Short answer. The standard internal door in the UK is 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) wide and 1981 mm (6 ft 6 in) tall, the most typical size in England and Wales. The other usual widths are 610, 686 and 838 mm (2 ft, 2 ft 3 in and 2 ft 9 in). Metric doors, 2040 mm tall and 526 to 926 mm wide, are also sold and common in Scotland. A standard front door is 838 × 1981 mm (2 ft 9 in × 6 ft 6 in). These sizes are the door itself: with the door open, the gap is 3 to 7 cm less, so a 762 mm door leaves about 69 to 73 cm.
UK internal door sizes
| Width | In cm | In feet and inches | Height | Gap with the door open, about |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 610 mm | 61 cm | 2 ft | 1981 mm (6 ft 6 in) | 54 to 58 cm |
| 686 mm | 68.6 cm | 2 ft 3 in | 1981 mm (6 ft 6 in) | 62 to 66 cm |
| 762 mm | 76.2 cm | 2 ft 6 in, the most typical | 1981 mm (6 ft 6 in) | 69 to 73 cm |
| 838 mm | 83.8 cm | 2 ft 9 in | 1981 mm (6 ft 6 in) | 77 to 81 cm |
| 526 to 926 mm | 52.6 to 92.6 cm | Metric, common in Scotland | 2040 mm (6 ft 8 in) | 3 to 7 cm less than the door |
What the size measures: the leaf, the door itself from edge to edge. The frame (the lining) goes round it, so the hole in the wall is a few centimetres bigger. A metric door does not fit an imperial frame: 2040 mm is 59 mm taller than 1981 mm.
UK front door sizes
| Front door | In feet and inches | Gap with the door open, about |
|---|---|---|
| 838 × 1981 mm | 2 ft 9 in × 6 ft 6 in | 77 to 81 cm |
| 813 × 2032 mm | 2 ft 8 in × 6 ft 8 in | 74 to 78 cm |
In a block of flats, the way in also runs through the building's entrance and a shared hall. Measure those too.
The clear opening: the gap you really get
The clear opening is the gap with the door open at 90 degrees: from the face of the open door to the frame or stop on the other side. It is the number a sofa, a fridge or a wheelchair actually gets. The open door, its hinges and the stops take a share of the width. Approved Document M gives one real example: a standard 826 mm door leaf, up to 44 mm thick, counts as giving 775 mm clear. That is 51 mm less than the door.
So a 762 mm door gives roughly 69 to 73 cm, and an 838 mm door roughly 77 to 81 cm. A handle that sticks out takes a little more.
Building Regulations: door widths for new homes
These are minimums for new homes in England under Approved Document M. Older homes did not have to meet them, and many do not. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own rules, not covered here.
| Rule | Applies to | Minimum clear opening |
|---|---|---|
| M4(1), visitable dwellings | New homes | Front door 775 mm (30.5 in); room doors on the entrance storey 750, 775 or 800 mm, depending on the width of the hall |
| M4(2), accessible and adaptable dwellings | New homes built to this standard | Front door 850 mm (33.5 in) |
These are clear openings, not door sizes. A 762 mm door gives less than 775 mm clear, so a new home that meets the rule needs a wider door, such as the 826 mm leaf in the example above.
How to measure a door
- The clear opening. Open the door to 90 degrees. Measure from the face of the open door to the frame or stop on the other side. If the handle sticks out, measure past it too.
- The height. From the finished floor to the underside of the frame's head.
- The door, if you are buying a new one for an old frame: its width, height and thickness.
- One unit. Write everything in millimetres or in inches (1 inch = 25.4 mm), not both.
Will a sofa get through a UK door?
Compare the clear opening with the sofa's depth and its height, and take the smaller one. If that is less than the gap, the sofa goes through on its back or on its side. If not, measure the diagonal depth: if that is less than the gap, the sofa can usually be tilted through. Leave 2 to 3 cm for fingers and blankets.
The catch: typical sofas are 85 to 100 cm deep and 75 to 90 cm high, and a 762 mm door gives only about 69 to 73 cm. Many sofas only get through a UK room door on the tilt, with the legs off, or in parts. Check the narrowest door on the way in, not only the front door. More in Will my sofa fit? and, for halls, stairs and lifts, Will it fit through the door?.
Common mistakes
- Measuring the door, not the gap. A 762 mm door does not give 76 cm. With the door open you lose 3 to 7 cm.
- Mixing systems. 2 ft 6 in is 762 mm, which is 76.2 cm, not 80 cm. A metric 2040 mm door will not fit a 1981 mm opening.
- Checking only the front door. The bedroom door is usually the narrowest point.
- Assuming the rules cover your home. They set minimums for new homes, not for every flat.
Measure the doorway in 3D
In Flatwalk the tape measure lives in the 3D flat: tap both sides of a doorway and read its width, in millimetres or in feet and inches. Furniture from real shops stands at its true size, so you can hold a sofa's depth against the doorway it has to pass, and walk from the front door to the room at eye level.
What it does not do: Flatwalk does not test the route for you or tell you what the Building Regulations require, and your plan is only as accurate as the measurements you give it. Measure the real doors with a tape measure.
Also for the UK: bed sizes.
What Flatwalk does that older planners skip
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See where the sun falls on any date and at any hour, before a new piece spends all summer in it.
One piece, in your own room
Through the live camera or in a photo of the room, stand it on your own floor at its true size before you buy.
Detail
Doors, radiators, kitchens, wardrobes and bathrooms built piece by piece, so new furniture sits against what is really there.
Made for a thumb
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One flat, free
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Questions people ask
How wide is a standard internal door in the UK? 762 mm (2 ft 6 in), by 1981 mm (6 ft 6 in) tall. 610, 686 and 838 mm are the other usual widths, and metric doors 2040 mm tall are common in Scotland.
What is the standard front door size in the UK? 838 × 1981 mm (2 ft 9 in × 6 ft 6 in). 813 × 2032 mm (2 ft 8 in × 6 ft 8 in) is also sold.
What is the standard door height in the UK? 1981 mm (6 ft 6 in) for imperial doors and 2040 mm for metric doors.
How do I measure a door for sofa delivery? Open the door fully and measure the gap from the face of the open door to the frame on the other side, then the height. Compare the gap with the smaller of the sofa's depth and height, and do the same for every door on the way in.
Will a sofa fit through a 762 mm door? With the door open the gap is about 69 to 73 cm. Most sofas are deeper and taller than that, so they go through tilted on the diagonal, with the legs off, or in parts. Measure the sofa's diagonal depth before you buy.
Flatwalk lets you measure every doorway in a 3D plan of your own flat and place real furniture at its true size, free for one flat. It is coming soon to Google Play; join the waiting list at flatwalk.app.
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