Garage Door Sizes
Measuring for a New Garage Door
When taking measurements for a garage door for a new opening OR to replace an existing one it is important to realise that different garage door types use different measurements to specify, order or indeed to price the door. If you are measuring for a new garage door the most basic measurements to take to begin with are:
Width and Height of existing structural brickwork opening
Width and Height of existing garage door panel (only relevant to up and over or side hinged doors)
Width and Height of existing timber sub frame (if reusing frame) and the timber frame section size also to check the new door will fit onto it
Internal Headroom (measure clear space from underside of the lintel to the ceiling)
Internal Reveals (the width of the face showing either side when you stand in your garage looking outwards)
Make notes of any obvious obstructions in the garage such as gas/electric meters or brick piers, etc and you can then begin looking for a new garage door with your measurements at hand - most handy if you are speaking to us rather than just assuming it is a standard door - it may well have been standard 20 years ago!
Up and Over Garage Doors
ALL up and over garage doors require a fixing sub frame for installation and this must always be taken into consideration when measuring, ordering or installing.
Up and over garage doors are always ordered by their internal fixing sub frame dimensions in the U.K.. In other words the internal width and height of the sub frame opening which is either timber or steel box section. Of course if you order a garage door with a factory fitted steel sub frame the overall dimensions are important to know as well especially if installing inbetween the structural opening.
Measure your existing up and over garage door inbetween the frame (open the door) and for example you may get a measurement of 7'0" (2134mm) for the width and then 7'0" (2134mm) from the floor to the frame head. This is then a 7' x 7' garage door (7070) and the door panel measurement itself is irrelevant as different manufacturers always allow different tolerances in the panel depending on other factors. This measurement will vary quite a lot from different ages and manufacturers and just because someone fitted the frame years ago without too much attention to exact measurements so don't worry too much about this size unless you are keeping the old frame in place.
(Up and over garage doors are still ordered in imperial when standard UK sizes even though the imperial size may not be exactly the measurements of the internal frame)
When a garage door is fitted inbetween a brickwork opening the measurements are much more critical than when fitted behind (inside) the garage opening as operating gear and springs will vary from one manufacturer to another meaning you cannot always just replace an old up and over with a new one with new gear as it may require a wider frame than the old one has.
You should just concern yourself with the overall door and sub frame measurement and frames vary slightly from one manufacturer to another.
Sectional Overhead Garage Doors
ALL Sectional Garage Doors are ordered by the internal dimensions of the steel frame opening (also the opening size) and all sectional doors also have a steel framework surround for installation to the structural opening of the garage.
Most sectional garage doors are generally installed behind (inside face) the garage opening to maximise drivethrough dimensions and most have quite large space requirements for the frame legs and the height required for the curved part of the track the door panels move in. However because a sectional garage door does not go through the opening it is possible to install sizes larger and smaller than your actual opening on the width and height. Very rarely will a standard size sectional door be the exact size when replacing an old existing up and over or pair of side hinged doors.
A sectional door will also open up into the garage a lot further on the horizontal rails than an up and over door so it is essential you have clear room at least the height of the door plus 350 - 600mm (on average) into the garage.
(Most sectional garage doors are ordered in either imperial or metric measurements but quite often the imperial measurement is not quite the actual size of the door, but a near order reference size)
Sectional Garage Door Survey Form >
Roller Shutter Garage Doors
Roller shutter doors are ordered by different dimension depending on different manufacturers. BEWARE, some use the daylight opening size and others the overall size including guides, some also order the width by the curtain width only.
Generally for a roller door you install the tracks and the support brackets for the curtain roll inside the garage opening for maximum use and in many cases because the average curtain roll size for a roller door is between 300 and 450mm it needs to go behind the lintel to maintain a sensible drive through height when open.
Modern insulated roller shutters do not require a sub frame as the tracks fit directly to the garage structure. Insulated roller doors can fit inbetween a structural opening where as non insulated continuous curtain steel roller doors must fit behind a structure as the track guides are very different in construction and not designed to be seen externally.
(Most roller door manufacturers now produce doors to exact sizes and you only ever tend to see standard sizes shown in special offers )
Roller Garage Door Survey Form >
Roller Garage Door Manufacturers general rules of ordering sizes:
Seceuroglide (Standard and Compact)
Seceuroglide LT
Gliderol Roll-A-Glide
NovoRol
Samson SupaRolla
All ordered by Overall Width including guides and Guide Height without the roll and endplates above.
Hormann Rollmatic
Garador GaraRoll
Both ordered by Opening Width (daylight opening without the 90mm guides each side added)
and Guide Height without the roll and full hood cover.
Gliderol Continuous Curtain Steel Roller Door (Series A and AA)
Ordered by the opening width required plus the curtain overlap in the guides (more width is always required for installation
as guides have fixing lugs and there are larger guide options) and guide height without the roll of the curtain included.
Side Hinged Garage Door Sizes
Side hinged garage doors need a timber or steel sub frame and with a timber sub frame they need 'hanging' correctly, usually by a skilled carpenter. Steel framed side hinged doors usually come pre assembled and are very easy to install as everything is already fitted and spaced correctly from the factory.
Measurements for side hinged doors for ordering are like up and over doors where the frame internal opening size is the ordering reference, NOT the actual door leaves which have a tolerance built in depending on panel thickness, etc.
As most side hinged doors are installed in between the opening the overall door panels and frame measurement is the most important thing to know and order
Most side hinged garage doors are installed inbetween the structural opening but can be installed in front (with appropriate flashing/sealing to frame head) of a garage to maximise length, width and height.
(Side hinged garage doors in timber are very versatile in out of square openings although timber framework is equally versatile enabling steel, GRP or timber side hinged doors to be installed)
Garage Door Sizes
Dimensions and details for standard up and over garage doors, sectional and roller garage doors.
Many of the most up to date size tables are available in the PDF downloads section in the main brochures or technical literature for the appropriate door type.
Hormann EPU 40 S Panel Sectional Doors >
Hormann LPU 40 M Panel Sectional Doors >
Hormann EPU 40 M Ribbed Sectional Doors >
Hormann LPU 40 S Panel Sectional Doors >
Seceuroglide Insulated Roller Doors >
