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Sectional garage doors are available in a far wider range of sizes, including purpose made sizes up to 8000mm, so measuring and ordering is relatively easy once you understand the additional dimensions over and above the door ordering sizes.
Important:
ALL sectional garage doors are ordered by the internal dimensions of the steel fixing frame opening and all sectional doors have a steel framework for installation, this must always be taken into account.
Do not order a 14' x 7' (4267 x 2134) sectional door and expect it to fit INBETWEEN your 14' x 7' garage opening, there is always a fixing sub frame to accomodate as with almost all other garage doors!
Ideally, a sectional garage door is installed BEHIND the structural opening and therefore ideally the ordering size is the smallest measurements taken for the width and the height, however more and more sectional doors are being fitted INBETWEEN the opening and we can accomodate all our sectional doors to fit this way as well.
i.e. Measure your opening at 2286mm wide and 2125mm high and this is the ordering size for the sectional door. You must measure the inside faces of the structural opening including the internal headroom above the lintel/RSJ and also measure into the garage as a sectional door will some a lot further into the garage than an up and over door. You can download our sectional door ordering form to assist in this process. (see bottom of page)
The tracks that the door slides up in will curve a full 90 degrees and enter the garage horizontally so you require headroom for this and depth for the tracks.
The headroom required will also vary from different manufacturers and sizes of door. Most sectional garage doors are installed behind (inside) the garage opening to maximise drive through dimensions and most have quite large space requirements for the frame legs and the height required for the curved part of the track the door panels move in. However, because a sectional garage door does not go through the opening it is possible to install sizes larger and smaller than your actual opening on the width and height. Very rarely will a standard size sectional door be the exact size when replacing an old door. A lot of sectional doors have to be installed IN-BETWEEN the structural opening for various reasons and most leading manufacturers will now offer an additional fitting kit of braces to make this possible with the added option of trimming sections to help match the door frame and finish.
Generally, most sectional domestic garage doors require 90mm each side for installation and between 100 and 210mm of headroom above the top panel of the door for the headroom. (Check each manufacturer carefully before committing). A sectional door will also come into your garage a lot further on the horizontal rails, so it is essential you have clear room at least the height of the door plus a further 350 - 600mm (on average) into the garage.
Summary for Ordering: The ordering size for sectional garage doors is always the daylight frame opening size (allow for the fixing frame dimnsions and springs in your calculations)
Please also refer to the 'measuring tab' shown in our online shop for each sectional door when specifying and placing your order. If you have any doubts please contact us for verification.
Our online ordering system will also provide you with a confirmation order and drawing to check before we actually order your sectional door.
A timber sub frame can also used to create a reveal structure if you do not have piers to install behind.
Hormann, Garador, GDO, Seceuroglide and Carteck do offer an inbetween fitting kit for this purpose as well with additional cover profiles to close up any gaps and trim up the sides and head section.
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