Short answer. US interior doors come in steps from 24 to 36 in (61 to 91 cm): 24, 28, 30, 32 and 36 in. 32 in (81 cm) is the one most often called the standard interior door width, and the standard height is 80 in (203 cm); closet doors are often 78 in. A standard front door is 36 × 80 in (91 × 203 cm). These sizes are the door itself: with the door open, the gap is 1 to 3 in less, so a 32 in door leaves about 29 to 31 in.
Standard interior door sizes
| Width | In cm | Height | Gap with the door open, about |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 in | 61 cm | 80 in (203 cm) | 21 to 23 in |
| 28 in | 71 cm | 80 in (203 cm) | 25 to 27 in |
| 30 in | 76 cm | 80 in (203 cm) | 27 to 29 in |
| 32 in | 81 cm, often called standard | 80 in (203 cm) | 29 to 31 in |
| 36 in | 91 cm | 80 in (203 cm) | 33 to 35 in |
What the size measures: the door slab (the leaf), edge to edge. The frame and jambs go around it, so the rough opening in the wall is bigger: about 34 × 82.5 in for a 32 in door. Closet doors are often 78 in tall. Doors in older homes are often narrower than today's sizes.
Standard front door size
| Front door | In cm | Gap with the door open, about |
|---|---|---|
| 36 × 80 in | 91 × 203 cm | 33 to 35 in |
In an apartment building, the way in also runs through the building's entrance, the hallway and the elevator. 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 stop on the other side of the jamb. It is the number a couch, a fridge or a wheelchair actually gets. The open door, its hinges and the stops take a share of the width, usually 1 to 3 in.
So a 32 in door gives roughly 29 to 31 in, and a 30 in door roughly 27 to 29 in. A knob or lever that sticks out takes a little more.
Building codes: door widths for new homes and public buildings
These set minimums for new houses and for public buildings. Older homes did not have to meet them, and the ADA does not cover private homes.
| Rule | Applies to | Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| International Residential Code, R311.2 | One exit door of a new house | 32 in (813 mm) clear and 78 in (1981 mm) high |
| ADA Standards, 404.2.3 | Public and commercial buildings, not private homes | 32 in (815 mm) clear, door open at 90 degrees |
These are clear openings, not door sizes. A 32 in door gives less than 32 in clear, so a door that must give 32 in clear has to be wider, such as the usual 36 in front door. Your city or state may have its own version of the code.
How to measure a door
- The clear opening. Open the door to 90 degrees. Measure from the face of the open door to the stop on the other side. If the knob sticks out, measure past it too.
- The height. From the finished floor to the underside of the head jamb.
- The slab, if you are buying a new door for an old frame: its width, height and thickness.
- One unit. Write everything in inches or in centimeters (1 inch = 2.54 cm), not both.
Will a couch get through a US door?
Compare the clear opening with the couch's depth and its height, and take the smaller one. If that is less than the gap, the couch goes through on its back or on its side. If not, measure the diagonal depth: if that is less than the gap, the couch can usually be tilted through. Leave about 1 in for fingers and blankets.
The catch: typical couches are 33 to 39 in deep and 30 to 35 in high. A 36 in front door, about 33 to 35 in clear, takes many of them. A 30 or 32 in bedroom door, about 27 to 31 in clear, often does not, unless the couch tilts through on the diagonal, the legs come off, or it comes in parts. More in Will my sofa fit? and, for hallways, stairs and elevators, Will it fit through the door?.
Common mistakes
- Measuring the door, not the gap. A 32 in door does not give 32 in. With the door open you lose 1 to 3 in.
- Checking only the front door. The 36 in front door is the wide one. The bedroom or bathroom door is usually the narrowest point.
- Mixing up the door and the rough opening. A 32 in door needs a hole of about 34 × 82.5 in; a 34 in hole does not mean a 34 in door.
- Assuming the codes cover your home. They set minimums for new houses and public buildings, not for every home.
Measure the doorway in 3D
In Flatwalk the tape measure lives in the 3D plan of your home: tap both sides of a doorway and read its width, in feet and inches or in centimeters. Furniture from real stores stands at its true size, so you can hold a couch'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 your building code requires, and your plan is only as accurate as the measurements you give it. Measure the real doors with a tape measure.
Also for the US: bed sizes.
What Flatwalk does that older planners skip
Lights
Add ceiling lights, lamps and LED strips and see each room in the evening, not only by day.
Your home in its city
Enter your address and the street and buildings around you appear in 3D, wherever the map has them.
Sun for your address
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, closets and bathrooms built piece by piece, so new furniture sits against what is really there.
Made for a thumb
Tap a piece and its choices appear: move it, turn it, swap it for another.
Swipe for more. Every picture is the app itself.
One home, free
Most people plan one home. For that, Flatwalk costs nothing: no time-limited trial and no card needed. Drawing your home, furniture at its true size, the tape measure, lights, sun and walking are all part of it, and each AI tool comes with one free try. A membership is for people who want more homes or more AI.
Questions people ask
What is the standard interior door width? 32 in (81 cm) is most often called standard, by 80 in (203 cm) tall. Interior doors also come in 24, 28, 30 and 36 in.
Is 30 inches a standard door width? Yes. 30 in (76 cm) is one of the standard US widths. With the door open it gives about 27 to 29 in, less than the 32 in clear that codes ask of one exit door in a new house and of doors in public buildings.
What is the standard front door size? 36 × 80 in (91 × 203 cm).
How do I measure a couch for a doorway? Measure the couch's depth, height and diagonal depth, and the door's clear opening with the door fully open. If the smaller of the depth and height, or the diagonal depth, is less than the gap, it can usually get through.
How do I get a couch through a door? Take the door off its hinges for a little more width, take the legs off, then carry the couch on its back or on its side and tilt it through on the diagonal. If the numbers are still too close, ask the store about a model that comes in parts.
Flatwalk lets you measure every doorway in a 3D plan of your own home and place real furniture at its true size, free for one home. It is coming soon to Google Play; join the waiting list at flatwalk.app.
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