Standard Garage Door Sizes and How to Measure the Opening
Garage door sizes: singles 8 or 9 feet wide, doubles 16. Both stand 7 feet high, and 8-foot heights now suit trucks and larger SUVs. To measure a garage door, record five measurements in feet and inches, starting with the rough opening's width and height. Then measure the headroom above it (12 inches for torsion springs), the side room on each side and the backroom, which equals the door height plus 18 inches.
What are the standard garage door sizes?
The standard garage door sizes are 8 × 7 feet and 9 × 7 feet for a single door and 16 × 7 feet for a double door, width first. Singles run 8 to 10 feet wide, doubles 12 to 18 feet, and 8-foot heights are increasingly common.
A garage door is ordered to the rough opening, the framed opening’s width and height measured without the stop molding, the trim strip the closed door rests against. The opening equals the door size, so the measurements come first when you install a new garage door. Clopay publishes the size ranges in its buying guide, and C.H.I. Overhead Doors lists 8 × 7 as the most common single-car size.
| Door | Common sizes (width × height) | Width range | Heights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single | 8 × 7 ft, 9 × 7 ft | 8 to 10 ft | 7 ft or 8 ft |
| Double | 16 × 7 ft | 12 to 18 ft | 7 ft or 8 ft |
| Tall (campers) | Special order | Varies | 9 to 10 ft |
What size is a single garage door?
A single garage door is 8 or 9 feet wide by 7 feet high, and 9 feet is the popular width in newer homes because it leaves more room to park and unload. Taller 8-foot single doors fit trucks and larger SUVs.
Single doors range from 8 to 10 feet wide. The 7-foot height is the default, and the 8-foot height is the common upgrade for a truck.
What size is a double garage door?
A double garage door is 16 feet wide by 7 feet high as standard, with wider 18-foot doors and 8-foot heights available. A 16 × 7 door fits two sedans or small SUVs side by side.
Doubles run from 12 to 18 feet wide. Heights of 9 and 10 feet are special orders, built for campers and tall vehicles.
How to measure a garage door opening
Measure the rough opening’s width and height without the stop molding, then the headroom from the top of the opening to the ceiling, the side room beside each jamb and the backroom from the opening toward the back wall. Record all five in feet and inches.
Measure the width
Measure the width of the rough opening at the widest point between the jambs.
Measure the height
Measure the height from the floor to the top of the opening.
Measure the headroom
Measure from the top of the opening to the ceiling, or to the nearest joist or pipe below it.
Measure the side room
Measure from each jamb to the nearest wall or obstruction.
Measure the backroom
Measure from the opening to the back wall. A sectional door needs the door height plus 18 inches.
Torsion spring doors also need 4-1/2 inches of center room above the opening, the spot where the spring bracket attaches. The measuring steps record numbers only; the framing around the opening decides whether the door fits.
How much headroom does a garage door need?
A sectional garage door needs 12 inches of headroom with torsion springs and 10 inches with extension springs, per Clopay; a 15-inch radius track needs 15 inches. An opener adds about 3 inches, and low-headroom track serves tighter garages.
- Torsion springs
- 12 inches of headroom
- Extension springs
- 10 inches of headroom
- 15-inch radius track
- 15 inches of headroom (Amarr)
- Opener
- Add about 3 inches (Amarr)
Low headroom means under 10 inches for a torsion door, and low-headroom track kits exist for it. Side room starts at 3-3/4 inches on each side (Clopay), and Amarr’s instructions call for 5-1/2 inches; where the two differ, the larger number is the safer measurement to plan around.
Door height also sets the opener rail. A standard opener rail suits a 7-foot door, and extension kits reach 8-foot and 10-foot doors, according to Chamberlain. A standard 4-inch lift drum suits doors up to 8 feet tall.
DASMA’s North Carolina wind-load table, Technical Data Sheet 155h, lists pressures for 9 × 7 and 16 × 7 doors, and doors over 100 square feet use the 16 × 7 row.
What if the opening needs a custom or oversize door?
A door outside the common widths and heights is a custom order, built to the measured opening by the manufacturer. Heights of 9 and 10 feet for campers are the usual example.
A non-standard size changes the springs and the pressure rating, so the measurements go to the supplier before anything is ordered. Low headroom and high-lift tracks change the opener too: an opener that mounts beside the door on the torsion shaft suits them, as covered in low headroom and high lift openers.
When to call a technician to measure for a new garage door
Numbers on paper still need a check against the framing. Call a technician to measure when the headroom is under 12 inches, the side room is under 3-3/4 inches, the opening is out of square, or the door is a non-standard size. Those openings need special track or a custom door.
Width and height are the first factors in installed garage door prices.
Work begins only after you agree to the stated price for the door. Booking by 12 pm, Monday to Saturday, secures a same-day inspection visit, and the visit carries no trip fee.
Call (833) 752-1196 or book the measuring visit through the quote page.