A tall laundry hamper stands 25 to 30 inches high on about 13 by 17 inches of floor, and an open laundry basket is wide and low, 10 to 13.5 inches tall. Most baskets and hampers fall into four shapes:
- Open baskets are 17 to 20 inches by 19 to 27, for carrying rather than storing.
- Deep open hampers keep the open top but stand about 20 inches tall.
- Tall hampers are the 25 to 30 inch ones.
- Slim hampers are the same height on a footprint only 8 to 10 inches wide.
On this page
Standard laundry basket dimensions: how to read the table
Width is the short side and depth the long side, as the hamper sits against a wall. Every figure is the maker’s or the listing’s outside measurement, so it includes handles and rims. Capacity is in litres. Where a basket is sold in bushels, I’ve converted it at 35.2 litres to the bushel and rounded.
In the fit check, “tight” means it goes in with less than half an inch to spare. That’s fine for a basket that stays put, and a nuisance for one you pull out every day.
Laundry basket sizes in bushels, litres and loads
Plastic baskets are sold by the bushel and fabric hampers by the litre, at 35.2 litres to the bushel:
- 1.5 bushels is about 53 litres, the size of the Sterilite basket in the table.
- 2 to 2.1 bushels is 70 to 74 litres.
- 100 to 110 litres is what tall hampers hold. Their makers count that as two or three loads, and Lifewit says two to two and a half for its 105 litre one.
Capacity on a fabric hamper is the volume of the bag, filled to the brim. With the lid shut, you’ll fit a little less.
What a typical laundry basket size leaves out
Rims and handles. The Sterilite 1.5 bushel basket is 17.25 inches wide at the rim, a quarter inch more than a 17 inch closet slot will take. The body underneath is narrower, but the rim is what hits the wall.
Tapered hampers. The Mind Reader slim hamper is 10 by 14 inches at the base but nearly 4 inches wider each way at the top. Mind Reader says to measure your gap at the height of the top edge, not at the floor.
Lids that open upward. A flip-top needs its own depth again above the hamper to open. Under a shelf, a 28 inch hamper with a hinged lid wants about 40 inches of clearance, not 28.5.
Fabric hampers bulge. The sides of a hamper held up by rods in the corners push out a little when it’s full. A gap that fits its listed size exactly may pinch it on wash day.
Standard laundry basket size for a tight spot
- Under 10 inches beside the washer: only slim hampers fit. The efluky, at 7.9 inches, is the narrowest here.
- A 17 inch closet floor: any tall hamper, or Seville’s WEB703 cart turned long side in.
- On top of the dryer: every basket in the table fits a 27 inch top except the 2 bushel Sterilite, which fits with a quarter inch to spare.
