How to measure your sofa
Use a metal tape measure and measure each part at its widest point, including the arms, legs and any trim.
- Width: from the outside of one arm to the outside of the other.
- Depth: from the front of the seat or arm to the back of the sofa.
- Height: from the floor to the highest point of the back.
Diagonal depth
A sofa that is too deep to go through a door upright will often go through tilted back. To check, you need its diagonal depth:
- Lay a long straight edge, such as a spirit level or broom handle, from the top of the back to the front of the arm.
- Measure from the bottom back corner of the sofa up to the straight edge, taking the shortest distance.
Buying a new sofa? The retailer usually lists the diagonal depth on the product page or can tell you it.
How to measure the doorway
- Width: open the door fully and measure the narrowest gap. That’s usually between the door stop on one side and the open door itself on the other.
- Height: from the floor to the underside of the frame.
- Hallway: if you turn straight after the door, measure the hallway at its narrowest point, allowing for radiators, banisters and coats on hooks.
How the check works
The calculator treats your sofa as a solid box and tries four ways of carrying it: upright, tilted back, on its back and stood on end. For each one it checks the door width, the door height and, if you have one, the turn into the hallway. It then picks the way that leaves the most room.
Turning a corner is usually the tight part. A sofa that slips through a door can still jam when you swing it into a narrow hallway, because its length has to pivot across the corner. The calculator works out the longest sofa that can make that turn at your widths. It also allows for lifting the leading end as you go round, which shortens the sofa’s footprint. It uses the door height as the limit for lifting, so the answer stays on the safe side.
Anything under 3 cm (about an inch) to spare is marked as tight. It may well go, but take it slowly and protect the door frame.
If the sofa clears the door but the turn is too tight on paper, you’ll see “Possibly”. Removal teams often get round turns like this by standing the sofa on end once it’s in the hallway, which works if the ceiling is higher than the sofa is long.
If it won’t fit
- Take the legs off, then measure again without them.
- Take the door off its hinges. You gain the thickness of the door, often 4 cm or more.
- Check whether the arms or back unbolt. Many sofas are designed to come apart.
- Consider a modular sofa, or one that arrives flat-packed.
- If the sofa isn’t bought yet, use the result to pick one that fits.
Frequently asked questions
How much space should I leave around a sofa?
Aim for at least 3 cm (about an inch) on the tightest measurement. That allows for fingers, a little wobble and the fact that tape measures and sofas are rarely exact.
What is diagonal depth?
It’s the narrowest a sofa becomes when you tilt it back. If the diagonal depth is smaller than the door width, the sofa can usually go through tilted, even when its full depth is wider than the door.
Should I measure the door with it open or closed?
Open, as far as it goes. The open door sticks out into the gap, so the space you can use is smaller than the frame. Taking the door off its hinges gets you the full width.
Does it work for stairs?
Not fully yet. A turn on a landing behaves much like a turn into a hallway, so you can enter the stair width as the door width and the landing width as the hallway width. Headroom on stairs is the other thing to check.
Can I use it for an armchair, bed or wardrobe?
Yes. Anything roughly box-shaped works: enter its width, depth and height in the sofa boxes.
Is the answer guaranteed?
No. It’s careful geometry based on your measurements, so it’s only as accurate as they are. Measure twice, and if the result is tight, check with the retailer before you order.