What size towel bar do you need?

Two numbers, not one

A towel bar is sold by its bar length — the 24 in. in the product name — and installed by its assembled width, which includes the posts at each end. Delta publishes both for the Cassidy: a 24 in. bar and a 26-1/2 in. assembled width. On the Trinsic it is 26-1/4 in. overall with 25 in. between brackets.

Measure the wall you have, subtract a couple of inches at each end for hands and door swing, and compare that with the assembled width.

Size it to the towel

Published towel widths are what a bar has to carry:

• Bath towel: ONSEN publishes 31 x 57 in. Folded in half it is about 15-1/2 in. wide, which sits comfortably on a 24 in. bar with room to spare.
• Bath sheet: 38 x 67 in. at ONSEN. Folded, that is 19 in. of towel — a 24 in. bar is the minimum, and 30 in. is better.
• Hand towel: Parachute publishes 30 x 20 in. for its waffle hand towel. A 9 to 18 in. bar is enough.

A towel dries at the parts exposed to air, so the goal is to hang it as close to flat as the wall allows. Two folds on a short bar is how towels stay damp. Why that leads to musty towels is here.

Projection: the number for a narrow bathroom

Published projections differ more than you would expect for a piece of metal on a wall: Delta publishes “Extends 4-17/32 in. from wall” for the Cassidy and “Extends 3-5/16 in. from wall” for the Trinsic. Over a toilet, or beside a door, that 1-1/4 in. difference is what you walk into.

Moen does not publish a projection for either the Weymouth or the Vale 24 in. bars, which is worth knowing before you order one for a tight space.

How many bars, and where

One bar per person is the practical rule, because two towels on one bar overlap and neither dries. Where a wall cannot take a second bar, a hook or a ring is the alternative, and both change the drying math. Bar against hook is compared here, and bar against ring here.

What nobody publishes

Not one towel bar we cover publishes a weight capacity — not Delta, not Moen. The load ratings in this category belong to hooks and adhesive strips instead: Delta publishes 20 lb for its Cassidy double robe hook, Tooletries publishes “carry up to 4lbs” for its silicone shower hook, and 3M rates Command water-resistant strips at 3 and 5 lb.

So if you want a number to plan around, buy a hook. If you want a bar, buy the length and mount it properly. What adhesive hooks hold is covered here.

If you rent

A drilled bar rates Owner-only; the 9 in. Command bar rates Safe. If you need a bath towel’s worth of bar without drilling, the answer is usually an over-door rail or a freestanding stand rather than adhesive. The no-tools upgrades are ranked here.