What is the clearance for a door frame?

Author: Janick Waters  |  Last update: Thursday, October 16, 2025

Door openings shall have a minimum clear opening width of 32 inches; however, if the doorway is more than 24 inches deep, then a minimum clearance of 36 inches is required. The clear opening is measured from the face of the door to the stop of the frame while the door is opened to 90 degrees.

How much space should I leave around a door frame?

Hinge Margin: Space between the door panel and door frame on the hinge side of the door. A standard hinge margin is 1/16", but can vary based upon the hinges used. Strike Margin: Space between the door panel and door frame on the strike, or handle, side of the door. The standard strike margin is 5/32".

How much clearance should be between a door and frame?

There should be a 2mm or 3mm gap between the door and the frame on both sides and the top. If you do need to cut the door down to size, keep in mind that you need to cut all four sides of the door equally whenever possible to retain an accurate shape or pattern if the door is panelled.

What are the rules for door clearance?

Standard fire regulation states that the gap along the top and sides of the door should be no more than 4mm. The gap along the bottom of the door should be 8mm or below.

What is the standard door clearance?

Standard Size for Interior Doors

The height for all passage doors must be a minimum of 80 inches and the standard width sizes for interior doors are 24”, 28”, 30”, 32” and 36”. The minimum recommended door width to allow persons with disabilities' to pass through is 36 inches.

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What is the clearance on a door frame?

A gap of around 1/8th of an inch is recommended for standard doors to keep the elements out, protect the paint on the trim, and ensure that the door closes and opens smoothly. The right amount of space is equal to the thickness of your door with a little extra room for clearance while opening or closing.

What is the proper clearance for a door?

Regardless of the door frame and door con- struction, and the level of fire rating of swinging doors, NFPA 80 limits the maximum clearance dimension between the bottom edges the doors and the floor surface to 3/4-in.

What is the minimum clearance under a door?

One critical aspect to emphasize is the gap between the door and the floor, which should be between a half-inch and three-quarters of an inch for optimal functionality.

What are the ADA rules for door clearance?

Door Clearance
  • Clearance Width: Doorways should provide a clear width of at least 32 inches (815 mm) when the door is open to 90 degrees, measured perpendicular to the doorway. ...
  • Maneuvering Space: The ADA also has requirements for maneuvering space.

What is the size of a standard door frame?

The standard size for a door frame is 80 inches by 36 inches, with the rough opening slightly larger at 82 inches by 38 inches. This standard size can vary depending on how tall are standard doors, the type of door, as well as the specific measurements of your home.

How much space do you need to frame a door?

Getting the rough opening size right the first time, will save you from frustration, when installing your doors. Framing rough opening sizes are really quite simple. Just add 2″ to the width of the actual door size. You should add 2-1/2″ to the height of the actual door.

What is the acceptable door gap?

the gap between the underside of the door and unfinished floor should be between 10mm and 22mm, with the ventilation requirements for the building taken into account when determining the gap beneath internal doors.

What is the minimum clearance on the side of a door opening?

Space at least 60″ deep in front of a door will accommodate a forward approach, except in case of hinge approaches on the pull side. On the pull side of hinge approaches, 36″ minimum latch-side clearance is required if the depth is 60″ minimum (The depth can be 54″ minimum if the latch-side clearance is at least 42″.)

What is the gap between a door and frame called?

Margins (sometimes also called “rebates”) are the spaces between the door and the door frame. These are often important if you're looking at issues with your hinge jamb. Again, these spaces can be broken down into specific types: the hinge margin, strike margin, top (header) margin, and bottom (sweep) margin.

How close can a door frame be to a wall?

When creating a door rough out, the minimum distance from the corner to the door is 3 inches on the rough framed walls. Keep in mind that you are also accounting for drywall, so 4 inches is probably best. You should also allow 4 inches of room for perpendicular walls to allow room for the door jamb, stud and a jack.

How do you close the space between a door and a frame?

There are several options for sealing gaps in your front door:
  1. Felt rolls.
  2. Corner pads.
  3. Sticky foam tape.
  4. Tubular rubber, vinyl, or silicone.
  5. Kerf Weatherstripping.

What is the minimum clearance for a doorway?

The minimum width of each door opening shall be sufficient for the occupant load thereof and shall provide a clear width of not less than 32 inches (813 mm). Clear openings of doorways with swinging doors shall be measured between the face of the door and the stop, with the door open 90 degrees (1.57 rad).

What is doorway clearance?

Door openings shall have a minimum clear opening width of 32 inches; however, if the doorway is more than 24 inches deep, then a minimum clearance of 36 inches is required. The clear opening is measured from the face of the door to the stop of the frame while the door is opened to 90 degrees.

How much clearance do you need for ADA?

The minimum clear width for single wheelchair passage shall be 32 inches (815 mm) at a point for a maximum length of 24 inches and 36 inches (915 mm) continuously.

How much clearance should be between door and frame?

Hold the new door in the frame to see if it needs adjustment. A well fitted door should have a 2mm gap on either side and at the top. The gap at the bottom will depend on the thickness of your flooring/carpet.

What is the ADA door clearance?

If a person approaches the door from the hinge side and must push the door to open, the ADA requires a minimum of 42 inches of clearance on the opening side perpendicular to the doorway and a minimum of 22 inches of clearance on the side parallel to the doorway beyond the latch.

What is the code for the gap under a door?

NFPA 80 currently allows a maximum bottom gap of 3/4 in.

What are the standards for door installation?

solidly, level and plumb. using door/window cramps, or plugged and screwed. at maximum spacing of 600mm and within 150mm of the top and bottom (alternative locations and fixings are acceptable where they provide the same structural stability) using packers at fixing points where required.

How do you measure door clearance?

Measure the width at the top, bottom and middle of the opening. Use the smallest measurement to ensure the door fits properly and has enough clearance to operate without any issues. Measure the height: Measure both sides and the center of the RO from the header to the concrete slab or subfloor.

How much space should I allow for a door?

As a general guide, 5 to 10mm clearance horizontally & vertically is sufficient. This allows sufficient room to plumb, level & square the frame.

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