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Shoe Rack Height: How High Should Shoe Shelves Be?

A shoe rack is one of the common pieces of furniture in your houses, offices, and other gathering places. You might have seen different types of shoe racks. But the dimensions of a shoe rack should be standard for making the rack look good.

So, you might be confused about the shoe rack height. Moreover, you might also be confused about how high shoe shelves should be. However, knowing about the shoe rack and shelf height is essential to keep the rack standard.

How high should shoe shelves be?

Generally, shoe shelves should be from 8 to 12 inches high. This height is average for most shoe shelves. If you are careful about keeping the shoe damage-free, you can keep the height 12 inches. If the shelves are many in numbers in a rack, you can minimize the shelf’s height by 1 or 2 inches.

However, the height of shoe shelves depends on many things. For example, where you are keeping the shoe rack is also essential to determine the shoe shelve heights. If you own the shoe rack in a congested area, the shelves will also be short.

But generally, the shelves must have at least 8 inches in height. If you keep less than 8 inches, the shelves will be very congested and messy. Moreover, the shoes can be damaged within a confined area.

The standard height of shoe shelves is 12 inches. The shoes will be in accessible spaces. So, there is less chance of damaging the shoes. Sometimes, people modify the shoe shelves according to the type of shoes.

For example, if you keep only slippers on the shoe shelves, you can keep the height within 7 to 8 inches. But if you keep heels and sneakers, you must keep the height above 8 inches.

Another critical issue is the appearance of the shoe shelf. If you keep the shelves too high or more than 12 inches, the shelves will not look good. Because the overall height of the shoe rack will be large.

If you use the shoe shelves and the rack in your house, the shelves should not be too high. If you can keep 3 to 4 shelves in the shoe rack, it will look nice. But make sure that the spaces are not wasted.

What is the standard shoe rack dimensions?

The standard shoe rack dimensions depend on how many shelves are in the shoe rack. Generally, two or three-story shoe racks are pretty standard. If the shoe rack is two-storied, the standard height can be 17 to 20 inches.

On the other hand, if the shoe rack is three-storied, the height can be 33 to 36 inches. The more shelves are added to the rack, the higher the shoe rack will be.

Besides, the width can also be different. Three standard size widths of shoe racks are 18, 24, and 30 inches. It would be best if you kept in mind that width is also related to height.

A narrow width will not look good if the shoe rack is too high. So, you have to increase the width also.

On the other hand, a shorter shoe rack can be wide. In a standard shoe rack, depth is also necessary. Generally, a standard shoe rack should be 12 to 13 inches deep.

You should keep the depth according to the shoe sizes. So, 12 inches is pretty common. If you own more depth than this, space can be wasted in the shoe rack.

How high should shoe cabinets be?

Shoe cabinets are pretty similar to shoe racks. So, the dimensions will also be similar. How high shoe cabinets should depend on the stories of the cabinets.

If the shoe cabinets are two-storied, the height can be 20 inches. But if the shoe cabinets are three-storied, the height can be 36 inches.

Moreover, how many shoes you will keep in the cabinets also determines the shoe cabinets’ height. If you have a small family, a 36 inches shoe cabinet will be enough. But you have a large family; the cabinet height can be 48 inches.

On the other hand, if you use the cabinets for a place with too many people, you should have a large shoe cabinet. For example, shoe cabinets for schools or hospitals have many shelves and can be very large. Otherwise, a 36 inches high shoe cabinet is enough for your house.

How far apart should shelves be on a shoe rack?

There must be enough gap between shelves when you have multiple shelves on a shoe rack. Otherwise, shoes can get damaged, and the outlook will not look good. So, the shoe shelves should be 10 inches far apart from each other on a shoe rack.

Generally, 10 inches gap is standard for a standard size shoe rack. If your shoe rack is large, you can keep this gap between shelves. 

But if your shoe rack is small, you can keep one or two inches less than this gap. So, you can keep 8 inches gap between shelves.

Keeping the gap size standard is pretty necessary. Because when you keep large shoes or heels on the shelves, they will require enough space. So, a 10 inches gap is a must. Otherwise, the shoes will be in touch with another.

This way, the shoes can get damaged or worn away. So, try maintaining the standard dimensions of shoe racks and standard gap size between shelves.

Four things that determine the shoe rack and shelves height

You might know that you should keep the shoe rack and shelves height standard. But some factors determine the standard height. Let’s see the things that determine the shoe rack and shelf height.

Type of shoes:

One of the most important factors is the type of shoes you are keeping on the shoe rack and shelves.

For example, if you are keeping only slippers, you can keep the height of the shoe rack and shelves short. But if you are keeping heels, sneakers, and other large shoes, the height should be standard.

Users:

Another critical issue is the users of shoe racks or shelves. If the number of users is small, a small or medium size shoe rack will be enough. So, you can keep the shoe rack height and shelves short.

But if the number of users is large, you have to keep the shoe rack and shelves height large. Otherwise, too many shoes will be messy and congested in a small shoe rack.

Location of the rack:

You have to consider the location of the rack also. For example, if you keep the shoe rack in the entryway, you can’t keep a too large shoe rack and shelves. Too large shoe rack in the entryway will make it look not good.

Type of rack:

You have to know about the type of shoe rack. If the shoe rack is the shoe cabinets or shelves, it will be medium or standard size. But if the shoe rack is hanging on the door or a plastic shoe rack, the size can be small or customized.

How to determine the right shoe shelf height?

Now that you know the right shoe shelf height is essential, you might want to know the determining process. Let’s see how you can determine the correct shoe shelf height.

Determining the location and other factors:

First, you have to determine where you are keeping the shoe shelf. Then you must know how many people are using the shelf and the type of shoe shelf. Then you can decide the approximate height of the shoe shelf.

Determining the height:

Next, you have to measure the standard height according to the factors and the height of the wall. Then you have to measure the width of the shelf. For example, a 36 inches height and 30 inches width shoe shelf can be standard.

Final Thoughts

Shoe rack height can be modified according to your choice and some factors. But a standard shoe rack height can be 33 to 36 inches. Moreover, the shelf height of the shoe rack can be 12 inches. Besides, it would be best if you kept at least 10 inches gap between shelves on the shoe rack.