Say what hangs in the entry and who uses it. You get the height for each row of coat hooks, so every coat hangs clear of the bench and every hand reaches its hook, and a check of the bench’s height and depth.
Coat hook height
Coat hooks at 55″a 36½″ parka hangs clear of the 18″ seat from them · the bench seat: 17–19″
Quick answer: hang adults’ coat hooks at the bench seat’s height plus your longest coat, so the coat hangs clear of the seat. Over an 18″ bench that is 48″ for hip-length jackets, 55″ for mid-thigh parkas, 62″ for coats below the knee and 69″ for mid-calf coats. Children’s hooks go at 36″ (ages 3–4), 40″ (5–8) or 44″ (9–12), and the bench seat at 17–19″.
How to use the mudroom bench and coat hook calculator
- Pick the longest coat that hangs over the bench, or measure it: at the back, from the collar seam to the hem.
- Measure the bench: the top of its seat from the floor, and its depth from the wall.
- Measure the room’s depth, from the bench’s wall to the wall opposite, if it is a narrow entry.
- Say who hangs coats: the youngest child who does it alone, and a wheelchair user if one does. Read each row of hooks.
The rules behind the numbers
Adults: the seat plus the coat
A coat hangs from the loop at the back of its collar, so its hem sits one coat length under the hook. For the hem to clear the bench, the hook must be at least the seat’s height plus the coat’s length. The lengths are L.L.Bean’s own “center back length”, Regular sizes: the Men’s Mountain Classic Full-Zip Jacket 28.75″ (“Falls at hip”), the Women’s Maine Mountain Parka 36.5″ (“Falls at midthigh”), the Women’s Ultralight 850 Down Coat, Long 44″ (“Fall below knee”) and the Women’s Ultrawarm Coat, Long 50.50″ (“Falls at midcalf”). The row never goes under 48″: the ADA’s high reach is “48 inches (1220 mm) maximum” (§308.2.1, §308.3.1), a height every adult reaches.
Children: the top of their reach
The ADA Standards’ Advisory 308.1 gives reach ranges “where building elements such as coat hooks, lockers, or operable parts are designed for use primarily by children”: up to 36″ for ages 3 and 4, 40″ for ages 5 through 8 and 44″ for ages 9 through 12. The youngest child’s row serves the older children too.
A wheelchair user: from beside the bench
Reaching from the side over something in the way, “the high side reach shall be 48 inches (1220 mm) maximum for a reach depth of 10 inches (255 mm) maximum. Where the reach depth exceeds 10 inches (255 mm), the high side reach shall be 46 inches (1170 mm) maximum for a reach depth of 24 inches (610 mm) maximum” (§308.3.2). A bench deeper than 24″ has no side reach over it. Shelves: “40 inches (1015 mm) minimum and 48 inches (1220 mm) maximum” (§803.5).
The bench and the passage
“The top of the bench seat surface shall be 17 inches (430 mm) minimum and 19 inches (485 mm) maximum above the finish floor” (§903.5), the height of a typical wheelchair seat. A bench for small children alone can be lower: the Access Board gives children’s seats 11–12″ (ages 3–4), 12–15″ (5–8) and 15–17″ (9–12). In front of it, leave the building code’s hallway: “not less than 3 feet (914 mm)” (IRC R311.6).
Coat hook height by coat and bench
| Longest coat | Its length | 17″ seat | 18″ seat | 19″ seat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacket, at the hip | 28¾″ | 48″ | 48″ | 48″ |
| Parka, mid-thigh | 36½″ | 54″ | 55″ | 56″ |
| Coat, below the knee | 44″ | 61″ | 62″ | 63″ |
| Long coat, mid-calf | 50½″ | 68″ | 69″ | 70″ |
Children’s coat hook height
| Youngest child | Reach | Hooks at | Coats that clear an 18″ seat | A child’s bench |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ages 3–4 | 20–36″ | 36″ | up to 18″ | 11–12″ |
| Ages 5–8 | 18–40″ | 40″ | up to 22″ | 12–15″ |
| Ages 9–12 | 16–44″ | 44″ | up to 26″ | 15–17″ |
Four worked examples
Winter parkas over an 18″ bench. Hooks at 55″: the 36½″ parka’s hem stops at 18½″, just over the seat.
Long coats and a six-year-old. The adults’ row at 62″ and a children’s row at 40″, where a child’s coat up to 22″ long hangs clear of the seat.
A 22″-deep bench in a 54″-deep entry, with a wheelchair user. Hooks at 69″ for the long coats and 46″ for the wheelchair user, but the bench leaves only 32″ to walk past: at most 18″ deep in this room.
Jackets over a slim 10″ bench. One row at 48″ serves everyone: the wheelchair user reaches it from beside the bench, and a 28¾″ jacket clears the seat from it.
Common mudroom mistakes
- Hooks at a “standard” height with no thought for the coats. From 60″ over an 18″ bench, a mid-calf coat lays 8½″ of its hem on the seat.
- One row for the whole family. A five-year-old reaches 40″, not the adults’ row.
- A bench that eats the passage. Leave 36″ in front of it.
- A tall bench. Over 19″, feet dangle while you pull on boots.
- Hooks for a wheelchair user over a deep bench. Past 24″ deep, the hooks belong on a wall with no bench under them.
Sizing the rest of the entry? The door mat size calculator sizes the mat at the door, the closet size and rod height calculator the coat closet, and the free 2D planner lays out the whole mudroom to scale.
The door mat’s sizeRead next
- How to make a mudroom entryway inviting
- IKEA mudroom ideas
- Drop zone ideas for your entryway
- Bench designs for your entryway
- Modern farmhouse mudroom essentials
Mudroom bench and coat hook questions
How high should a mudroom bench be?
17 to 19 inches to the top of the seat, the ADA’s rule for a bench and the height of a typical wheelchair seat: 18″ is the middle. For small children alone, a second bench 11–17″ high, by age.
What is the standard entryway bench height?
17–19″ to the top of the seat (ADA §903.5). The depth is set by the room: leave the code’s 36″ passage in front of it.
What is the standard coat hook height?
There is no one number: the hook has to be the seat’s height plus your longest coat. Over an 18″ bench: 48″ for hip jackets, 55″ for parkas, 62″ below the knee, 69″ mid-calf.
How high should coat hooks be above a bench?
At least as far above the seat as your longest coat is long, measured collar to hem at the back: 36½″ above the seat for a mid-thigh parka, 44″ for a coat below the knee.
How high should kids’ coat hooks be?
At the top of the youngest child’s reach: 36″ for ages 3–4, 40″ for 5–8, 44″ for 9–12 (ADA Advisory 308.1). Over an 18″ seat, their coats clear it up to 18″, 22″ and 26″ long.
How deep should a mudroom bench be?
No deeper than the room’s depth minus the 36″ the code gives a hallway: 24″ at most in a 60″-deep entry. For a wheelchair user to reach hooks over it, 24″ at most anyway.
What are good mudroom dimensions?
At least the bench’s depth plus a 36″ passage: 52″ deep for a 16″ bench, 60″ for a 24″ one. The width is the bench and the hooks your family needs.
What is the ADA height for a coat hook?
48″ at the most and 15″ at the least (§308), and 46″ at the most when reached from beside a bench 10–24″ deep (§308.3.2).