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Doorway width calculator: is it wide enough?
An accessible doorway gives at least 32 in of clear width, measured with the door open 90° from the face of the door to the stop (2010 ADA Standards); 36 in where the opening is more than 24 in deep.
How to measure clear width
- Open the door to 90°, square to the wall.
- Measure from the face of the open door to the stop on the latch side (the strip the door closes against).
- For a doorway deeper than 24 in, like a short passage, the minimum is 36 in.
The door’s own width isn’t the clear width: the open door and the stop both stand in the opening. Measure the clear width rather than going by the door size.
Offset (swing-clear) hinges
Offset hinges swing the door right out of the opening, so the clear width becomes the distance from stop to stop. Measure that too and the calculator shows the gain: in our example, 30 in clear becomes 31.8 in.
Questions
What is the ADA door width?
32 in of clear width minimum, measured with the door open 90° from the face of the door to the stop (404.2.3).
Does a 32 in door give 32 in clear?
No. The open door and the stop take up part of the opening, so the clear width is less than the door’s width. Measure the clear width itself.
How wide for a doorway deeper than 24 in?
36 in clear, for example a short passage or a thick wall.
How can I gain width without rebuilding?
Offset (swing-clear) hinges move the door out of the opening, so the clear width becomes stop to stop. Removing the door is the other quick option.
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