What Are the Standard Sliding Glass Door Sizes?

If you've ever dreamed about peering into your garden from the comfort of your kitchen table, installing a sliding glass door can be the key to making it happen. Patio glass doors open up a space with ample sunlight while creating an easier pathway to and from your yard. Whether you're replacing your current glass sliding doors or are thinking about transforming a wall, here are the standard sliding glass door sizes to keep in mind.

Standard Sliding Glass Door Dimensions

Sliding glass doors range from 60 to 144 inches wide and 80 to 96 inches high. When considering how to measure a door, keep in mind that the width covers the full distance between the outer frames, not just the width of each sliding panel.

Manufacturers stick to standard sizes for doors, windows, and cabinets for good reason. Standard sizes make the process of replacing a sliding glass door easier and offer a wider variety of styles that fit your home's design.

Sliding glass doors come in a few standard widths, heights, and layouts, as well as custom varieties. Let's take a look.

Sliding Glass Door Widths

The width of your sliding glass door will likely come down to how many panels you choose. Two-panel doors are the most common for patios. In this case, one door slides behind the other to open and close. In three-panel doors, the center panel remains in place while the surrounding doors open and close.

Sliding Glass Door Heights

Since the standard ceiling height in a home is between 8 and 10 feet, sliding glass door heights typically fall around 80 inches, or 6-feet 8-inches high. Rooms with high ceilings or those looking for floor-to-ceiling doors may opt for taller glass doors. Taking all this into account, the standard sliding glass door heights are:

• 80 inches tall

• 82 inches tall

• 96 inches tall

Sliding Glass Door Sizes by Number of Panels

2-Panel Sliding Glass Door Sizes

A two-panel sliding glass door is great for patios and other backyard entries. Depending on your home’s size and personal preference, there are a few options to choose from in terms of size. Standard two-panel sliding glass doors are about 72 inches wide and 80 inches tall.

3-Panel Door Sliding Glass Door Sizes

A three-panel sliding glass door is great for use as an entryway to backyards or patios in larger homes or as a room divider. As a standard, these doors are 108 inches wide and 80 inches tall.

4-Panel Sliding Glass Door Sizes 

Four panel sliding glass doors provide wall-to-wall coverage and are most typically seen in very large houses or mansions, given their behemoth size compared to two- and three-panel sliding glass doors. The standard size for the four-panel doors is 192 inches wide and 80 inches tall.

Custom Sliding Glass Door Sizes

On occasion, opting for a custom-sized sliding glass door will be the best option for your home and design. Perhaps you're hoping to transform an entire wall into wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling glass. Older homes may have different-sized holes in the wall as well. Or maybe you're looking to balance your door with existing windows.

In these cases, it's important to call a professional door installer to analyze your space before ordering the door. You may need a frame and panel in a custom size. 

Some custom sizing options for glass sliding doors include:

• Doors with four or five sliding panels

• Bi-fold or telescoping doors

• Frames with built-in lighting

• Doors with adjoining windows

• Doors with adjoining top window

Before you order a new sliding glass door, make sure you have precise measurements for it. Even tiny inaccuracies can lead to big, costly problems, like higher installation costs or the need for more construction work to correct it. 

Here’s how to accurately measure a sliding glass door: 

1. Go outside: Stand outside your home to take all your measurements because you need to measure the whole outer frame of the door, not just the glass panels.

2. Measure the width: Use a tape measure to find the distance from the outer edge of one side of the door frame to the outer edge of the other side. Measure straight across the middle of the door, not the top or bottom.

3. Measure the height: Measure from the bottom of the door sill (the piece you step over) straight up to the very top of the door frame.

4. Write down your measurements: Record the width and height in inches. If you get slightly different numbers in a few spots, use the smallest width and height to make sure the new door will fit.

Tips for Choosing the Right Size Sliding Glass Door

Picking out the right sliding glass door is about more than just filling the space. You want something that fits your home, looks right on the wall, and makes your space easier to live in. Consider the following factors to help you choose the right sliding glass door size for your space. 

• Match your door to your wall space: Make sure the door size feels balanced with the wall it's installed in. For instance, oversized doors can overwhelm a small wall, while undersized doors can look out of place on a large, open wall.

• Think about traffic flow: Wider doors make it easier to move between indoor and outdoor spaces, especially if you often entertain or need to move furniture through the opening.

• Account for ceiling height: If your home has taller ceilings, a standard-height door might look too small. Consider a taller sliding glass door to keep the proportions right.

• Stick with standard sizes if possible: Standard sliding glass door sizes are easier to find, more affordable, and faster to install. Custom doors typically cost more and may require additional construction work.

• Consider how many panels you need: Two-panel doors are usually enough to accommodate most patios. But larger spaces might look better with three- or four-panel doors that open wider and let in more light.

• Plan for future maintenance: Standard-sized doors are easier to repair or replace if needed. Custom sizes may require special orders and longer wait times for parts, so make sure you’re prepared for that if you opt for a custom door.

Cost to Install a Sliding Glass Door

Installing a new patio door costs an average of $2,500 from start to finish. Sliding glass doors cost between $1,300 and $3,000. The size of your sliding glass door will play a role in the door installation cost, both because the frame requires more materials and the glass panels may be larger.

Keep in mind that opting for a standard sliding glass door size is a great way to save money on installation and parts. Not only will the manufacturer have more options of the standard sizes, but your contractor may not have to do additional work to an existing rough opening.

That being said, it's important to choose a door size that fits the aesthetic of your space, and in some cases, this calls for a door outside the standard measurements.