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Internal doors

762mm internal doors (78" x 30")

762mm is the standard internal door width in the UK, written in the trade as 78" x 30" and measuring 1981 x 762 x 35mm. If a British house has one door size fitted more often than any other, it is this one, which is why it is the size most likely to be in stock and cheapest to replace.

The reason 762mm dominates is historic rather than designed. British doors were made to imperial sizes long before metrication, 30 inches was the sensible width for a room door, and the industry simply carried on making the same thing and printing the measurement in millimetres.

That history is why the trade still quotes doors in inches while selling them in millimetres, and why a "78 by 30" and a "1981 x 762" are the same door.

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How to measure your opening

Measure the opening, not the door that is currently in it. The existing door may have been trimmed to fit, may be the wrong size already, or may be hung in a frame that has moved.

  1. Measure the width inside the frame at the top, the middle and the bottom. Old openings are rarely square.
  2. Measure the height on both sides, from the floor covering you will actually have, not from bare boards.
  3. Work from the smallest width and the smallest height you measured.
  4. Allow for the gap around the leaf and for the floor covering under it.
  5. Compare that against the door size, and check the trimming allowance before assuming a slightly large door will do.

How much can you trim?

Every door has a maximum trimming allowance set by its manufacturer, and it is usually a few millimetres per edge on a standard internal door. Exceeding it can cut into the internal frame of the leaf and will generally void the guarantee.

The allowance differs by construction. A solid core door tolerates more than a hollow core one, where the stiles are narrow and there is very little material to lose. Take the figure from the instructions supplied with the door you have bought rather than from a rule of thumb.

Trim evenly. Taking 12mm off one edge and nothing off the other puts the panels or the glazing off centre, and on a panelled door that is immediately visible.

When 762mm is not the answer

If your opening measures around 826mm and the door height is closer to 2040mm than 1981mm, you have a metric opening and a 762mm door will not fill it. If the opening is a bathroom in an older house it is more likely to be 686mm. Measure first; the assumption is right most of the time, which is exactly why the exceptions catch people out.