Garage door size and measuring guide

Help & Advice > Product Guides > External doors

With all these imperial and metric sizes for garage doors being displayed alternatively on different websites, it can be challenging to identify what exactly you need. Is there even a standard size? Well, there are standard sizes for garage doors, but not how you may think they are. Find out what you can do to measure your garage door accurately in our guide.

Table of contents

• Do ‘standard size’ garage doors exist?
• So, what is the standard size of a garage door?
  • Is there a best standard garage door size?
  • What about the best standard sizes for ‘up and over’ doors?
  • Sectional garage door standard sizes
  • Side hinged garage door standard sizes
  • Roller garage door standard sizes
• Do sub frame sizes matter for timber and steel?
• Garage door sizes chart
  • Single garage door sizes
  • Double garage door sizes

Do ‘standard size’ garage doors exist?

Short answer? Yes and no.

Long answer? When we refer to ‘standard size’, we’re talking about ordering sizes close to imperial rounded sizes. So, when ordering a garage door, you need to recognise that ordering sizes are not true representations of the complete width and height of the door. Especially when it includes the operating mechanism and sub frame needed for fitting and/or fixing.

Standard-size doors, for the majority, are made to measure using metric sizing. Whereas roller, sectional and side-hinged garage doors, have the option of being made to order and fit differently to ‘up and over’ style doors. Their sizing differs between metric and imperial, with metric used more often.

So, what is the standard size of a garage door?

Also known as ’up and over’ garage doors, their sizes typically include widths in increments of six inches. This starts at 6’ 6” inches wide, going up to 14’0” wide. Inches extend to 12” after the 9’0” wide options.

For height, common sizes are 6’4”, 6’6” and 7’0”. Some manufacturers are an exception to this rule, but this is rare.

Popular sizes of garage doors in the UK are:

• 7’ x 6’6” and 7’ for a single garage
• 14’ x 7’ for a double garage

If they seem small, they are. These sizes are popular but are not sufficient if you plan to store your vehicle in the garage space. The reasoning is that many modern vehicles cannot pass through the dimensions of the garage drive-through space when opened. So, if one of your primary requirements is fitting a car into the garage, a larger garage door is recommended.

Is there a best standard garage door size?

A suggested ‘best’ size of a standard garage door is one with a minimum width of 7’6” or 8’0” for single garages. If you are building a new garage, look to the 16’0” version. However, do not use a 16’0” wide door as a traditional ‘up and over’ door because the width is too much.

What about the best standard sizes for ‘up and over’ garage doors?

Single garages can benefit from the same as a standard garage door size above 7’6” or 8’0”. For a double garage ‘up and over’ door, however, 14’0” is the recommendation. Most ‘up and over’ doors have this size as their maximum width.

Do note that these sizes refer to fixing the sub frames inside dimensions. So, consider what size you need and allow for a suitable fitting.

For height, 6’6” or 7’0” is suggested. Again, ensure you note the head section for the sub frame on the top of the door to allow for size considerations.

Now, if you have a sectional, side hinged or roller garage door, these sizes will vary. Here are the following standard sizes for these types of garage doors.

Sectional garage door standard sizes

Many sectional garage doors have the same standard size width of 6” increments. This starts at 7’0” wide and typically only has two heights of 6’6” and 7’0”. Some manufacturers offer more standard garage door heights, so explore the ranges available to find the right size for your requirements.

Most garage openings are 2200mm high, so a 7’0” height door must have an infill. So, maximise the width and height of the opening when choosing the new garage door. Doors, where the height can be as close to the lintel height as possible for a standard size, are recommended.

Side hinged garage door standard sizes

Standard sizes of side hinged garage doors are typically measured in imperial sizes. However, checking the overall size with a fixing sub frame included is a must to ensure you have the exact dimensions.

The main sizes are 7’ x 6’6” and 7’ x 7’. Complete with a 50-70mm outer sub frame added all around the door.

Roller garage door standard sizes

Roller garage doors can be made to measure, so standard sizes aren’t common. However, you will have to use exact millimetres when ordering this door to ensure it fits your garage opening.

The type of material you choose can go hand in hand with this type of door when measuring them. Particularly when it comes to steel single skin. These are a competitive range as they are fitted to the inside face, meaning the size does not necessarily have to be accurate.

Do sub frame sizes matter for timber and steel?

Timber and steel frame size variants are the result of steel sub-frames being usable in areas where tighter fittings are required. As such, if a garage door has measurements 7’0” x 7’0”, this is about the internal dimensions of the sub frame. If the sub frame is timber, this will be an exact reference.

So, if a timber sub frame has internal dimensions measuring 7’0” x 7’0”, all factory tolerances will be exact for the door panel fitting.

Now, for a steel sub frame, internal dimensions will be slightly smaller than 7’0” x 7’0”. About 10mm smaller in width. Steel sub frames are always factory fitted on ‘up and over’ garage doors for single garages. So, they are typically a complete unit when supplied.

Sizing issues mainly occur via ‘up and over’ or side-hinged garage doors. Roller, sectional and round-the-corner door sub frames are not the same and cannot be timber.

Garage door sizes chart

Here are the current available sizes you can get right here in our Superstore as well as their conversion measurements.

Note: Sizes only refer to ordering size. Please consider the additional operating mechanism and sub frame sizes needed for fixing.

Single garage door sizes

Double garage door sizes

Garage door sizes are just the start of your journey. What does each type of garage door offer? Find out in our Garage door buyer’s guide. If you’ve already got a garage door and want to prepare it for insulation, discover how to seal a garage door.