What Is the Average Garage Door Size?

If you’re building a new home or adding a new garage, a key factor to consider is the size of the garage door. While there are a couple of standard garage door sizes, the ever-expanding world of custom homebuilding and designing a garage that accommodates large SUVs, boats, trucks, RVs and motorcycles gives homeowners additional options.


Clopay Reserve Limited Edition Series Carriage House Garage Doors

The standard garage door width and height can vary by where you live, but is usually:

• 8 feet wide by 7 feet tall, or 9 feet wide by 7 feet tall for a single car garage door
• 16 feet by 7 feet for a double garage door

However, with custom builds you’ll find the standard garage door size is slightly taller with 9-by-8 single doors and 16-by-8 double doors. In fact, in Florida, it’s common to see a 10-foot garage door on custom homes.

 

How to Measure for a New Garage Door

Most Clopay garage doors, such as those from the Gallery®, Classic™ and Avante™  collections, can reach heights of 12 feet or taller. If you want a door taller than 12 feet, be sure to speak with your local Clopay dealer for the available options.


Clopay Avante Collection Garage Door with White Laminate Glass Courtesy of @backwoods_perch

View Avante Collection Garage Doors

Single Garage Door vs. Double Garage Door

If you have the opportunity to choose between a double garage door or two single garage doors, there are a few things to keep in mind. Fortunately, cost isn’t one of them as the expense for two single doors is nearly the same as a double door. However, you will have to pay for two automatic garage door openers (and the subsequent maintenance) if desired.

Your garage door plays a major part in the overall look of your home’s exterior—especially if it faces the street. From a design perspective, two single doors can help break up the expanse and bring a bit more balance to the aesthetic. Also, a single door’s smaller opening can help with energy efficiency by reducing the hot/cold air flow into the garage every time it’s opened.

Clopay Coachman Collection Carriage House Style Garage Doors

View Coachman Collection Garage Doors

The size of your garage can end up determining which type of door will work best. You typically need a wider garage (around 22 feet) to feature two single doors, where a double door can work with a smaller garage (18 feet). A double garage door provides extra space to get in and out of the car if needed, as well as room for an oversized vehicle. Of course, if you have your heart set on two single doors AND a large car, consider expanding the size of each door to 9-by-8 in order to give you plenty of room.

Garage Door Size Considerations

Is bigger always better? That depends, but with garage doors there are practicalities to consider with bigger doors. For starters, a larger door weighs more and will require a track, hardware and automatic opener made to support the weight. Also, stretching out the door’s proportions can alter its appearance, making the style you initially selected look different than what you see in the brochure.


Clopay Coachman Collection Carriage House Style Garage Doors

For instance, carriage house garage doors which are found in several Clopay collections including the Canyon Ridge® and Coachman®  are dramatically impacted by a door’s height.

This is especially true if you have two different door heights side by side on the garage, such as a 10 foot by 8 foot door next to an 8 foot by 8 foot door.


Clopay Canyon Ridge Limited Edition Garage Doors Courtesy of Cortina Crafted and Ultra Lite Doors

To help you get a sense of what a larger door will look like, Clopay’s Quick Draw tool allows you to enter your desired door dimensions, select a style and view a rendering. But before you order a door with extended height, be sure to talk with a local Clopay dealer who can help make any necessary design adjustments or recommendations.

Try Our QuickDraw Garage Door Tool

Windows can also look odd in the top section of a 10- or 12- foot tall door. One solution is to place windows in the second or third section from the top of the door instead, or even add a second row of windows to balance out the overall design.

Regardless of the height and width of the garage door, the construction, insulation, WindCode® and finish options remain the same. To get a sense of what different garage doors will look like, use Clopay’s Door Imagination System to upload a photo of your home and “try on” different door styles.