Garage Door Sizes: Standard Single, Double and RV Dimensions
Standard residential garage door widths and heights in feet and meters, the ceiling and wall space a door needs to open, and how much room common cars, SUVs and pickups leave in each size.
A standard single garage door is 9 ft wide × 7 ft tall (2.74 × 2.13 m), with 8 × 7 ft (2.44 × 2.13 m) the older and narrower option. A standard double door is 16 × 7 ft (4.88 × 2.13 m). Doors 8 ft (2.44 m) tall are common on new homes and for tall SUVs and pickups.
- Single door
- 9 × 7 ft
- Double door
- 16 × 7 ft
- Tall option
- 8 ft high
- Headroom needed
- About 12 in
On this page
Standard garage door sizes chart
Residential garage doors are sold by the finished opening they cover, in whole feet. Widths step from 8 to 20 ft and heights from 7 to 8 ft for ordinary vehicles, with taller doors for RVs and boats.
| Door | Width × height (ft) | Width × height (m) | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single, narrow | 8 × 7 | 2.44 × 2.13 | Older homes, compact cars |
| Single, standard | 9 × 7 | 2.74 × 2.13 | Most cars and SUVs |
| Single, wide | 10 × 7 | 3.05 × 2.13 | Full-size trucks, easier parking |
| Single, tall | 9 × 8 or 10 × 8 | 2.74 or 3.05 × 2.44 | Lifted trucks, roof boxes, vans |
| Double, compact | 12 × 7 or 14 × 7 | 3.66 or 4.27 × 2.13 | Narrow two-car garages, one car plus storage |
| Double, standard | 16 × 7 | 4.88 × 2.13 | Two cars |
| Double, tall | 16 × 8 | 4.88 × 2.44 | Two cars, at least one tall |
| Double, wide | 18 × 7 or 18 × 8 | 5.49 × 2.13 or 2.44 | Two large vehicles |
| Extra wide | 20 × 8 | 6.10 × 2.44 | Two trucks, three-bay layouts |
| RV and boat | 10 to 14 wide × 10 to 14 tall | 3.05 to 4.27 × 3.05 to 4.27 | Motorhomes, trailers on lifts |
A 7 ft door is 84 in tall and an 8 ft door is 96 in. Doors are also made in 3 in or 6 in increments for older openings, and any size can be built to order.
Which vehicles fit which door
Vehicle specs list body width without mirrors, which is the figure to compare with the door. Mirrors fold or sit above the door's lower panels on most cars, but they still need clearance on tall trucks and vans.
| Vehicle | Typical body width | 8 ft door | 9 ft door | 16 ft door (one car centered) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compact car | 70 in (178 cm) | 13 in per side | 19 in per side | 61 in per side |
| Midsize SUV | 76 in (193 cm) | 10 in per side | 16 in per side | 58 in per side |
| Full-size pickup (e.g. F-150) | 80 in (203 cm) | 8 in per side | 14 in per side | 56 in per side |
| Full-size SUV (e.g. Tahoe) | 81 in (206 cm) | 7.5 in per side | 13.5 in per side | 55.5 in per side |
With two cars through a 16 ft door, the space between and beside them is what is left of 192 in. Two 76 in SUVs leave 40 in in total, or about 13 in at each side and between them, which is why many owners of two large vehicles choose an 18 ft door or two single doors.
Height is less often a problem. Most cars and SUVs are 56 to 76 in tall and stock full-size pickups about 75 to 80 in, all under the 84 in of a 7 ft door. Roof racks, cargo boxes, lift kits and high-roof vans are the usual reasons to choose 8 ft. For vehicle dimensions by class, see our car dimensions guide and truck bed sizes.
Headroom, side room and backroom
A sectional door rolls up on tracks into the garage, so it needs space above, beside and behind the opening. These are the three measurements installers ask for.
| Measurement | Where | Typical requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Headroom | Top of opening to the ceiling or lowest obstruction | About 12 in for standard-lift torsion springs (12 in track radius); 14 1/4 in for a 15 in radius; add about 2 in for a trolley opener |
| Low-headroom kits | Same | About 4 1/2 in (rear-mounted springs) to 9 in (front-mounted), depending on the system |
| Side room | Each side of the opening to the wall | About 3 3/4 to 5 1/2 in per side for tracks and brackets; about 8 1/2 in on one side for a wall-mount (jackshaft) opener |
| Backroom | Opening back into the garage | Door height plus about 16 to 26 in for the door alone, more for an opener |
Figures vary by manufacturer and track design, so treat the table as a planning guide and take the final numbers from the installation manual for the door you choose. Most residential trolley openers ship with a rail for 7 ft doors; an 8 ft door needs the maker's rail extension kit and correspondingly more depth.
Allow at least door height plus 12 in: about 8 ft (96 in) of ceiling for a 7 ft door and 9 ft (108 in) for an 8 ft door with standard tracks. Below that, look at low-headroom tracks or a wall-mount opener.
Garage size and door width
The door has to fit the wall with framing on each side, and the garage has to fit the cars once the door is shut.
- One-car garage: 12 × 20 ft (3.66 × 6.10 m) is a practical minimum. 14 × 22 ft or more leaves room to open doors and walk around. A 9 ft door suits any of these.
- Two-car garage: 20 × 20 ft (6.10 × 6.10 m) is the minimum for one 16 ft door; 22 to 24 ft wide is roomier. Two 9 ft doors need about 20 to 22 ft of front wall: 18 ft of door plus a center post and framing at each end.
- Depth: a full-size crew-cab pickup is roughly 20 ft long, so it needs a garage at least 22 to 24 ft deep to leave walking space in front of the bumper.
Door construction, sections and weight
- Sections: a 7 ft sectional door is usually four 21 in sections; an 8 ft door is four 24 in sections or five shorter ones.
- Thickness: uninsulated single-layer steel doors are thin pans; insulated doors are commonly about 1 3/8 in (polystyrene) or about 2 in (polyurethane foam) thick.
- Weight: a 16 × 7 ft steel door weighs roughly 130 to 250 lb depending on insulation and gauge, and solid wood doors can weigh considerably more. The torsion springs carry that weight, which is why spring work is best left to a trained technician.
- Wind rating: in hurricane-prone areas, local codes require doors rated for the design wind pressure, and wider doors need heavier reinforcement struts.
How to measure a garage door opening
- Width: measure the finished opening between the side jambs at their narrowest point. This is the door width you order.
- Height: measure from the floor to the underside of the header in the center and at both sides. Floors often slope toward the door, so use the largest figure and let the bottom seal take up the difference.
- Headroom: measure from the top of the opening to the lowest obstruction above it (ceiling, joist, pipe or duct).
- Side room: measure from each side of the opening to the nearest wall or obstruction.
- Backroom: measure from the opening back to the far wall or the first obstruction, such as a light fixture or storage rack.
A garage door is made to the opening size itself, unlike a hinged entry door, whose rough opening is larger than the slab (see standard door sizes). For a quick comparison of door and window standards, see doors and windows.
Frequently asked questions
Will a full-size pickup fit through a 7 ft tall garage door?
Usually yes. Most stock full-size pickups are about 75 to 80 in tall, and a 7 ft door gives 84 in. Lifted trucks, roof racks, ladder racks and some heavy-duty models exceed it, so measure the truck's highest point and choose an 8 ft door if it is within about 3 in of 84 in.
Is an 8 ft wide garage door big enough?
For a compact or midsize car, yes. An 8 ft (96 in) door leaves about 13 in per side for a 70 in wide car. With an 80 in wide full-size pickup it leaves only 8 in per side before mirrors, which is tight; a 9 ft door is the better choice for trucks and large SUVs.
Is it better to have one double door or two single doors?
A 16 ft double door costs less and leaves an unobstructed opening for wide items. Two 9 ft doors need about 20 to 22 ft of wall with a center post, but each opening frames one car, a failed opener or spring only stops one bay, and less heat escapes when one door opens.
How tall should a garage ceiling be for an 8 ft door?
A standard-lift 8 ft door with torsion springs needs about 12 in of headroom above the opening, so the ceiling should be at least about 9 ft (108 in). Low-headroom track kits reduce the requirement to roughly 4 1/2 to 9 in, depending on the design.
What size is a UK single garage door?
Older UK single garages usually have a 7 ft × 6 ft 6 in (2134 × 1981 mm) up-and-over door. Newer homes and replacements are often 8 × 7 ft (2438 × 2134 mm), which better suits modern car widths.