When you buy an iron front door, the entry size is the most vital thing to consider. Supposed you are building a new home, how big do you need to leave the opening to accommodate the iron door you chose? What is the standard size in the market? You will get the answer from this article.
Generally, a front entry door meets 2 purposes: One is to meet the local building code, and the other is to allow easier moving objects into or out of the home.
According to chapter R311.4.2 Door Type and Size from IRC (International Residential Code), the building code requires an entry door of the house should be at least 36″ wide by 80″ high.
This building code is set according to people’s body; it should be convenient for people comes in and out easily. The average shoulder width for men in the USA is at least 16″, and a 36″ wide door offers a 10″ space on each side of the body for the arm’s activity of an entering man. Even for a person on a wheelchair, he can get himself through the 36″ wide entry door without any assistance.
Based on the study of hundreds of people, NCD Risk Factor Collaboration offers a table showing the average men’s heights from 15 countries; the average height is about 72″, and an 80″ high door will let most people get through easily.
In the iron doors shop, you can see the door width differs from 36″ to 98″, and the height differs from 80″ to 138″.The common front door size in American homes is 36 inches wide by 80 inches tall and 2 inches deep. These dimensions only fit for those lighter doors, such as fiberglass doors. When it comes to iron doors, the standard size is different. For example, the standard size of a single entry door will be 42″ wide by 84″ high and 6″ deep; For a double entry door, the measurement of 72″ wide by 96″ high and 6″ deep is most popular. Let’s discuss the width, height, and depth one by one.
The standard width of single doors: 42″
The standard width of double doors: 72″
The width of the iron front door varies from 36″ to 108″; the wider, the more sunlight you can get. The most popular width is 42″ for single doors and 72″ for double doors.
Even though the rough opening is the same, you still need to decide to buy a single door or a double door; the dimensions for a single door will be different from a double door. For example, a 6 x 8 wrought iron door can be two 36″ single iron door leaves to make a double door or a 42″ single iron door with two 12″ sidelights.
Coming to the height of the iron doors, we should think about the shape of the iron doors because the shape of the entry door will affect its height and how it fits your house. There are 3 standard shapes for iron doors:
Each shape will have a different height. Square top doors, whether they are single or double doors, the standard height is 84″. Eyebrow top doors have 84″ height for single doors and 96″ height for double doors. Among these three shapes, arched tops are the tallest ones, they are typically 108″ high for double doors and 96″ high for single doors. At Home Best Iron Doors, we can make any shaped door fitting the right height of your house. All you need to consider is which shape you like best.
Most wrought iron doors’ frame or jamb is about 2″ thick. The depth is exactly the frame or jamb width; it needs custom-made jamb depths to match different house foundations in the market; there are four options:
The jamb can affect the security of your home and bear the door’s weight. Its depth can vary depending on the materials used. Wood doors usually have a 2″ or 4″ jamb depth, while iron doors will need a deeper and more robust frame to stand its heavier weight, 6″ depth is the most popular measurement for an iron front door.
Another factor in deciding the door depth is the thickness of the wall where the door will be installed. You should know the wall thickness to ensure choosing the right jamb depth fit your home for the best result. A 4″ deep jamb fits best on 2 x 4 wall studs, while a 6″ deep jamb will fit for 2 x 6 wall studs. Sure, you can consider an 8″, even 10″ deep jamb for much more security to your home. But, for interior iron doors, if the wall is 4′ thick, a 4″ deep jamb is a better choice for saving money.
If you need a universal standard dimension for iron doors, single doors will be 42 “*84″ with a 6” deep jamb, while double doors will be 72 “*96″ with a 6” deep jamb. You can see it according to the following table.
If you want to add a transom above your double iron door, you’d better think about its shape as well. The straight top door will be the easiest one to add transom above among the three basic top shapes. Transoms also have different shapes; if you set a transom above an arched or eyebrow top door, it is better to make the transom follow the door’s shape for the harmonious style of the whole door.
The width of the transom is absolutely the same as the door. For transom height, these are the common measurements: 12″, 16″, 20″, 24″, and 36″; To match the door better, the standard height of the transom will be half of the door’s width, which means the transom will be a half-circle. For example, the standard height for its matched transom should be 36″ high for a 72 “*96” double door.
The rough opening refers to the dimension of the entryway before the door frame is installed. It is advised to be approximately one inch larger than the total dimension of the iron entry door you are going to install. Leaving the right rough opening size will make the installation much simpler and easier, thus saving the installation cost.
At Home Best Iron Doors, customization is workable; we can make any shaped door fitting the right size of your house. All you need to consider is which shape you like best. Contact us for a custom iron door now!
We will contact you within one working day, please pay attention to the mails from samken2000@gmail.com.
Note: Your email information will be kept strictly confident