What Is the Standard Commercial Door Size? Single, Double and Frame Dimensions

The standard commercial door size is 36 inches wide by 84 inches high by 1-3/4 inches thick (915 by 2134 by 44 mm), written 3070 on many door schedules. A pair of doors is two 36 inch leaves in a 72 inch (1830 mm) opening. Accessible entrances are judged by clear opening width, which is narrower than the leaf, so measure the opening before you order.

Standard commercial door size at a glance

Sizes below are the common stock sizes for steel, aluminum and wood commercial doors in Canada. A door is ordered by its nominal size, and the leaf is cut a little smaller than the opening so it can swing.

Residential doors differ. A house door is usually 80 inches (6 ft 8 in) high, and interior slabs are often thinner at 1-3/8 inches. Commercial hardware is made for the thicker slab, which is one reason a residential door does not simply swap into a commercial frame.

What is a commercial door and what is a door schedule?

A commercial door is a door built for buildings open to the public or to staff. That means steel or aluminum construction, a frame made for it, and hardware prepared for heavy daily use. Common types are aluminum storefront doors, hollow metal doors in hollow metal frames, and rear service doors.

A commercial door schedule is the table in a set of drawings that lists every door by number. Each row gives the size as width by height by thickness, plus the material, frame type, swing, hardware set, fire rating and glazing. If your building has drawings, the schedule gives the original size of each opening. If it has none, a property manager can build one in an afternoon by walking the building and recording each opening with the measuring steps below. Either way, a schedule makes quotes comparable and keeps replacements consistent.

Standard commercial door height and thickness

Seven feet (2134 mm) is the usual height. Eight feet appears where ceilings are high or a taller look is wanted. Height is hard to change after the fact, because a taller door needs a taller frame, and that can mean cutting into the wall above. When replacing, match the existing frame height unless the work includes the wall.

Thickness is standard at 1-3/4 inches because the locks, hinges, closers and exit devices are all made for it. A thinner slab will not take the same hardware. How strong a door is depends less on its size than on its construction, such as the steel gauge, the core and the frame. For a deeper look at that, see the commercial door materials guide.

The frame is sized to the wall, not to the door. Its depth, called the throat, must match the wall thickness including any finish. Two frames with the same opening can have different depths, so record the depth too.

Weight is not a standard number. It depends on the size, the skin gauge, the core and the glass. Glass is heavy: it weighs roughly 2.5 kg per square metre for every millimetre of thickness, so a 6 mm lite adds about 15 kg per square metre. The supplier's data sheet gives the weight, and it matters because the hinges, closer and any floor pivot must be sized to carry it.

How wide are commercial double doors?

The usual pair is two 36 inch leaves in a 72 inch opening (1830 mm). Pairs of 30 inch leaves in a 60 inch opening (1525 mm) are used where space is tighter. Wider openings use a removable centre post, called a mullion, so a delivery can pass.

Double doors have an active leaf and an inactive leaf. The active leaf has the lock and the closer. The inactive leaf is held by flush bolts at the top and bottom, or by exit devices on both leaves. Check which hardware you have before ordering a replacement, because the preparation in the door and frame depends on it.

On an accessible route, the safe approach is to make sure the active leaf alone gives the required clear width, and to have the designer or the building department confirm the rule for your opening. A pair that looks wide can still be one narrow leaf in practice.

How accessible-entrance rules change what you can order

The Ontario Building Code (2024 edition) sets minimum doorway widths, power door operators and other details as part of a barrier-free path of travel. It sets the minimum clear width of a doorway on that path at 850 mm, measured with the door in the open position. Clear width is not the leaf width. The door thickness, the stop and the hinge position all take some of it away, so a nominal 36 inch leaf leaves less clear opening than its width suggests.

Three details decide whether a replacement meets the target:

• Hinges. Offset, or swing-clear, hinges move the open door out of the opening and win back some clear width.
• Threshold. The code limits how high a threshold may stand above the floor, at 13 mm. A raised sill or a worn weatherstrip carrier can break that.
• Operators. Power door operators are part of the barrier-free rules for entrances. They add arms, controls and often a different frame preparation, so check whether your entrance is covered.

When you replace a door, current rules usually apply to the new work. Check with your municipality's building department before you order, and see the Ontario Building Code requirements for commercial doors and the accessibility compliance guide. The right figure for your building depends on its use and the edition in force, so this article is not a substitute for that check.

How to measure an existing opening for a replacement door and frame

Older plazas and storefronts are often out of square, so measure more than once.

1. Width. Measure the frame opening at the top, middle and bottom. Use the smallest number.
2. Height. Measure at the left, centre and right, from the floor or sill to the head.
3. Leaf. Record the width, height and thickness of the door itself.
4. Frame. Record the face width, the throat depth and the wall thickness. Note whether it is steel, aluminum or wood.
5. Swing. Note the hinge side and whether the door opens in or out, as seen from outside. Ask the supplier how they define hand, because the term varies.
6. Preparations. Count the hinges and record the lock, closer, exit device and any glass cut-out.
7. Fire label. Look for a metal label on the hinge edge. A labelled assembly keeps its rating only with a compatible frame, hardware and an intact label.
8. Photos. Take wide and close photos, with a tape in view.

For a repair-or-replace choice, the repair vs replace guide covers the frame, leaf and hardware together.

When to have a pro measure

Measure yourself to plan a budget. Have someone measure on site before ordering, because a wrong opening size turns a door order into a re-order. D&D Commercial Services handles commercial door repair and installation, and every job starts with a free written estimate listing the scope, materials, timing and access plan. Tell the estimator about any fire-rated doors, accessible entrances and tenant hours, so the work can be scheduled around business hours.

Commercial door size questions owners and managers ask

What is standard commercial door height?

Seven feet, or 84 inches (2134 mm), is the usual height for a commercial door. Eight feet (about 2440 mm) is also stocked for taller openings. A taller door needs a taller frame, so match the existing frame height unless the wall above the opening is being changed too.

How wide are commercial double doors?

The usual pair is two 36 inch leaves in a 72 inch (1830 mm) opening. Pairs of 30 inch leaves in a 60 inch (1525 mm) opening are also common. On an accessible route, check that the active leaf alone gives the required clear width, measured with the door open.

How much do commercial doors weigh?

There is no standard weight. It depends on size, steel gauge, core and glass, and glass adds roughly 2.5 kg per square metre for each millimetre of thickness. Ask the supplier for the weight on the data sheet, since the hinges and closer must be sized to carry it.

What is the thickness of a commercial door?

The standard is 1-3/4 inches (44 mm). Commercial locks, hinges, closers and exit devices are made for that thickness. Residential interior doors are often 1-3/8 inches, which is one reason they do not suit commercial frames and hardware.

Devon Moore, Operations Lead Founder & Operations Lead — D&D Commercial Services

Devon Moore is the founder and Operations Lead at D&D Commercial Services, delivering professional commercial property maintenance across Waterloo Region.