Dimensions / Furniture / Dressers / Tall chest
A tall dresser, or tallboy, stacks one column of drawers about 102–152 cm (40–60 in) high on a 61–102 cm (24–40 in) wide base, for small rooms: IKEA’s six-drawer MALM is 80 × 48 × 123 cm. It must be anchored to the wall: US rules test dressers with a 60 lb (27 kg) child weight on an open drawer and require an anti-tip device in the box. Leave at least 91 cm (36 in) in front to open the drawers.
| Height | Width | IKEA MALM 6-drawer, W × D × H |
|---|---|---|
| 102–152cm40–60 in | 61–102cm24–40 in | 80 × 48 × 123cm31 1/2 × 19 × 48 3/8 in |
Sources: Coleman Furniture, IKEA (MALM 6 tall). Checked October 2026.
Enter the chest, the wall or alcove, the floor in front and your stud spacing. Each check uses the numbers in the tables on this page.
All in centimetres. 1 in = 2.54 cm.
It is 80 cm wide; with 2.5 cm spare on each side it needs 85 cm, and the wall is 100 cm.
Tall chests suit tight corners and alcoves; leave about an inch on each side.
You have 95 cm in front of it, and 91 cm lets the drawers open fully with room to stand.
Coleman’s figure; Havenly says 30 in and dimensions.com 42–48 in. A bed, door or chair in front counts.
With studs 40.6 cm apart, a chest 80 cm wide has at least 1 behind it wherever it stands, so the anti-tip fixing can go into wood.
US rules put an anti-tip device in the box; CPSC says to anchor every dresser, whenever it was made.
Fitting a small bedroom? Photograph it, mark the alcove and the studs in SizeMarker and check the chest before you order.
Mark a photo| Chest | W × D × H | Inside a drawer |
|---|---|---|
| IKEA MALM, 6 drawersDrawers pull out 27 cm; must be fixed to the wall | 80 × 48 × 123 cm31 1/2 × 19 × 48 3/8 in | 43 cm deep |
| IKEA HEMNES, 6 drawersTwo columns, one drawer each at a time | 108 × 50 × 131 cm42 1/2 × 19 5/8 × 51 5/8 in | 40 cm deep15 3/4 in |
| IKEA BRIMNES, 4 drawers | 78 × 46 × 124 cm30 3/4 × 18 1/8 × 48 7/8 in | 70 × 36 cm27 1/2 × 14 1/8 in |
| IKEA STORKLINTA, 6 drawers | 70 × 48 × 120 cm27 1/2 × 18 7/8 × 47 1/4 in | 61 × 40 cm24 × 15 3/4 in |
| IKEA KULLEN, 5 drawers | 70 × 40 × 112 cm | 63 × 34 cm |
| Ethan Allen Asheville tall chestSeven drawers; 90 kg (198 lb); tip-restraint kit included | 102 × 48 × 127 cm40 × 19 × 50 in | — |
| Vaughan-Bassett Dovetail, 5 drawersAnti-tip kit included | 105 × 53 × 135 cm41.5 × 21 × 53.13 in | — |
Sources: IKEA (MALM 6 tall) · IKEA (HEMNES 6) · IKEA (BRIMNES 4) · IKEA (STORKLINTA 6 tall) · IKEA (KULLEN 5) · Ethan Allen (Asheville) · Vaughan-Bassett (5 drawer)
| Guide | Size |
|---|---|
| Vertical dresser (tallboy), W × H × DColeman; one column of drawers | 61–102 × 102–152 × 41–56 cm24–40 × 40–60 × 16–22 in |
| Tall dresser, heightiHome; five to seven drawers | 102–140 cm40–55 in |
| Tall chests can reachHavenly | 102–127 cm or more40–50 in |
| Spare on each sideColeman | 2.5 cm1 in |
| In front, to open the drawersColeman | 91 cm36 in |
| In front, Havenly | 76 cm30 in |
| In front, dimensions.com | 107–122 cm42–48 in |
Sources: Coleman Furniture · iHome Studio · Havenly · dimensions.com
| Rule | Size |
|---|---|
| US rule covers dressersFree-standing, all three at once | 69 cm tall, 13.6 kg, 90.6 dm³ enclosed27 in, 30 lb, 3.2 ft³ |
| Child weight on an open drawerOn a carpet-tilt block, for 30 seconds | 27 kg60 lb |
| Push at the highest handholdNo higher than this | 4.5 kg force, at up to 142 cm10 lb, 56 in |
| In the box | An anti-tip device meeting ASTM F3096 |
| AnchorAnchor It! | All furniture with drawers, doors and shelves |
| Wall studs, centre to centreBob Vila | 40.6 cm16 in |
Sources: CPSC · Anchor It! · Bob Vila
About 102–152 cm (40–60 in), on a base 61–102 cm (24–40 in) wide and 41–56 cm (16–22 in) deep, says Coleman. IKEA’s six-drawer MALM is 123 cm tall, HEMNES 131 cm, and Vaughan-Bassett’s five-drawer Dovetail 135 cm (53.13 in).
A tall, narrow dresser with a single column of drawers. Coleman calls it an excellent choice for smaller rooms, but notes it may put some things at an inconvenient height.
Yes. IKEA says its MALM must be fixed to the wall and includes the kit, Ethan Allen and Vaughan-Bassett include anti-tip kits, and Anchor It! says to anchor all furniture with drawers, doors and shelves.
Dressers 27 in (69 cm) and taller must stay up with every drawer open, with a 60 lb (27 kg) child weight hung on an open drawer on a carpet-tilt block, and with 10 lb pushed at the highest handhold up to 56 in (142 cm). An anti-tip device must be in the box.
Into a wall stud where you can: studs are usually 40.6 cm (16 in) apart, so a chest at least that wide always has one behind it. Otherwise use fixings made for your wall.
Its width plus about 2.5 cm (1 in) each side, and at least 91 cm (36 in) in front to open the drawers (Coleman). IKEA’s MALM drawers pull out 27 cm.
Tall chests sold into the US must meet the clothing storage unit rule, so buyers ask the height, the weight, whether the drawers interlock and whether the anti-tip kit is in the box. Mark the real sizes on your own product photo in SizeMarker, as in the picture at the top, and send one product card for WhatsApp or WeChat.
