Is there a standard garage door size?
Not one fixed size. Makers publish ranges and build the door to suit the opening, so the useful numbers are the limits of each range and the room the door needs around it.
Steel-Line sorts its roller doors into series by opening width, so the width you measure decides the series. B&D makes its Series 1 Roll-A-Doors up to 3150mm wide, counting the curtain overlap, and up to 3000mm high depending on the model.
Size limits the makers publish
| Size | Whose figure | |
|---|---|---|
| Roller door openings, A series | 750mm to 3430mm wide | Steel-Line |
| Roller door openings, AA series | 3435mm to 5500mm wide | Steel-Line |
| Series 1 Roll-A-Door | Up to 3150mm wide and 3000mm high | B&D |
| Panelift sectional door | Up to 3.415m high | B&D |
| Panelift Icon sectional door | Up to 3.99m high | B&D |
| Sectional door against its opening | At least 25mm wider each side and 30mm taller | Steel-Line |
Double garage door size: what changes as the door gets wider
A wider door asks more of the opener. Several roller door openers are rated by door area, so multiply width by height: Gliderol's Rollamatic GEN II suits residential roller doors up to 12 square metres and its Glidermatic Dual up to 16, and Steel-Line rates its roller door opener for single or double doors up to 16 square metres.
Weight climbs with size as well. Steel-Line says a sectional door can approach or exceed 200kg, and its SD1500 Pro opener moves from belt drive to chain drive for doors from 210 to 250 kg.
Measuring your garage door opening
Width
Measure across the opening from one side wall to the other. Steel-Line's sectional doors overlap the opening, so the door ends up a little bigger than the hole.
Height
Measure from the floor to the top of the opening. Steel-Line's own example is a 2130mm high opening taking a 2160mm high sectional door.
Headroom
Measure from the top of the opening up to the ceiling or the lowest beam. This is the space a roller door's roll or a sectional door's track has to fit into.
Side room
Measure the wall beside the opening on both sides. On Steel-Line's AA series roller doors, the room needed goes from 125mm by hand to 150mm with an opener.
Depth
For a sectional door, measure back from the opening along the ceiling. B&D's guide allows 3374mm for doors up to 2400mm high and 4164mm for taller ones, with its ceiling opener and rail fitted.
Servicing single and double doors
Springs are rated in cycles whatever the width. B&D rates its Roll-A-Door springs at 30,000 cycles and its Panelift springs at 10,000, and says a Roll-A-Door opened and closed five times a day lasts over 15 years.
Two single doors mean two sets of springs and two openers to service, while one double door has one of each. Either way, keep to the warranty's servicing: Steel-Line's cover is invalidated without at least an annual service by Steel-Line or an approved service partner.
What we would do
Write down all five measurements, width, height, headroom, side room on both sides and depth, and keep them handy. The first conversation with the door specialist then starts from real numbers rather than a guess, and any model that will not fit drops out straight away.