Standard Garage Door Sizes in Calgary & How to Measure

The most common garage door sizes in Calgary are 8 by 7 feet and 9 by 7 feet for single doors, and 16 by 7 feet for double doors. Newer homes increasingly use 8-foot-tall doors, and wider doubles run 18 feet. To measure for a replacement, record the opening width, the opening height, the headroom above the opening, the side room on each side and the backroom behind it.

Measuring takes about 10 minutes with a tape measure and a pencil. The numbers decide which door fits, which track and spring setup it needs, and whether an opener will clear the ceiling. Getting one of them wrong is the usual reason a door order gets delayed.

This guide covers the standard sizes you will see across Calgary, Airdrie, Cochrane, Chestermere and Okotoks, how to take each measurement, and what changes for older homes, newer builds and oversized doors.

What are the standard garage door sizes in Calgary?

Residential garage doors in Calgary come in a small set of widths and two common heights. Single doors are usually 8 or 9 feet wide, and double doors are usually 16 or 18 feet wide. Standard height is 7 feet, with 8 feet increasingly common on newer builds.

Here are the sizes you will meet most often, written as width by height:

• 8 x 7 ft: the older single-car standard
• 9 x 7 ft: the most common single door today, and the easier fit for a modern vehicle
• 10 x 7 ft: a wider single, less common
• 16 x 7 ft: the standard double door
• 16 x 8 ft: a double door for taller openings
• 18 x 7 ft: a wide double, common where the garage was built roomier
• 18 x 8 ft: a wide, tall double on newer or larger homes

Manufacturers such as Clopay, Amarr and Wayne Dalton build their sectional doors in these standard sizes, which is why most replacements ship quickly. A size outside this list is a custom order, and that adds lead time and cost.

Sizes are nominal. A "16 by 7" door is built to fit an opening of about that size, so your tape measure may read a fraction of an inch off. That is normal, and it is why you measure the opening rather than assuming the label.

How wide and tall is a single garage door versus a double?

A single garage door is 8 or 9 feet wide and 7 or 8 feet tall. A double garage door is 16 or 18 feet wide and 7 or 8 feet tall. The width tells you which category you are in: under about 10 feet is a single, 16 feet and up is a double.

The difference matters for more than looks. A double door is a single large panel set that needs stronger springs, and usually two torsion springs rather than one, to balance the extra weight. It also shifts the price category. C Town Doors lists single garage door installation from $2,000 + GST and double garage door installation from $2,550 + GST on the garage door installation page, and the final number depends on the door you pick and the opener and hardware that go with it.

If you are deciding between one wide door and two singles, the trade-offs are different. A double door is a single moving part and a simpler install. Two singles keep one door working when the other fails, and each is lighter. Our guide to single vs double insulated garage doors covers that choice for Calgary homes.

How do you measure a garage door opening?

Measure the width and height of the opening from the inside of the garage, at the narrowest and shortest points. Use the smallest width and the smallest height you find. Write the numbers in feet and inches, not rounded.

Follow these steps:

1. Width. Measure the opening from the inside face of the left jamb to the inside face of the right jamb. Take it at the top, middle and bottom, because jambs are rarely perfectly plumb. Record the smallest.
2. Height. Measure from the floor to the underside of the header, the horizontal board across the top. Take it at the left, middle and right, because floors slope toward the drain or the door, and record the smallest.
3. Check the label. Compare your numbers to the standard sizes above. If you are within an inch or so of 9 by 7 or 16 by 7, that is almost certainly your size.

If you are replacing an existing door, the label is often printed on a sticker on the inside of the bottom panel or on the door's end stile. That sticker can confirm the size, but still measure the opening, because a previous owner may have changed the door or the framing.

What are headroom, side room and backroom, and how much do you need?

Headroom is the clear space above the top of the opening. Side room is the wall space on each side of the opening. Backroom is the depth of the garage behind the door. A standard sectional door needs roughly 12 inches of headroom, about 3 3/4 inches of side room on each side, and the door height plus about 18 inches of backroom.

Those figures are typical and they vary by door model and hardware, so treat them as a starting point and confirm against the spec sheet for the door you choose.

Headroom is measured from the top of the opening to the lowest thing above it, such as the ceiling, a beam, a pipe, a light fixture or a sprinkler. The track curves up and over at the top, and the springs and drum hardware sit in this space. If the headroom is short, a low-headroom hardware kit can sometimes work, but it limits your options.

Side room is where the vertical tracks bolt to the wall. Without enough, the tracks cannot mount flush. Check each side separately, because a pipe, a panel or a framed corner on one side is a common surprise.

Backroom is the length the door travels along the ceiling when open. For a standard door it is roughly the door height plus 18 inches, and an opener adds a little more. A 7-foot door needs about 8.5 feet of clear ceiling depth, and an 8-foot door about 9.5 feet.

What is the rough opening, and does it matter for a replacement?

The rough opening is the framed hole in the wall that the door fits into. For a straight replacement it is the opening you already have, so you match the existing door size and do not change the framing. For a new build or a size change, the rough opening has to be framed to suit the new door, with a jamb on each side and a header above.

Most Calgary replacements are straight swaps, so the rough opening is already set. The job is to measure it accurately and pick the standard size that fits it.

If you want a bigger door in the same wall, such as going from 8 feet wide to 9, the framing has to change. That means moving the jambs, and possibly reinforcing the header, which is a carpentry job beyond the door itself. Ask about it before you order the door, not after.

What sizes do older and newer Calgary homes have?

Older Calgary garages often have 8 by 7 foot single doors and 16 by 7 foot doubles, built when vehicles were smaller. Newer builds more often have 9-foot singles, 16 or 18-foot doubles, and 8-foot-tall doors, because larger trucks and SUVs need the clearance.

This is a general pattern and not a rule, so measure rather than assume. A few things are worth knowing:

• Older homes may have a smaller opening than any current standard, or a hand-built opening that is a little out of square. A custom size is sometimes needed.
• Newer builds often have taller ceilings, which leaves room for an 8-foot door and better headroom for a high-lift track.
• Truck owners in any age of home often find a 7-foot door tight with a roof rack or a lifted pickup. An 8-foot door is worth pricing if the framing allows it.

If a door does not fit any standard size, it is a custom order. That is more expensive and slower, so confirm your measurements twice before any order goes in.

Can you get an oversized or RV garage door in Calgary?

Yes. Oversized and RV doors are built to order, commonly 10 to 14 feet tall and 10 to 14 feet wide for a single bay, though exact sizes vary by manufacturer. They need more headroom, stronger springs and a track system designed for the extra height, and the framing and header have to carry it.

An RV door is not just a taller version of a standard door. The track is longer, the hardware is heavier and the opener needs to be rated for the weight. Because it is a made-to-order size, the lead time is longer than for a standard door.

Before you plan one, check three things. First, the structure above the opening has to support a taller header. Second, the ceiling inside needs enough clear height for the track to rise. Third, the opener has to suit the door weight. A site visit is the reliable way to confirm all three, since it comes down to your specific framing.

Can you replace a garage door without a site visit?

You can get a rough idea from your measurements, but a site visit is how the size is confirmed. We measure the opening, check headroom, side room and backroom, and look at the framing before the door is ordered. That catches a short header, an obstruction or an out-of-square opening that a tape measure from the driveway would miss.

If you want to start on your own, take the width, height, headroom, side room and backroom measurements above and have them ready when you call. They help narrow down the size and the hardware, and the installer confirms them in person.

Replacing a door also usually means checking the springs, cables and opener. Our guide on what a professional overhead garage door installation includes lists what is covered. If the opener is also on the table, the opener installation cost guide explains what to expect.

Get your garage door measured in Calgary

If you have your measurements and want to know which door fits, C Town Doors will confirm the size and quote the install. We serve Calgary, Airdrie, Cochrane, Chestermere and Okotoks, and we are licensed, bonded and fully insured.

See the garage door installation page for what we install and how it is priced, or read the garage door replacement cost guide if you are still deciding whether to replace. When you are ready, contact us or call (403) 668-6686.