How Wide is a Sliding Glass Door? | A Quick Guide
Introduction
Sliding glass doors can be made of high-strength aluminum alloy profiles and high-transparency glass. They have the advantages of good lighting, space-saving, and smooth opening. After installation, they can improve the transparency of the space and the overall beauty of the facade. They are one of the ideal door solutions for home and commercial spaces. Before installation or purchase, it is very important to understand the standard width of sliding glass doors. This is a prerequisite for ensuring the coordination and unity of its functionality and aesthetics. Whether you are a building developer, space designer, or project door and window procurement person, choosing the right sliding door size is a key link to ensuring project quality.
Next, I will take you through the common standard widths of sliding glass doors, deeply analyze the practical factors that affect door width selection, explore the applicable scenarios and advantages of custom sliding door sizes, and provide practical measurement methods to help you quickly make the right choice in your project, choose the right size, and improve work efficiency.
Standard sliding glass door width
Sliding glass doors are widely used in residential, villa and commercial buildings. Different countries and regions have different size standards. The following lists the more common standard specifications in major markets, based on data from internationally renowned door and window brands and regional building standards. The data comes from authoritative door and window brands and relevant building specifications.
North America (U.S. / Canada)
| Standard Width (mm) | Standard Height (mm) | Application Scenario | Market Source |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1524 (60″) |
2032 (80″) |
Small patios, compact backdoor openings |
Standard option for smaller openings – Pella/Andersen |
|
1829 (72″) |
2032 (80″) |
✅ Most popular size for residential patio/back doors |
Widely adopted by developers for mass housing |
|
2438 (96″) |
2032 / 2438 |
Luxury homes, floor-to-ceiling patio access |
Customizable for premium projects—Milgard/Andersen |
B2B Tip: 72″x80″ is the most common size for housing developments, making sourcing and installation more efficient.
Europe (Germany/France/UK)
| Standard Width (mm) | Standard Height (mm) | Application Scenario | Market Source |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1600 |
2100 |
Apartments, compact balcony openings |
Entry-level models by Rehau and Veka |
|
1800 |
2100 |
✅ Mainstream standard size for homes |
Widely used in EU residential projects |
|
2100–3000+ |
2100–2400+ |
Lift-and-slide systems, large glass wall designs |
High-performance doors—Schüco, Rehau |
📌 B2B Tip: For energy-efficient buildings, lift & slide systems ensure airtight insulation and meet EU thermal requirements.
Australia
| Standard Width (mm) | Standard Height (mm) | Application Scenario | Market Source |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1500 |
2100 |
Small balconies, indoor sliding doors |
Compact models offered by Bradnam’s |
|
1800 |
2100 |
✅ Standard size for residential patio/back doors |
Most commonly used in Australian housing |
|
2100–3000+ |
2100–2400 |
Multi-track systems for open-plan living |
Premium doors for villa or backyard connections |
📌 B2B Tip: Ensure AS2047 certification for wind/water resistance in coastal or high-rise projects.
Factors Affecting Sliding Glass Door Width
1.Space size and layout：
The width of the sliding door should be reasonably designed according to the actual space ratio of the installation area.
In a larger opening (such as a sun room or a living room connected to a balcony), it is recommended to use a sliding door with a wider width (such as a total width of 2000mm to 3000mm or more for double leaves) to enhance the sense of space transparency and expand the field of vision.
For compact spaces such as kitchen partitions or bathroom dry and wet partitions, the width of sliding doors is generally set at 800mm to 1500mm to facilitate flexible opening and use.
Wall length and reserved space for the slide rails and door leaf configuration (such as double, triple, or multi-track) will also affect the final installable width of the sliding door.
2.The usage scenario determines the functional requirements
The width of a sliding glass door varies depending on the usage scenario:
Sliding balcony doors are usually of double-leaf design, with a standard width of between 1600mm and 2400mm, which helps to enhance the lighting effect and promote air circulation.
Indoor partition sliding door (such as study or kitchen) should be combined with the width of the passageway and furniture layout for rational design; the width of a single door is usually between 700mm and 900mm.
Indoor partition sliding door (such as study or kitchen) should be combined with the width of the passageway and furniture layout for rational design; the width of a single door is usually between 700mm and 900mm.
3. Building regulations and safety requirements
Sliding door design must also comply with local building codes and structural safety requirements:
Located on high floors or in areas with strong winds: The sliding door should not be designed to be too wide, and reinforced profiles and thickened track structures should be used to avoid glass vibration or door deformation.
Emergency passages or main entrances must comply with evacuation standards (such as a minimum passage width of no less than 900 900mm~1000mm) to ensure the safety of personnel passage.
Special projects such as hotels, apartments, or large shopping malls usually need to meet energy-saving and air-saving standards for doors and windows, which will have a certain impact on the selection of door width and profiles.
4. Glass size has a direct impact on the stability and safety of sliding doors.
Sliding door widths are often closely related to glass size.
If the size of a single glass is too large, it will increase its own weight and reduce the smoothness of the door leaf, so the performance requirements of the pulley hardware will also be increased accordingly.
It is generally recommended that the glass width of each sliding glass door be controlled between 600mm and 1200mm , and the thickness be selected between 5mm and 12mm, depending on the door structure and track configuration;
For oversized sliding doors, double-layer insulating glass, laminated glass or tempered glass are usually used to improve the overall safety performance and sound insulation effect.
The glass opening size (net size) must also leave enough expansion joints to avoid glass breakage due to temperature difference or displacement.
If you are selecting or customizing sliding glass doors for your project, please contact us. We will provide you with professional design solutions and customized services based on your space characteristics and usage needs.
How to Measure Sliding Glass Door Sizes
Before installing a sliding glass door, the accuracy of the size measurement is the key to ensuring a smooth installation and stable performance of the doors and windows. The following is a practical and universal measurement method that is suitable for most on-site environments:
1. Measure the width of the door opening
Use a steel tape measure to measure the top, middle, and bottom positions of the door opening (between the inner edges of the wall), record the values, and take the minimum value as the final door width to prevent the door from getting stuck or the gap from being too large due to uneven walls.
2. Measure the height of the door opening
Similarly, measure the height of the door opening once on the left, middle, and right sides, from the ground to the top of the door opening, and take the minimum of the three as the door height to ensure that the door leaf runs smoothly and does not scratch the ground after installation.
3. Measure the wall thickness (depth)
Measure the wall thickness between the two sides of the door opening to determine whether it is suitable for installing a single-track, double-track, or multi-track system, as well as the selected doorframe width.
4. Reserve installation error
It is recommended to reserve a gap of 2~5mm on the basis of the width and height dimensions to facilitate on-site fine-tuning and expansion screw fixing to avoid installation difficulties.
To ensure accurate measurements, it is recommended to use a high-precision steel tape measure and have the dimensions double-checked by a professional installer, especially when custom-making sliding glass doors, where accuracy is critical.
