A new flat with no built-in storage. A box room turned into a guest bedroom. A student move in September with everything going in the back of a car. These are the moments people start looking at fabric wardrobes, and the first choice they hit is what's holding the fabric up.
Here's the short answer. A metal frame suits you if the wardrobe needs to go up quickly, come down again and move with you. A wooden frame suits you if it's staying put for a while and you want it to feel more like a piece of furniture. Both are fabric wardrobes, both keep dust off your clothes, and neither is a replacement for a solid wardrobe with proper doors.
Below are the differences that matter, using real products from our fabric wardrobes range.
What "metal frame wardrobe" usually means
A lot of people searching for a metal frame or steel frame wardrobe aren't after a metal locker. They want a light frame of tubes with a fabric cover over it. That's what most fabric wardrobes are.
The vidaXL 75 x 50 x 160cm wardrobe set is a good example. It has an iron tube frame, with the base made of connected tubes, and a 100% polyester cover that zips shut. The parts plug into each other, so there's no drilling and no screws. It comes with a clothes rail in the main section, plus two separate clothes racks.
Wooden frames work differently. The vidaXL 110 x 40 x 170cm fabric wardrobe is built on a pinewood frame with a cotton and polyester cover. Inside, it has five fixed shelves on one side and a hanging rail on the other. Instead of a zip, the front is a curtain door.
Setting it up and taking it down
This is where the metal frame earns its place. Plug-in tube frames go together by hand, and they come apart the same way. If you move every year, or you only need the wardrobe for a few months while the bedroom is being decorated, that matters more than anything else on the listing.
Wooden-framed fabric wardrobes are better left standing once they're up. They're still free-standing, so there's nothing to fix permanently, but they suit a room you've settled in rather than one you're passing through.
One practical point for both: if the wardrobe comes with a wall fixing, use it. The iron-framed vidaXL set includes a wall attachment to stop it tipping over. Tall, narrow wardrobes are easier to pull over than people expect, especially once the hanging rail is full on one side.
Shelves, rails and how you actually store things
Think about what's going in before you choose a frame.
If most of your clothes hang, look for long hanging space. The vidaXL iron-framed set gives you a rail in the main section and two extra racks, so it leans heavily towards hanging.
If you fold more than you hang, shelves matter more. The pinewood vidaXL wardrobe splits its 110cm width between five fixed shelves and a rail, which works for jumpers, jeans and shoes alongside a few coats. Some HOMCOM fabric wardrobes go further. One model measures 166 x 42.5 x 169.5cm with 12 shelves and two hanging rails. Another, at 125 x 43 x 162.5cm, has 8 shelves and two rails.
Fabric shelves aren't built for heavy loads. Keep them for folded clothes and lighter bits, and put anything heavy on the floor of the wardrobe.
Zip or curtain door?
It sounds minor, but you'll use it every day.
A zip closes the cover fully, which keeps more dust out. The trade-off is that you're unzipping it every time you want a jumper, and zips are the part most likely to give up first on any fabric wardrobe.
A curtain door is quicker to open and there's nothing to break. It doesn't seal quite as tightly, so a little more dust can get in.
If the wardrobe is for everyday clothes you reach for twice a day, a curtain door is less of a chore. For seasonal clothes or guest bedding that sits for months, a zip makes more sense.
Where each one fits best
Choose a metal frame if:
- you're renting short term, moving soon or living in student accommodation
- you want something that comes apart without tools when you leave
- you need a wardrobe for a few months while a room is decorated
- most of your clothes are on hangers
Choose a wooden frame if:
- the wardrobe is staying in the same room for the foreseeable future
- you want a mix of shelves and hanging space
- you'd rather not deal with a zip every morning
What fabric wardrobes won't do
Whatever the frame, a fabric wardrobe is a cover over a rail and some shelves. It keeps dust off, but it won't protect clothes from damp, and there's no lock. If a room has a damp problem, sort that out before you store clothes in it, whatever they're kept in.
If you need storage without drilling but want something sturdier than fabric, our telescopic wardrobes are worth a look. They use a tension-mounted frame that needs no drilling and comes down again when you move.
Measuring before you buy
Height is the one to check first. Most of the fabric wardrobes in our range stand between 160cm and 176cm tall. That's fine under a standard ceiling but worth measuring in a loft room or under a sloping ceiling.
Depth matters too. At 40cm deep, the pinewood vidaXL wardrobe is shallow enough for a narrow alcove. The iron-framed set is 50cm deep, which gives hangers more room but takes up more of a small bedroom.
Measure the gap, add a few centimetres either side for getting the frame in, and pick the frame type that matches how long you're planning to stay.
Delivery and returns footer
Shop fabric wardrobes at Bossy Cat
Delivery is free on all orders to UK mainland addresses and arrives in 3-5 working days, with no hidden fees. If you change your mind, you can return your order, but the return postage is paid by you.
