Find out what garage door size is best for you...
Garage Door Sizes
During the process of purchasing and installing garage doors, there are various ways in which the different sizes are expressed, sometimes confusing what the sizes actually mean with the structural opening that they are fitting into.
For example, up and over garage doors are ordered by the sizes of the internal dimensions for the fixing sub frame, whether that is a timber or steel box section sub frame. You will see a mixture of the use of imperial and metric size references; be aware that a lot of the imperial size references are not always exactly the same as the millimetre sizes, and are often near as possible for a rounded reference.
Reveal Fitting
When you are installing in-between a structural opening (reveal fitting), the measurements are extremely important, and most people have steel sub frames, as they offer considerably better performance, there isn’t even the option of planning down the timber frame if it is a bit tight in the opening; it either fits or it doesn’t, and you should always allow a tolerance for fitting.
Return Fitting
When you are installing behind the opening (return fitting) as an internal face fit, and if the garage door is a roller, sectional or sliding round the corner type, then the measurements are perhaps not quite as critical. This is because the door panels don’t go through the structural opening during operation. This is where there can be flexibility with the standard or non-standard sizes.
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INBETWEEN, Reveal Fitting |
BEHIND, Return Fitting |
Standard Sizes
Standard garage door ordering sizes are generally references to an exact but rounded feet and inches sizing. For example, a 7’ x 7’ door is standard and then a 7’6” width is also standard and the ordering widths increase by 6” increments until around 10’ wide, and they then go up in feet increments
The height is a similar system but with less options and a few anomalies too.
As most garage door manufacturers are either German, Dutch or Italian, there are also some ‘European’ metric standard sizes. For example, if you refer to the brand Hormann, they have metric sized sectional doors going up in 125mm increments on the widths and heights available. So, 2250mm wide will have 2375mm as the next standard size available.
Cut-to-Order Sizes
This is really only a reference to the ordering sizes available for the ‘Sectional’ garage door where a standard size is taken and the panel is either cut down in the width and/or the height to cater for a smaller size requirement. Obviously this isn’t limitless as the weights and panel designs come into play, so it is often relatively small cuts in order to accommodate the entire door within a specific opening size. This cut down option is only possible on the double skinned steel sectional doors as the panel design allows sections to be sliced away without compromising the door panel integrity.
However, a cut to size sectional door will more often than not have compromises in the door design. For instance, if you cut 100mm off the height this will be on the top panel only, and if the door has several horizontal grooves as the design it may fall on an uneven cut-off at the top.
The worst potential design faux pas will come from a door with a Georgian panel design. The balance for the panelled design can look wrong and defective as the space around the Georgian panels is not even, so beware and check if this is important before deciding on a ‘cut-down’ sectional door. In this case, it would certainly be advised to look into a purpose-made garage door.
Purpose Made Sizes
This is exactly as it says: purpose-made to perfectly suit the opening. If the manufacturer has a proper purpose made facility, the door will always be completely balanced in its design, with evenly spaced panels in the case of a sectional door for example.
All roller garage doors are purpose made as standard.
Side Hinged and Up and Over doors can be purpose made for a perfect fit, or when there are no standard sizes anywhere near the sizes required. It isn’t always possible to have literally any size within the parameters of many doors, but for sectional and roller doors it is possible.
If you want to maximise your opening, or require a door that looks perfectly flush in its presentation, then always look towards purpose made sizes as they are usually not a lot more than a standard size in regards to price. Always beware of companies that may be trying to shift some standard size stock doors, you may regret the results when a purpose made door is available too, giving you the best drive-through dimensions when size may be critical on smaller sized doors.
For further advice on the best size doors for your garage, please give us a call with some structural opening dimensions and we will be happy to advise accordingly. You can reach us on 01933 229135.
