery page covers the service generally, and what a move costs prices a whole flat or house.
Across Central London
We move a wardrobe anywhere in the 37 areas we cover. What changes between them is the parking and the staircase, which is what decides where in the band you land.