Appliance Spares
Quick answer: A wall-mounted dryer has to be fixed to structure: two timber studs, or masonry anchors into solid brick or block. Plasterboard on its own will not hold one, and no plasterboard anchor changes that, because the load is not a static weight — it is 25 to 35 kg vibrating continuously every time the machine runs. The bracket kit is rarely the weak point in a failed install. The fixing is.
Last updated August 2026
Match the fixing to the wall
We list dryer wall mount bracket kits for 17 Australian dryer brands, built on just three bracket platforms — so the bracket is usually the easy half of this decision. The wall is the half worth thinking about.
| Wall type | What holds a dryer |
|---|---|
| Timber stud frame with plasterboard lining | Long screws through the lining into two studs. Find them with a stud finder and confirm by drilling a pilot hole |
| Solid brick or besser block | Masonry anchors sized to the bracket holes, into brick body rather than mortar joints |
| Brick veneer (brick outside, stud frame inside) | The inner leaf is a stud wall — fix to the studs, not the render |
| Steel stud frame | Fixable, but the fasteners differ from timber. Worth asking a builder or your usual tradies first |
| Plasterboard with no stud behind it | Nothing. Move the bracket to where the studs are, or pick another wall |
The bracket kits themselves are matched to the dryer, not the wall:
| Your dryer | Bracket kit |
|---|---|
 Simpson, Westinghouse, Electrolux vented | Simpson, Westinghouse and Electrolux dryer wall mount bracket |
 Fisher & Paykel, Haier, Whirlpool vented | Fisher & Paykel and Haier dryer wall mounting bracket kit |
 Omega, Euromaid, Stirling, Tempo, Akai and siblings | Omega and Euromaid clothes dryer wall mounting bracket kit |
 Badge not listed, or an uneven wall face | Universal dryer wall mount bracket kit with wall spacers |
What goes through their holes into your wall is a separate decision, and it is the one that decides whether the install lasts.
The load is not what people picture
An Australian vented dryer is 25 to 35 kg empty. That number sounds manageable, and on its own it would be. What makes a dryer mount different from a shelf is that the load moves.
A running dryer turns a drum full of wet, shifting weight. The load inside is never balanced, so the machine applies a small oscillating force to its mounting points for every minute of every cycle — and a winter cycle with towels or bedding runs long. That is a fatigue load, and fatigue is what loosens fixings. A plasterboard anchor that holds fine on day one is being worked back and forth thousands of times a week.
There is also leverage. The dryer hangs off the wall, so its weight sits forward of the fixing line. The screws at the top of the bracket are being pulled out of the wall rather than sheared downward, and pull-out is the direction plasterboard is weakest in.
The failure that follows is rarely dramatic at first. The bracket sags a few millimetres, the machine starts to sound different, and the holes elongate. Then a heavy load finishes it. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s Product Safety material on appliance tip-over is worth a look if there are small children in the house, because the height that makes a wall-mounted dryer convenient is also what makes a failure serious.
Finding studs, and confirming you found them
Australian timber stud walls are usually framed at 450 mm or 600 mm centres, which means a bracket spanning two studs is normal and expected. An electronic stud finder gets you close; it also reads pipes, conduit and the edge of a sheet join, so treat the first reading as a hypothesis.
Confirm with a small pilot hole at the height the bracket will cover. Timber gives steady resistance and pale shavings. If the drill runs through into a void, you have missed, and the hole will be hidden by the bracket anyway. Check for services before you drill — laundries carry water pipes and cabling, and a stud finder in metal mode helps.
On brick, the target is the brick body rather than the mortar joint. Mortar is softer and crumbles under a vibrating load. Drill to the anchor’s specified depth, clear the dust out of the hole, and use the anchor size the bracket holes take rather than a smaller one packed out.
Where the install goes wrong even with good fixings
- Bracket not level. Level the bracket, not the dryer. A machine hanging out of level runs its belt against one edge of the drum and wears it early — the same symptom as a mismatched belt.
- Feet left on. The dryer’s feet come off before it goes up. Left on, they hold the machine off the brackets so only part of the mounting engages.
- Uneven wall face. A tiled splashback, a dado rail or rough render stops the bracket sitting flat, which puts the load on two corners. The universal kit’s wall spacers exist for exactly this.
- Reused bent steel. A bracket that has been prised off a wall has usually been distorted at the fixing holes. It has already been overloaded once.
- Height set for the tallest person. Comfortable for one person, out of reach for everyone else. Set it for whoever uses it most, and leave clearance above a top loader lid.
Venting is the other thing worth settling before you drill. A wall-mounted vented dryer breathes at face height, so duct it to an external vent or a window. Recirculating warm damp air into a sealed laundry is how people end up with mould on the cornices by the end of winter, and it also makes the dryer work harder — which shows up as the fault in dryer smells like burning often enough to be worth mentioning.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Are there plasterboard anchors rated for 35 kg? Can I use those?
A: Anchors with those ratings exist, but the rating is for a static load in tested conditions, not for a machine that vibrates for hours a week. Dryer mounting is a fatigue application. Fix to studs or masonry.
Q: My studs are not where I want the dryer. What are my options?
A: Move the dryer to the studs, or fix a timber backing board across two or more studs and mount the bracket to that. The backing board spreads the load properly; it is a common and sound approach.
Q: Can I fix into the mortar joints if the bricks are hard to drill?
A: Avoid it. Mortar is the weakest part of a brick wall and it degrades under vibration. Drill the brick body, with a masonry bit and hammer action.
Q: Do I need licensed tradies for this?
A: Not for the mounting itself — it is a fixing job, not electrical work, provided the dryer simply plugs into an existing outlet. If you are unsure about the wall construction, particularly steel framing, get a builder to look before you drill.
Q: How do I tell brick veneer from solid brick from inside?
A: Tap the internal wall. Solid brick sounds dead; a stud wall with plasterboard sounds hollow between the studs. Brick veneer is brick outside and a stud frame inside, so from the laundry you are fixing to studs.
Q: The bracket moved slightly after a few months. Is that normal?
A: No. Movement means the fixing is working loose, and it will not settle. Take the dryer down and re-fix into structure before it goes further.
Get the right bracket first time
Tell us your dryer’s model code and what the wall is made of — the part finder takes the code, and we will confirm the bracket kit and the anchors that suit your wall before you order. The step-by-step install sits in how to wall-mount a dryer in Australia, and the Electrolux-family fitment detail in the Simpson, Westinghouse and Electrolux bracket fitment guide. Same-day dispatch from Sydney’s Northern Beaches before 12pm.
Disclaimer: this article is general information only and is provided without warranty of any kind. Appliance designs vary between models and production runs — always follow the manufacturer’s instructions, switch off and unplug the appliance before starting any work, and confirm parts against the model number on your appliance’s model sticker. Any repair is undertaken at your own risk and Oz Appliance Spares accepts no liability for injury, loss or damage arising from work performed after reading this guide, to the maximum extent permitted by law. If in doubt, use a qualified technician.
