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Measurement

Measurement
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Door opening measurement guide

This guide summarizes common industry practices for measuring door openings. Always verify final rough-opening requirements with the hardware or pocket-frame manufacturer you'll use and your local building codes.

▶ Prefer a visual walkthrough? Watch our step-by-step video tutorial on how to measure a door opening.

? If you have any questions about measurements, contact us - we will take accurate measurements.

Swing Doors

Single & Double

Barn doors

Single & Double

Bypass doors

Surface Sliding

Pocket doors

Single & Double

Closet Bypass Doors

In-Frame Sliding

Bi-fold doors

Single & Double

Swing Doors – Single & Double

A — height

Measure the finished floor to the underside of the header. Check in three places and use the smallest measurement.

B — width

Measure the clear wall-to-wall distance (width). Check at top, middle, and bottom and use the smallest measurement.

C — +2"

For a single swing interior door, the typical rough opening (R.O.) ≈ nominal door size + 2" in width and + 2" in height (to accommodate jambs, shims, and head clearance).

For a slab replacement into an existing frame, the opening must match the inside jamb dimensions, not nominal size.

Recommended rough opening for a 36" x 80" swing door:

R.O. width = 36" + 2 " = 38"
R.O. height = 80" + 2" = 82"

Recommended rough opening for a 72" x 80" double swing door (two 36" x 80"):

  • R.O. width ≈ 72" + 2 1/2" = 74 1/2"
  • R.O. height ≈ 80" + 2" = 82"
  • Leave solid framing on the strike/hinge sides for shimming (about 3/4" each side)

Pic 1. Recommended rough opening for a 36" x 80" swing door:

R.O. width = 36" + 2 " = 38"
R.O. height = 80" + 2" = 82"

Pic 2. Recommended rough opening for a 72" x 80" double swing door (two 36" x 80"):

  • R.O. width ≈ 72" + 2 1/2" = 74 1/2"
  • R.O. height ≈ 80" + 2" = 82"
  • Leave solid framing on the strike/hinge sides for shimming (about 3/4" each side)

Barn Doors – Single & Double (Surface Sliding)

A — height & width (single door)

Measure the finished opening (trim to trim) that the door will cover: width and height.
For surface-sliding barn doors, the door should overlap the opening: typical door size = opening width + about 2" 
(1" overlap each side) and opening height + about 1".

B — height & width (double door)

For a pair (double) barn doors, split the total door width into two equal leaves (each leaf ≈ opening/2 + 2"). .

Recommended slab size for a 36" × 80" opening (single barn):

Single barn door: 36" × 80" slab (covers a 34" × 79" opening with 1" overlap on each side and 1" at the top).

Recommended slab size for a 72" × 80" opening
(double barn):

  • Double barn doors: two leaves 36" × 80" each
(total 72" width) - 70" × 79" opening
  • Track length: at least 2× the single-door width (≈ 72"); 
for pairs, 2× leaf width.

Pic 1. Recommended slab size for a 36" × 80" opening (single barn):

Single barn door: 36" × 80" slab (covers a 34" × 79" opening with 1" overlap on each side and 1" at the top).

Pic 2. Recommended slab size for a 72" × 80" opening
(double barn):

  • Double barn doors: two leaves 36" × 80" each
(total 72" width) - 70" × 79" opening
  • Track length: at least 2× the single-door width (≈ 72"); 
for pairs, 2× leaf width.

Bypass Barn Doors (Surface Sliding)

A — height & width

Measure the finished opening you want to close (trim-to-trim): width and height.
Rule of thumb: each door width ≈ (opening width / 2) + 2". 
Height ≈ opening height + 1" (to cover the top reveal).

B — width of the doors

In a bypass set, two (or more) doors slide past each other
on parallel tracks, so each door should be wider than half
the opening for proper overlap.

Recommended door sizes for a 72" × 80" opening
(two-panel bypass barn):

  • Each door ≈ 36" wide × 80" tall.
  • Track length usually equals opening width (≈ 72"); check your specific hardware kit.

Example dimensions for a bypass system:

The width of each door must be greater than half the opening - for example, with an opening width of 64/2=32", the width of each door is 36".

Pic 1. Recommended door sizes for a 72" × 80" opening
(two-panel bypass barn):

  • Each door ≈ 36" wide × 80" tall.
  • Track length usually equals opening width (≈ 72"); check your specific hardware kit.

Pic 2. Example dimensions for a bypass system:

The width of each door must be greater than half the opening - for example, with an opening width of 64/2=32", the width of each door is 36".

Pocket Doors – Single & Double

A — single pocket

Common single-pocket R.O. formula:
R.O. width ≈ 2 × door slab width + 1".
R.O. height ≈ door height + 4½" (track, header and clearance).

B — double pocket

For double pockets that meet in the middle, you’ll frame two mirror single pockets sharing a center opening.

Example R.O.: single pocket for one 36" × 80" door:

R.O. ≈ 73" (2×36 + 1) × 85" (80 + 4½").

Example R.O.: double pocket (two 36" doors meeting):

Overall R.O. width ≈ 145" (two single pockets), R.O. height 84½". If you instead want a finished clear opening of 72" after installation, you’ll still need the wider R.O. to house
the pockets.

Pic 1. Example R.O.: single pocket for one 36" × 80" door:

R.O. ≈ 73" (2×36 + 1) × 85" (80 + 4½").

Pic 2. Example R.O.: double pocket (two 36" doors meeting):

Overall R.O. width ≈ 145" (two single pockets), R.O. height 84½". If you instead want a finished clear opening of 72" after installation, you’ll still need the wider R.O. to house
the pockets.

Closet Bypass Doors (In-Frame Sliding)

A — width & height

Measure the finished jamb-to-jamb opening (width) and the finished floor-to-header height. Check measurements in several places.

B — typical sets

Typical sets for a 72" opening use two 36" doors with adjustable rollers. Finished opening height commonly 80½"–81" for standard 80" doors, depending on the track kit.

Recommended opening for a 72" × 80" closet bypass set:

  • Finished opening width = 71";
  • Finished height ≈ 82 1/2" (varies by kit).

The set includes two 36" × 80" panels.

Pic 1. Recommended opening for a 72" × 80" closet bypass set:

  • Finished opening width = 71";
  • Finished height ≈ 82 1/2" (varies by kit).

Pic 2. The set includes two 36" × 80" panels.

Bi-fold Doors – Single & Double

A — single bi-fold

Measure the finished opening (jamb-to-jamb and floor to header).

B — double bi-fold

For a double bi-fold (left and right), measure the same finished opening then split the width between the two sets. Ensure the header is level so both pairs meet evenly at the center.

Recommended opening for a 36" × 80" bi-fold set
(two 18" leaves):

  • Finished opening width ≈ 36 1/2"; finished opening height ≈ 82 7/8" depending on the track.
  • Typical leaf configuration: two 18" × 80" panels.

Recommended opening for a 72" × 80" double bi-fold
(two 2-panel units meeting in the middle):

  • Finished opening ≈ 73" × 82 7/8"; each bifold unit nominally covers 18" of width.
  • Door leaves are often four 18" × 80" panels total (two per side).

Pic 1. Recommended opening for a 36" × 80" bi-fold set
(two 18" leaves):

  • Finished opening width ≈ 36 1/2"; finished opening height ≈ 82 7/8" depending on the track.
  • Typical leaf configuration: two 18" × 80" panels.

Pic 2. Recommended opening for a 72" × 80" double bi-fold
(two 2-panel units meeting in the middle):

  • Finished opening ≈ 73" × 82 7/8"; each bifold unit nominally covers 18" of width.
  • Door leaves are often four 18" × 80" panels total (two per side).

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