Date: February 24, 2017
Whether your existing garage door has sustained damage or you’re ready to undergo improvements to your home’s curb appeal, the first step in choosing a new garage door for your home involves proper and accurate measurements. You may think a quick measurement of your door’s width and height are enough to get you started, but there are a few more dimensions you need to make note of in order to expertly measure your garage door.
4 Simple Steps to Get Your Garage Door Measurements
Before you start – make sure you are taking all measurements from inside your garage.
1. Door Opening
Measure the height and width of the garage door opening. Measure from the inside of the door jamb and do not include the door jamb in your dimensions. This measurement is going to determine the size garage door you’ll need, and whether you will need to order a standard- or custom-sized door.
2. Side Room
The next step is to measure the side room on both sides of your garage door opening. Again, start your measurements outside of the door jamb and measure to the wall. This measurement is necessary to ensure that there is enough room for the vertical portion of your garage door track. In most cases, you’ll need 3.5 – 4 inches of space on either side.
3. Headroom
Measuring the headroom means the space that starts above the garage door opening and runs to the ceiling or the underside of joists or rafters above. The necessary space differs based on the type of garage door you’re purchasing. For example, wooden garage doors may require up to 18 inches of headroom.
4. Backroom
The final step in measuring your garage door involves measuring the garage’s backroom. The backroom is essentially the depth of your garage. This is measured, along the ceiling, from your garage door opening to the farthest point at the rear your garage. This measurement is necessary to ensure that there is enough space for the horizontal portion of your garage door track.
Tips for Multiple Garage Door Measurements
If your garage was built to include multiple garage doors, keep these tips in mind when taking measurements.
- Measure each door individually. Even if you believe they are all the same size, there may be small differences.
- If you have a two-door or three-door garage, the side room between two doors should be at least 10 inches wide to accommodate side tracks for both doors.
- Measure the backroom for each individual door as well. Don’t assume they will be the same.
What Are The Standard Garage Door Sizes?
There are several single- and double-door sizes that are considered standard.
- Single doors are usually 8’, 9’ or 10 ‘ wide. Occasionally single doors might be 12’ wide.
- Double doors are usually 16’ or 18’ wide, but occasionally only 14’ wide.
- All overhead doors are usually 7’, 8’ or 9’ high.
But do not be concerned if your garage door measurements do not exactly match up to a standard size. Custom doors can be designed to match your garage’s individual specifications.
When you’re ready to break out your tape measure, use our How To Measure Your Garage Door guide below to walk you through the steps.
I have double garage doors. Each requires 6’ 6” by 8’ doors. Old doors are installed now, I am replacing. It is low profile. Why would I need new low profile railing. I assume I already have low profile railing.
Hi there!
If there is a low profile track already installed, then a new low-profile track should fit. A low profile track is required when there is not enough room between the top of the door and the garage ceiling due to the overhead door having an oversized top section.
That being said, it is best practice to replace existing door tracks with new tracks to ensure proper and easy operation of the new door. In our experience, old tracks and hardware typically do not work well with new roller hardware that comes with new doors. A new door will most likely be a different weight than the old door and it will come with better rollers than the ones that your old door used. The most critical component of the door assembly is the fit of the rollers in the track. The rollers need to easily roll in the track for the door to open and close properly. In addition, if they don’t fit well, the opener will need to work twice as hard, which can lead to issues with your opener.
If you have any additional questions, please feel free to reach out! Our garage door experts are available and willing to help you solve any problem you may have.
Thank you!