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ClearTech Garage Doors

How to Measure for a New Garage Door

Measure the opening's width and height in two places, then the headroom above it, the sideroom on each side, and the backroom into the garage. Those five numbers, plus a note of anything in the way, are what a quote is built on. We confirm every one on site before a door is ordered.

Works for:
Anyone pricing a replacement door or a door for a new garage. You need a tape measure, a notepad, and ten minutes.

Written by the ClearTech Garage Doors team in Winnipeg and checked against manufacturer documentation. Updated .

Garage door opening from inside with the width, height, headroom, sideroom, and backroom shown by dimension arrows

Before you start

  • A tape measure that reaches 5 m (16 ft)
  • Something to write on, or the notes app on your phone
  • Your phone camera for a few photos of the opening and the ceiling

Step by step

  1. Step 1: Measure the width of the opening from the inside edge of one jamb to the inside edge of the other. Do it near the floor and again near the top. Measure the opening itself, not the old door, which may be narrower or wider than the hole it sits in.

    If the two numbers differ, the opening is out of square. Write both down. That matters for the fit, and we'll check it on site.

  2. Step 2: Measure the height from the floor to the underside of the header, again in two places. A sloped or heaved floor is common in Winnipeg, so note the smaller and larger readings.

  3. Step 3: Measure the headroom: from the top of the opening straight up to the lowest thing above it. That might be the ceiling, a beam, a duct, a pipe, or a light fixture. Check it in several spots across the width, because the lowest point is the one that counts.

    Standard torsion-spring hardware needs about 12 inches (30 cm) of clear headroom, and an opener needs a bit more. Low-headroom kits can work down to roughly 4.5 to 6 inches. If your number is under 12, say so and we'll plan for it.

  4. Step 4: Measure the sideroom: from the inside edge of the opening to the nearest wall or obstruction on each side, left and right. Pipes, shelving, and electrical panels count. Take it at a couple of heights.

    Standard tracks need about 3.75 inches (9.5 cm) per side. A wall-mount opener needs more on the side it mounts, around 8.5 inches.

  5. Step 5: Measure the backroom: from the opening straight back along the ceiling to the back wall or the first thing in the way. A sectional door needs its own height plus roughly 18 to 26 inches (45 to 65 cm) to travel back on the tracks, depending on the hardware, and a trolley opener's rail needs more again.

  6. Step 6: Note anything else in the way: an entry door that swings into the sideroom, a water heater, storage racks, where the nearest electrical outlet is, and whether the ceiling is finished. Then take two photos: one of the whole opening from inside the garage, and one looking up at the ceiling above it.

  7. Step 7: Send the numbers and photos with your quote request, or have them ready when we come out. We measure everything again on site before anything is ordered, so you don't have to worry about being out by a fraction.

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Still stuck? Here is what it usually is.

  • You'd rather we did the measuring. The site visit is part of every new door quote, and the measurements we take there are the ones the order is built from.
  • Your headroom is under 12 inches or your sideroom is tight. There are track options for both, and picking the right one is easier in person.
  • The opening isn't square or the floor heaves. We'll decide whether the framing needs work before the door goes in.
  • You're thinking about a wall-mount opener. It changes the sideroom and spring requirements, and we check both on the same visit.

We look at the whole door, not just the part that failed, and tell you plainly what it needs.

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Common Questions

What are the common garage door sizes?

Single doors are usually 8 or 9 feet wide and 7 or 8 feet high. Double doors are most often 16 feet wide and 7 or 8 feet high. We keep 16x7 and 9x7 insulated steel doors in stock. Most manufacturers also build custom widths in 1 or 2-inch steps and heights in 3-inch steps, so an odd opening isn't a problem, it just means an ordered door and a longer lead time.

Does the new door have to be the same size as the old one?

It has to fit the opening, which is why you measure the opening rather than the door. If you want a bigger door, the framing has to change, and that's a carpentry job before it's a door job. We can quote both.

My headroom is only 8 inches. Am I stuck?

No. Low-headroom track and spring kits are made for exactly this, and most work down to about 4.5 to 6 inches depending on the hardware. They cost a little more and need a bit of extra care with the opener, which is one reason we confirm the headroom in person.

Sources

This guide was checked against the following manufacturer and industry documents.

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