Introduction
Nearly all garage doors have been sold to a set of standard UK sizes since the mid 1960s. Those sizes were set in imperial feet and inches, and even now the trade still talks in 7'0" x 6'6" imperial references rather than millimetres. It made sense at the time, garages were built to a handful of very common openings, the doors were mass produced, and anything that didn't quite line up got packed out or infilled on site, which was most doors in reality. Our cars were also a lot smaller back then of course.
Jump to a door category
Up and Over Doors | Side Hinged Garage Doors | Sectional Doors | Roller Doors | Round the Corner Doors | Entrance Doors | Pedestrian Doors
Before you Order
GarageDoorsOnline - The Purpose Made Garage Door Experts
Things have moved on. In 2026 most of the garage doors we offer through GarageDoorsOnline are purpose made as standard, or carry such a small surcharge that it isn't worth compromising for. Every roller door, every round the corner door and almost every insulated side hinged door is made to measure only. Up and over and sectional doors are a mix of standard and made to measure, usually with very little difference in price between the two.
That changes the way you should be buying. Ordering the size you actually need means no timber packers, no cladding infills and no boxing in around the frame or compromises to the overall door integrity and security either.
Maximise the full opening, which matters more than people expect when you're reversing a wide car into a single garage, and you get a cleaner seal all round for better insulation and security. Put simply, infilling and making good with packers, cladding and brackets now costs more in labour and materials than buying a made to measure door did in the first place.
So there are two ways to buy a garage door, and it varies by door type and by brand. This page works through it category by category.
When a standard size garage door still makes sense
Standard sizes haven't disappeared, and there are good reasons to stick with one:
- You're replacing a standard garage door in the same fitting position, so the existing timber frame position and fixings already work. You can't usually replace an up and over on a steel frame with the panel only, unless it is quite a recently made door
- The door is a stocked size item, so lead times are usually shorter
- Prices on stocked sizes and colours are keener sometimes - companies want to shift their stock doors
The trade off is choice. Standard size doors are stocked in a far smaller number of standard colours, so if you want a proper colour selection you're better off looking at a made to measure range instead.
When made to measure is the better buy
- The garage opening isn't a standard size, which is common on extensions, conversions, older properties and a lot of garages built after the 1980s.
- You want to maximise the drive through width and height.
- The last door was packed out and you'd rather not repeat the bodge and also maximise the new door performance, especially on insulation and security.
- You want a specific colour or finish that isn't held in stock. Go for what you want rather than a compromise simply because it was in stock.
- You want to change the position of the door and sub frame, usually going from a between fit to a behind the aperture fit to gain extra width and height in the process.
Up and Over Doors
Up and Over doors are the category where standard imperial sizes are still very much alive, mainly because Hormann, Novoferm and Garador hold stock against those references. Our own GDO steel range and the Cedar timber range go the other way and are made to measure as standard. So there are really two ways to buy an up and over door, and the sections below explain how each brand handles it.
GDO steel up and over doors: standard size references
We offer a handful of standard sizes in our own GDO range, which are designed to replicate the traditional standard UK sizes. These are the ones to look at if you're replacing a standard door in the same fitting position and want to keep everything as it was.
ALL GDO steel up and over doors come with a factory fitted steel sub fixing frame as standard, included in the price. See our Standard Door Sizes page for dimension details HERE >
GDO Doors - made to measure as standard
The majority of the door models in our GDO range are made to measure as standard, and there's no extra cost for it either. The ordering sizes are the overall door and steel sub frame width and height, so you're specifying the finished outside size of the unit that arrives on the lorry rather than working back from an opening size.
Two things to get right when you order:
- Measure the width and height you want the overall door and frame to be, not the brick opening
- No tolerance is allowed for in the ordering sizes, so if the door is fitting inside the opening please allow your own tolerance before you order. 5mm all round as a minimum usually
Because it's made to measure, you also get the full colour choice rather than the few stocked shades pushed at you. We currently offer 32 colour options across the GDO steel range.
Hormann and Garador standard size ordering references
We offer the full Hormann and Garador up and over ranges in standard sizes, and both brands have always used imperial sizes as the ordering reference. That reference is not the size of the door leaf and it is not the size of your garage opening, so it's worth being clear on what each figure means before you order.
The full ordering tables for both brands, showing the actual dimensions behind each order reference, are on our standard size garage doors page. [Link: /standard-size-garage-doors] The important points to understand are below.
Hormann up and over doors
With Hormann, the imperial ordering sizes refer to the internal dimensions of the fixing sub frame, NOT the overall frame or garage aperture.. The standard steel sub frame is 75mm, with an optional 60mm frame available on canopy doors only. Heights of 6'6" and 7'0" need a head section on the sub frame on top of the ordering size dimension, so the overall frame height is taller than the reference suggests.
A few other things worth knowing:
- Where a steel sub frame is used, its internal dimensions are usually around 10mm smaller in width than the stated size
- Steel frames are factory fitted on single up and over doors and arrive as a complete unit
- If the door is fitting between the brickwork, the frame has to be allowed for within the structural opening
Hormann made to measure
Hormann do offer a vast range of German manufactured made to measure up and over garage doors and we price them on a door by door basis simply because of the options available and ever changing colours possible too. Email or call us for a specific made to measure price
Garador up and over doors
Garador identify sizes by a size code rather than a written imperial size, so 7'0" x 6'6" becomes 7066. Their table gives three separate dimensions against each code: the internal frame size for an on site timber frame, the overall frame size for a pre framed canopy door, and the overall frame size for a pre framed retractable door. Retractable overall frames are slightly wider than canopy, so check the right column for the gear type you're ordering.
Garador made to measure
Garador also offer many of their up and over doors in made to measure sizes, manufactured in the UK, which is often the answer on a non standard opening where you still want a Garador door. Prices vary with the size and the model, so please contact us for the best price based on the size you need.
* No fitting clearance is allowed for in ANY sizes. If the door is fitting between the brickwork, deduct a minimum of 10mm over the width and 5mm over the height from the overall frame size when you choose your door.
Cedar timber up and over doors
All the Cedar timber up and over garage doors are purpose made as standard, with the main range being traditional timber joinery construction. They fit to a timber sub frame which can be almost any size, so the ordering sizes are the clear internal opening dimensions of the sub frame, again in millimetres. In other words, measure the clear opening inside the timber frame you're fitting the door into and order to that. Make sure the timber sub frame is at least 70mm x 70mm, and larger for double size doors.
Specialist up and over doors ordered differently
A few specialist up and over doors, such as the Hormann N500 and N80 steel doors, are always ordered as made to measure and use a different protocol altogether. There's no size table to work from on these, which makes complete sense.
Please contact us or email us with your aperture dimensions and any other relevant information about the opening, and we'll calculate the best sizes for these models and provide a drawing before anything is ordered.
Quick comparison: how each up and over range is ordered
(German manufactured)
(UK manufactured)
(UK manufactured)
(UK manufactured)
(German manufactured)
Penchard bespoke timber garage door
(UK manufactured)
Side Hinged Garage Doors
Side hinged doors are the category where made to measure is the most sensible solution for the best final outcome and performance. Almost every steel insulated side hinged garage door we offer is made to order as standard, whatever the brand, because the door leaf, the frame and the hinge positions are best built around your opening for maximum performance and security. Non insulated steel and timber side hinged doors are a mix of standard sizes and made to measure models, so it's worth checking each model page.
Sizing matters more here than on any other door type. A side hinged door swings on hinges fixed to a sub frame, so anything you lose to packers or infills comes straight off the clear width you can walk or drive through, and it comes off twice on a 50/50 split door. Ordering the true size you need is the difference between two useful door leaves and two narrow ones.
What varies is the brand and whether the door is insulated, so here's how each range is ordered.
Garador side hinged doors
Garador are also a mix of standard and purpose made sizes, and they're always supplied with a factory fitted steel sub frame. That matters when you're working out sizes, because the frame arrives attached rather than being built on site, so you're ordering a complete unit. If the door is fitting between the brickwork, the steel frame has to be allowed for within the structural opening.
Standard sizes work well for a like for like replacement in an existing frame position. On anything that isn't a standard opening, the purpose made size is the one to go for.
GDO Classic steel side hinged doors
Measure your opening, take off some fitting tolerance and there you have your ordering dimensions.
GDO Icon steel side hinged doors
The GDO Icon range offers a higher specification over our Classic range, using reinforced internal door panel bracing for a more stable and secure overall construction. With the more robust door panel construction comes the more robust handle and door locking. Icon doors are made to measure as standard at no extra cost, up to 2750mm wide, with 32 colour options.
As with the Classic, the ordering size is the overall door and steel sub frame width and height.
Cedar timber side hinged doors
The Cedar timber side hinged doors are joinery made, and they come as made to measure sizes as standard.
They always fit to a timber sub frame, so the ordering sizes are the clear internal opening dimensions of that frame. Measure inside the timber rather than the brickwork, and make sure the sub frame is substantial enough for the weight of a timber door leaf - minimum size usually 70mm x 70mm.
Insulated Steel side hinged doors
ALL the insulated steel side hinged garage doors are made to measure models as standard, whichever brand you look at. The reason is straightforward. An insulated door leaf is thicker and heavier, the seals need a proper flat face to close against, and the hinge positions and frame have to suit the finished opening for the door to perform and lock as it should.
There are a couple of exceptions, offered in the most common single garage door sizes in the UK for faster delivery:
- GDO Streatham and GDO Reigate, offered in 5 standard widths and 5 standard heights
- CarTeck 'Switch' models, working on the same principle with 2 designs in the most popular standard garage sizes, intended as a straight swap for an old up and over door and frame
Those are the ones to look at if you're taking out a standard up and over door and want the shortest lead time. If the opening is anything other than a common single garage size, or you want to claim back the width the old frame, packers and infills were taking up, the made to measure route is the better buy.
How side hinged doors are ordered
- On the GDO steel ranges, choose the overall width and overall height of the door and frame, up to 2750mm wide. The steel sub frame is included in those dimensions
- They arrive pre framed and fully assembled, with handles, hinges and locking included, so the size you order is the size of the finished unit that turns up
- The standard arrangement is a 50/50 split. On doors under 8ft wide a 1/3 and 2/3 split can be selected instead, which is worth thinking about before you settle on a width
- Timber side hinged doors are ordered to the clear internal opening of the timber sub frame, so measure inside the frame rather than the brickwork
- No fitting tolerance is included in any of the ordering sizes, so allow your own if the door is fitting between the brickwork
* Outward swinging as standard, inwards on request and at extra cost. A level floor is essential for the best results, and door stays are another option to consider, especially relevant on 50/50 split doors.
Quick comparison: how each side hinged range is ordered
Made to measure - Overall door and factory fitted steel sub frame
Sectional Doors
Sectional doors are a huge mix of standard and made to measure with very little difference in prices, which makes this the door type where purpose made sizes are almost always the better buy.
A sectional door seals against the inside face of the opening on all four sides, so getting the size right does three things at once: it maximises the drive through width, it gives you the best final finish with no infills to make good, and it gives the seals a proper stable flat surface to close against for maximum insulation and security.
Sectional doors are always ordered to the structural or inside frame opening size rather than a door leaf or frame size, because the door and frame usually fit behind the aperture. Sizes are mainly quoted in millimetres and the ordering size is the finished opening the door is being built to suit, so check the model page for how each brand states it before you order.
How the ordering sizes work
ALL sectional door manufacturers express their sectional door sizes the same way, which makes this category far easier to compare than up and over doors.
The ordering size is the internal frame opening size, and it does not include the outer fixing frame.
We've translated all the sectional door sizes on the site to metric dimensions, with the exception of the Garador range at present, which still carries the imperial ordering references for their standard size doors.
Because insulated sectional doors offer such high performance, a proper fit is desirable rather than just tidy. Any gap you pack out or clad over is a gap in the insulated envelope and a weak point on security, so it's worth getting the size right at the order stage rather than making good afterwards.
CarTeck
CarTeck (Teckentrup) offer the widest range of standard sizes of any sectional brand we sell, with standard sizes up to 5500mm wide, purpose made sizes alongside them, with XL and SuperSize models going up to 8000mm wide and 3000mm high for larger openings and triple garages.
More useful for most garages though is the range of standard door heights, which is the best of any brands we offer. It means you can make the most of the available floor to lintel height without relying on a single skin steel fascia infill section to make up the difference, which is what happens when the nearest standard height leaves you short. A fascia panel isn't insulated as standard and it's another joint to seal, so avoiding one is worth doing.
A decision on the final colour choice usually dictates the delivery time.
The ADVANTAGE models are worth a look if lead time is the priority. They come in 3 colours for faster delivery, in standard and purpose made sizes up to 5500mm wide.
Hormann
Hormann have a large standard size range, covering both UK and European sizes. On the LPU42 range, standard sizes run up to 6000mm wide and purpose made metric sizes up to 5500mm wide, so on the widest openings the standard size range actually goes further than the purpose made one.
Purpose made options are available across most of the range with slightly longer delivery times, which is normally the trade off worth making on a non standard opening.
The LPU67 super insulated models are made to measure as standard.
One thing to watch on the promotional packages. The RenoMatic electric packages are offered in standard metric sizes up to 4000mm wide, so check your width against that before you commit to a package price.
Garador
Garador are part of the same group as Hormann and offer a slightly more limited overall range, but the same mix of standard and purpose made sizes applies. We currently only offer the standard UK sizes in our online shop.
Garador is currently the one sectional range on our site still shown against the original imperial ordering references rather than translated metric sizes, so take extra care matching your opening to the right reference, or send us your sizes and we'll confirm which one you need.
GDO sectional doors
The important choice here is the fitting position, because we list separate door models for it.
Behind fit models sit behind the aperture and keep the full brick opening. The measuring and ordering for these are as per all other sectional doors - the internal fixing frame dimensions which ideally are the same as the garage aperture sizes.
Between fit models fit within the opening and come with the unique and very desirable executive sub frame fitting kit, where the aluminium box section frame is made to measure to work alongside the door. Decide which way the door is fitting before you work out sizes, because it changes the numbers you send us. Ordering for these are the same however and still refer to the inside fixing frame dimensions. Check the measuring tab for these models for a 3D drawing explanation.
SeceuroGlide sectional doors
SWS make the SeceuroGlide sectional doors with no restricted standard sizes at all. Every door is made to the millimetre for your opening, so there's no nearest size to work to and nothing to pack out.
Purpose made sizes run up to 5000mm wide on the Georgian, Centre Ribbed, Ribbed and Unribbed designs, and up to 3962mm wide on the very modern Visio door model design.
Cedar timber sectional doors
The Cedar timber sectional doors are joinery made from kiln dried Western Red Cedar using traditional construction methods, so they're purpose made to suit your opening rather than picked from a size list.
Two things to check before you settle on a size. Doors over 8'0" x 7'0" usually need lateral and vertical timber or steel bracing because of the weight and span of a timber leaf. And the spring position changes what you need above the opening: springs at the rear need around 70mm headroom and 70mm side room, while springs at the front need around 200mm headroom.
Drive through height on any sectional door
Height is the thing people generally miss on sectional doors. The panel curve and the track take up space at the top of the opening, so the drive through height when the door is open can be less than the ordering height. If you're getting a roof box, a van or a 4x4 into the garage, start with the height options rather than the width, and check the figure for the specific model rather than assuming.
When fitted with an electric operator most door models will offer the full or close to the full drive through height, depending on the exact mechanism specified.
Made to measure, or a standard door cut down
These two are not the same thing and it's worth knowing the difference before you order.
A true made to measure sectional door is manufactured to your size in the factory and then powdercoated, so the finish goes on after the door is made and every edge is covered. A standard door cut down to size, whether that's done at the factory or by a tradesperson on site, starts as a pre finished set of door panels, so the cut leaves exposed steel behind.
That exposed steel is where problems can turn up later. It matters most near the coast, where a harsh saline atmosphere will find any unprotected edge, and CarTeck also offer a coastal protection paint finish for doors going in near the UK coastline.
Before you order a sectional door
- Measure the structural opening in more than one place. Sectional doors want the opening to be reasonably square and consistent.
- Remember the ordering size is the opening size and does not include the outer fixing frame. If you are installing between your opening check the frame dimensions, headroom required and tolerances for between fix bracketry.
- Check the headroom above the opening and the depth of the garage for the tracking.
- Check the floor to lintel height before you settle on a door height, so you're not left needing a fascia infill panel.
- Where the opening is out of square, a purpose made size plus the correct frame trim is a far better finish than packing a standard door out.
Quick comparison: how each side hinged range is ordered
Made to measure same delivery time as standard sizes
RenoMatic electric packages are standard sizes up to 5500mm wide
Roller Doors
ALL roller garage doors are made to measure as standard, whether that's an insulated aluminium door, an insulated steel door or a basic non insulated single skin steel door.
There are no standard sizes to work from and no stock sizes to compromise on, so the size you order is built for your garage.
Because the curtain rolls up into a barrel above the opening and runs in guides either side, the width and height you order and the fitting position work together. Most roller doors are fitted behind the aperture, which keeps the full brick opening width available and lets the guides sit on the inside face. They can also be fitted within the opening where headroom or projection is tight, but that arrangement takes width off the drive through. Each model page sets out how the sizes are stated for that door, along with the roll space needed above the opening.
- Give us the structural opening width and height, and tell us whether the door is fitting behind or within the opening
- Check the roll space above the opening and the internal height available, because it decides which barrel and door will fit if you want to hide the full roll.
- Made to measure means colour and finish choice too, rather than the handful of shades a stocked door would come in
Note worth reading...
Many buyers focus too much on the internal headroom available and when it isn’t sufficient for a specific roller garage door they believe a roller door cannot be used. This is not the case, all you need to concern yourself with is the final drive through height in reality. If you don’t have 300mm for the majority of 77mm roller doors but only have say 205mm then all this means is the roll is partially exposed when installed, so just ensure you either order a full hood cover to provide a fascia cover or create your own fascia for the door.
Having only 205mm does not mean you can only order the Compact roller door models, but if you want to maximise your clear drive through height then of course look for the smallest roll diameter model to achieve this.
Round the Corner Doors
ALL round the corner garage doors are made to measure as standard, in every brand and every material we offer. There is no standard size version of this door type, and there's a good reason for it. The door leaf is made up of hinged panels that run on a track around the inside of the garage wall, so the tracking run, the wall it curves onto and the position of every panel joint have to be worked out against your building.
That makes the measuring more involved than a straight up and over. As well as the opening width and height, we need to know how much clear wall is available inside the garage on the side the door parks against, and whether there's anything in the way such as a personnel door, a window, a boiler or a boxed in pipe run. Send us the opening sizes along with the internal wall dimensions and we'll work the sizes back for you before anything is ordered.
Entrance Doors
Our entrance doors are a mix of standard sizes and made to measure, and this is another door type where maximising the final aperture size matters to most people, so always look at the purpose made sizes first.
An entrance door gets used every day, so the clear opening width is what you notice. Losing 50mm each side to infill panels and packers is the difference between carrying a bike or a wheelbarrow through comfortably and catching your knuckles on the frame. A made to measure door also seals directly against the structural opening, which is worth having on a door in daily use for weather sealing and security.
- Ordering sizes are usually the structural opening less some tolerance, but check the individual model pages. Most are the door leaf and sub frame to the exact width and height sizes for ordering.
- Measure the width and height in more than one place, and note the smallest sizes. The sill detail is where many people can get confused as they can vary a lot in dimensions.
- Standard sizes suit like for like replacement in an existing replacement position. Anything else, look at made to measure.
Pedestrian Doors
Pedestrian side doors, the side or rear door into the garage, are also a mix of standard and made to measure. The same rule applies: the purpose made size is usually the one to go for, because these openings are rarely a neat standard size and the clear width is what you actually use.
Pedestrian door openings in garages are often the ones that were built to whatever suited the blockwork at the time, and older ones were frequently fitted with a standard door and made good around it. If yours has a timber lining or a packed out frame from the last door, take that out of the equation and order to the real structural opening instead. You'll pick up useful width and lose the maintenance that comes with timber infills.
- Order to the structural opening where the door is fitting into the brickwork, and allow your own fitting tolerance around the fixing frame. Again, check the sill details for the specific model you may be looking at. They can vary a lot.
- Where a pedestrian door is matching a garage door on the same elevation, order both together so the colour batch and finish match.
- Check the hinge side and the swing direction before ordering, as it's not something that can be changed later on most models.
Quick comparison: how each range is ordered
Before you order
- Check whether the door is fitting behind the opening or between the brickwork, because it changes which size you need.
- Measure the width and the height in more than one place. Older garage openings are rarely square and you need to work to the smallest sizes.
- Remember that none of the ordering sizes include a fitting tolerance. The dimensions you order with are the exact sizes the factory will produce when the door is made to order.
- If you're replacing like for like in the same position, note the old door's order reference if it's still legible on the frame or gear. The original ordering size reference should be available to reference.
- Work out where the last installation was packed out or infilled, because that width and height is usually there to be claimed back in a made to measure door.
- If you're unsure at any point, send us your measurements and we'll check the sizes with you.
