Black Towel Radiators

Black towel radiators give you a warm-towel rail and a bathroom radiator in one, in a finish that looks sharp against white tiles, black taps and brassware. Almost everything here is matt black and ladder-style: a frame of horizontal bars you drape towels over, from slim 400mm-wide rails for a cloakroom up to wider, taller rails for a family bathroom. Most run off your central heating, and the rails we have picked out below are all dual fuel compatible, so an optional electric element can heat the rail on its own in summer when the boiler is off.

The guide below covers sizing, power and valves, with quick answers after it, and the full black range sits underneath that. If you want a different finish, browse all towel radiator colours or the chrome towel radiators.

What to look for in a black towel radiator

Three things decide whether you end up happy with a black towel radiator: the size for the space, how you are going to power it, and the valves. Get those right and the finish is the easy bit. Nearly all of our black rails are matt black, which hides watermarks and fingerprints far better than a gloss finish, and sits well next to black taps, black shower fittings and chrome alike.

Get the size right first. Towel rails are sold width x height, and both matter. The width sets how wide a towel you can hang without it bunching, while the height and the number of bars drive how much heat and hanging space you get. At the slim end, a 400mm-wide rail is the pick for a cloakroom, an en-suite or a tight bit of wall, and the Strive Matt Black 400 x 800 at £39.99 is about as compact as a useful rail gets. Step up to 600mm wide for a family bathroom and you get the everyday workhorse: the Strive Matt Black 600 x 1200 at £69.99 is the same matt black ladder design with a lot more hanging space, and like the 400 x 800 it carries a five-year guarantee. If you want a narrow footprint with more bars, work up the heights rather than the widths and compare what is in the grid below.

Be honest about the heat. A small slim rail looks great but will not heat a big bathroom on its own. If the towel rail is the only heat source in the room, size up or check the heat output against the size of the room rather than buying on looks. The honest version: a 400 x 800 is a towel warmer first and a room heater second.

Central heating, electric, or dual fuel. This is the bit people skip and then regret. A plumbed rail joins your heating circuit and comes on with the rest of the house, which is the simplest route if you are already having heating work done, but it only warms up when the heating is on, so there are no warm towels in summer. An electric-only rail runs off an electric heating element wired to a fused spur, with no link to the boiler, which suits a room with no convenient pipework or a household that wants heat independent of the heating schedule. Dual fuel is both: plumbed in for winter, plus an element so you can run the rail on its own the rest of the year. Every rail we have picked out here is dual fuel compatible, the Harrison Life Matt Black from £84.99 included, which comes in multiple sizes and carries a five-year guarantee. The electric element is optional and bought separately, so factor that into the budget.

Pick the element to match the rail. If you are going electric or dual fuel, a thermostatic element is worth the money, but it is not the cheap bit: the Litchfield Black Weekly Thermostatic Heating Element from £95.99 costs more than either Strive rail, so decide early whether you really want summer heat. For that money you get weekly thermostatic control, it is dual fuel ready, and it comes in a black finish chosen to coordinate with the rails rather than poking out of the bottom in chrome. Match the output to the size of the rail, because a slim rail needs less than a big 600mm-wide one, and note that the rail listings specify the electric element is fitted by a qualified installer.

Do not forget the valves. Here is the catch that trips people up: valves are listed as their own product here, so check the listing for the rail you pick rather than assuming a pair is in the box, and budget for a pair if they are not included. For a black rail you want black valves so the whole thing matches, and a pair of matt black corner radiator valves is £26.99, supplied as a pair with a corner connection for neat pipework alignment. Corner valves are the usual choice when your pipes come out of the wall; if your pipes come up out of the floor you want straight valves instead, so check which way your pipework runs before you buy. You will find the full range of radiator valves and accessories here too.

Matt black or gloss. Almost all of our black rails are matt black, and for a bathroom that is the sensible call: matt hides water spots and fingerprints, where a high-gloss black shows every mark. Matt black sits happily next to chrome, brushed brass or black brassware, so you are not locked into an all-black scheme. If you decide black is not quite the look, the anthracite towel radiators are a softer dark-grey alternative.

Quick answers

What is a black towel radiator? It is a heated towel rail in a black finish, usually matt black, that warms and dries your towels and heats the bathroom at the same time. Most are ladder-style: a frame of horizontal bars you drape towels over. They run off your central heating, off an electric element, or both, which is dual fuel. The black finish is the main draw, and it looks sharp against white tiles and works with black or chrome taps.

Are black towel radiators matt or gloss black? Nearly all the black rails we sell are matt black, and for a bathroom that is the better choice: matt hides watermarks and fingerprints, where gloss black shows every smudge. Matt black also sits well next to chrome, brushed brass and black fittings, so it does not force the rest of the room to match.

What size black towel radiator do I need? Towel rails are sized width x height. For a cloakroom or en-suite, a slim 400mm-wide rail like the Strive 400 x 800 at £39.99 is plenty. For a family bathroom, a 600mm-wide rail such as the Strive 600 x 1200 at £69.99 gives you more heat and more hanging space. If the rail is the only heat source in the room, size up, because a small rail will warm towels but will not heat a large bathroom on its own.

Do you have a small or slim black towel radiator? Yes. The Strive 400 x 800 at £39.99 is the slim pick, 400mm wide and compact enough for a cloakroom or en-suite. If you need a narrow footprint with more bars, go taller rather than wider and compare the sizes in the grid below.

Can a black towel radiator run on electric or dual fuel? Yes to both. You can run a towel rail off your central heating, off an electric element on its own, or as dual fuel, which means plumbed in for winter plus an element for the rest of the year. Every rail we have picked out here is dual fuel compatible, including the Harrison Life Matt Black from £84.99. For the element itself, the Litchfield Black Weekly Thermostatic Element from £95.99 gives weekly thermostatic control and is dual fuel ready. Electric installs need wiring to a fused spur, so that is an electrician’s job, not a DIY plug-in.

Do black towel radiators come with valves? Usually not, so budget for a pair. Valves are listed as their own product here, so check the listing for the rail you choose before you assume they are included. For a black rail you want black valves to match, and a pair of matt black corner valves is £26.99. Pick corner valves if your pipes come out of the wall, or straight valves if they come up from the floor.

Is a black towel radiator hard to fit? A plumbed rail is a straightforward swap if you are replacing an existing radiator on the same pipework, otherwise it is a job for a plumber to tee into the heating. Electric and dual fuel both need an electrician to wire the element to a fused spur, and the rail listings specify that the optional electric element is fitted by a qualified installer. None of it is a five-minute DIY job, so if you are not confident, get a trade in.