The comparison
| Criterion | Hinged | Sliding |
|---|---|---|
| Floor clearance needed | 550 – 650 mm | None |
| Access at one time | Full opening | Two-thirds at best, half on a two-shutter run |
| Internal depth lost | None | 80 – 100 mm to the track |
| Rate per sq ft of elevation | ₹1,500 – 2,600 | ₹1,900 – 3,200 |
| Hardware | Hinges, 3 per tall shutter | Track, rollers, guides per opening |
| Hardware service interval | Rarely | Rollers and track cleaning every few years |
| Dust in the track | Not applicable | Real issue in Mumbai; needs vacuuming |
| Loft above | Separate hinged shutters | Usually separate hinged shutters |
| Mirror on the shutter | Adds weight to hinges | Common and works well |
| Maximum practical shutter width | 600 mm | 900 – 1,200 mm |
Costed on a 10 ft by 8 ft wardrobe elevation
| Line | Hinged | Sliding |
|---|---|---|
| Carcass, 19 mm BWP, 80 sq ft | ₹1,04,000 | ₹1,04,000 |
| Shutters, laminate, 80 sq ft | ₹19,200 | ₹22,400 |
| Internals, shelves, drawers | ₹38,000 | ₹38,000 |
| Hardware | ₹16,000 hinges and handles | ₹38,000 track, rollers, guides |
| Loft shutters, 10 ft | ₹18,000 | ₹18,000 |
| Total, ex-GST | ₹1,95,200 | ₹2,20,400 |
A difference of about ₹25,000 on this elevation. On a three-shutter run with a premium track system the gap widens to ₹50,000–70,000.
The access problem, which clients discover afterwards
This is the point most showrooms do not make. A two-shutter sliding wardrobe gives you access to one half at a time. A three-shutter system gives you two-thirds. There is no configuration in which the whole wardrobe is open at once.
- Packing for a trip, with a suitcase open on the bed, means sliding doors back and forth repeatedly. Hinged doors open and stay open.
- Full-width hanging rails are awkward: the garment at the junction of two shutters is always behind a door.
- Internal drawers behind a sliding shutter can only be pulled out when that half is open, which affects where you put them.
- Seasonal storage at the far end of a long sliding run becomes genuinely inconvenient.
- The compensating advantage is real and physical: in a 10 ft × 11 ft Mumbai bedroom with a queen bed, a hinged door may simply not have room to open.
Measure before you decide
- Draw the bed, the side tables and the walking routes on the plan before choosing the shutter type. The question is whether 600 mm of clear floor exists in front of the wardrobe with the furniture in place.
- Check the door swing of the room door too. A wardrobe beside the entry often conflicts with the room door itself.
- In a bedroom under about 10 ft in width, sliding is frequently the only workable answer, and that is a good reason to choose it.
- Where the wardrobe faces the foot of the bed with 900 mm or more of clear floor, hinged is better in every respect.
- A hybrid works well on long runs: sliding across the section the bed approaches, hinged on the section by the window.
Hardware, dust and Mumbai
- Sliding hardware carries the full weight of a 900 mm wide, 7 ft tall shutter on two rollers. Specify the track by shutter weight, not by opening width, and insist on the load rating in writing.
- Bottom-running systems are more tolerant of misalignment; top-hung systems look cleaner and demand a properly level, properly fixed head track.
- Mumbai dust collects in a bottom track and, with humidity, turns to a paste that stiffens the action. Vacuum the track every couple of months; this single habit prevents most sliding wardrobe complaints.
- Soft-close on sliding doors is worth specifying. A heavy shutter arriving at the end stop repeatedly will loosen the track fixings over years.
- Hinged shutters over 1,800 mm need three hinges, and over 2,100 mm four. This is where hinged wardrobes fail when the hardware schedule was written casually.
Verdict
| Situation | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Bedroom under 10 ft wide | Sliding |
| Wardrobe in a passage or beside a door swing | Sliding |
| Bedroom with 900 mm clear in front | Hinged |
| Wardrobe you pack from regularly | Hinged — full access matters |
| Long run over 12 ft | Hybrid: sliding where the bed is, hinged elsewhere |
| Guest bedroom, low use | Hinged — cheaper and simpler |
| Mirror required on the shutter | Either; sliding carries it more comfortably |
Our default is hinged, because access matters daily and hardware that does nothing lasts longest. We specify sliding when the floor plan makes hinged impractical, which in Mumbai bedrooms happens often enough that roughly a third of the wardrobes we build slide.
Frequently asked questions
Do sliding wardrobes cost more?+
Yes, typically ₹25,000–70,000 more on a 10 ft elevation, almost entirely in hardware. A track, rollers and guides for a three-shutter opening cost several times what hinges and handles do, and the shutters themselves are larger and heavier.
Why can I only open half my sliding wardrobe?+
Because one shutter must slide behind another, so at least one section is always covered. A two-shutter system gives half the opening; three shutters give two-thirds. It is inherent to the mechanism and not a fault in your installation.
How much space does a hinged door need?+
Five hundred and fifty to six hundred and fifty millimetres of clear floor in front, measured with the furniture in place. Less than that and the door hits the bed, which is the most common reason we end up specifying sliding in a Mumbai bedroom.
Do sliding tracks need maintenance?+
Yes. Vacuum the bottom track every couple of months. Mumbai dust plus humidity forms a paste that stiffens the rollers, and most complaints about a sliding wardrobe being heavy trace back to a dirty track rather than a failed roller.
Can I mix sliding and hinged on one wall?+
Yes, and on a long run it is often the best solution — sliding across the section the bed approaches and hinged where there is floor clearance. Keep the shutter heights and the finish identical so the run reads as one piece of joinery.