Standard Garage Door Sizes and How to Pick the Right One for Your Home
Be like Goldilocks and find the perfect fit for your garage
Highlights
Take your car’s height into account to ensure it can pass through the doors comfortably.
Measuring the depth of your garage will determine if there’s enough space for the door to open and close.
For most standard options, garage door costs range from $750 to $1,670.
Whether you're building a new garage or renovating an older one, it's helpful to understand the standard garage door sizes available. There are many factors to consider before buying a garage door, like whether it will comfortably fit all your vehicles and suit your garage size well. Get to know popular garage door sizes to decide which will fit seamlessly into your abode.
What Size Garage Door Do I Need?
Which size garage door you need will depend on the dimensions of your existing garage—and whether or not you’re remodeling it to make it larger or smaller—as well as how many cars you have and how large they are. For instance, you’ll be limited to certain standard widths if you have a one-car sized garage, but you’ll have more flexibility to experiment with a longer door in a two-car garage.
Garage Door Sizes by Type
There are many different types of garage doors, and they vary in how they function and what they're made of. For this guide, what we mean when we refer to "garage door types" is the number of cars that can fit through it, like a one-car or two-car garage.
| Garage Door Type | Standard Heights (Feet) | Standard Widths (Feet) |
|---|---|---|
| One-car | 7–8 | 8–10 |
| Two-car | 7–8 | 12–20 |
| Three-car | 7–8 | 24–36 |
| RV | 10–14 | 10–14 |
Single-Car Garage Door Dimensions
Single-car garage dimensions often have enough space for a door that ranges from 7 to 8 feet in height and 8 to 10 feet in width.
Two-Car Garage Door Dimensions
While a two-car garage door will be roughly the same height as a one-car garage door, its width can vary greatly. Two-car garage door dimensions can have a width of anywhere from 12 to 20 feet.
Three-Car Garage Door Dimensions
While less common, there are standard dimensions for three-car garage doors. They’ll be between 7 and 8 feet in height—like their smaller counterparts—and anywhere from 24 to 36 feet in width.
RV Garage Door Dimensions
As expected, RV garage doors need to be taller and wider than single, double, or triple-car garage doors. The standard height and width for RV garages range from 10 to 14 feet for both.
Standard Garage Door Thickness
The standard thickness of garage doors ranges from ½ inch to 1 inch, and which you choose will depend entirely on personal preference. Adding insulation to a garage door can increase its width an extra ¼ or ½ inch, which won’t have a big impact if your space is already large and can effectively lower your energy bills by better regulating temperatures from season to season.
How to Calculate Garage Door Size
Determining the correct size of your new garage door requires more than simply measuring the opening’s width and height. That’s because you’ll need to account for how far back the door extends into your garage, and factor into the amount of space required to fit an automatic or manual opener and its corresponding machinery. Follow the steps below to guarantee your new addition fits seamlessly with your existing setup.
Measure opening in feet and inches. Use a tape measure to determine the height and width of your garage door opening and write down your findings for easy reference.
Measure side room. There should be a minimum of 3 and ¾ inches on both sides of the door to allow for a spring system installation.
Measure overhead space. The distance between the ceiling and the top of the garage door opening should be at least 10 inches and up to 12 inches to fit the spring systems in manual door openers. Automatic openers may require even more headroom, but ask your contractor if you have any doubts.
Measure garage depth. Garage depth needs to be at least the height of your garage door plus 18 extra inches to enable the door to open manually without any obstructions. Again, additional space may be required for automatic openers.
What to Consider Before Choosing Garage Door Size
Your garage isn’t the only thing that needs to be measured before buying a new garage door. Consider the size of your car and how you use your garage before making a final decision.
Measure Your Vehicles
The height of your tallest vehicle may help you determine how tall your garage door should be. After all, the last thing you want is to scrape your car roof every time you pull out. A minimum height of 7 to 8 feet is enough to allow everything from a mini-van to an SUV to comfortably pass through, but you’ll need up to 12 feet to store something like an RV without issues.
Take Storage Into Account
While it might seem unnecessary to consider garage size when looking for a door, remember that having enough space is crucial. Otherwise, the door may get jammed or stuck when opened or closed. If your square footage is minimal, and you'd like to be able to use your garage for storage, consider remodeling the opening to make it smaller. That way, you can choose a smaller door, and any automatic or manual openers installed won't infringe too much on your storage space.
Factor In Energy and Insulation Needs
It’s important that a garage door fit perfectly into an opening, because even just a ¼ or ½ inch gap can let a draft in, deregulate the temperature of your home, and raise energy bills as a result.
Garage Door Costs
Garage door costs average $750 to $1,670 but can reach up to $7,000 depending on door size and material. The table below illustrates what you can expect to pay for standard garage door dimensions.
| Garage Door Size | Cost Range |
|---|---|
| One-car garage | $500–$2,500 |
| Two-car garage | $750–$4,700 |
| Three-car garage | $1,300–$7,000 |
What to Do If Your Garage Door Is the Wrong Size
If you’ve ordered a garage door only to find that it’s not the right size upon delivery, don’t lose hope just yet. Garage doors that are too large may be able to be cut to fit an opening. If that’s not possible, or the door is too small, ask a contractor from a local garage door company about reframing the opening, as going this route may be less expensive than buying a new door altogether.