What sizes do roll up doors come in?

Roll up doors do not come in one standard size. They are built to the opening, and each model has a maximum. Self-storage and shed doors usually top out at 10 feet wide by 10 feet high. Light and medium duty commercial roll up doors reach about 12 feet wide by 14 to 16 feet high, and wide medium duty models 18 to 20 feet wide. Heavy rolling steel service doors are made up to 30 feet 4 inches wide by 28 feet 4 inches high as standard sizes, and larger to order. To pick a size, measure the clear opening, then check the headroom above it and the side room beside it.

Roll up door sizes by type

Janus International, a maker of storage and light commercial roll up doors, publishes a comparison chart of its models. The maximum sizes give a good picture of where each class of door stops.

Overhead Door's rolling service door brochure lists standard widths up to 30 feet 4 inches and heights up to 28 feet 4 inches for several models, one model to 65 feet wide by 30 feet high, and custom sizes beyond the standard. It also notes that maximum height and width are independent of each other and change with the slat profile, the material and the steel gauge.

Why a bigger door changes more than the curtain

As a roll up door gets wider and taller, the rest of the door changes with it:

• The barrel grows. On the Janus chart the barrel that the curtain wraps around goes from 9-1/2 inches on storage doors to 12 inches on the larger models, so the coil above the opening needs more headroom.
• The guides get heavier. Guide depth runs from 2 inches on small doors to 4 inches on wind load models, and the steel goes from 18 gauge to as heavy as 12 gauge.
• Wind needs windlocks. Wind load rated doors use windlocks on the slat ends that catch in the guides. Overhead Door's brochure lists wind bars on its doors over 15 feet 4 inches wide.
• Hand operation changes. On the Janus chart, a reduced-drive chain hoist is standard on doors over 10 feet wide or 10 feet high, because a door that size is too heavy to push up by hand. Larger doors go to a chain hoist or an electric operator.
• Spring life is a choice. Overhead Door's standard rolling service door springs are designed for 20,000 cycles, with high-usage packages up to 100,000 cycles for doors that run all day.

How to measure a roll up door opening

1. Width. Measure the clear opening between the jambs at the top, middle and bottom, and use the narrowest reading.
2. Height. Measure from the floor to the underside of the header at both sides and the middle, and use the shortest reading. Note whether the floor slopes, since the bottom bar has to seal along its whole length.
3. Headroom. Measure from the top of the opening to the ceiling, beam or anything else above it. This space holds the barrel, the coiled curtain and the hood. Our guide to rolling steel door headroom explains how much a coil needs.
4. Side room. Measure from each side of the opening to the nearest wall, column or pipe. The guides and the brackets that carry the barrel mount here, and an operator or chain hoist needs room on one side.
5. The wall. Note what the guides and brackets will fasten to: steel, block, concrete or wood framing.

The difference between the framed opening and the door's listed size trips up a lot of orders. See rough opening vs door size for how each is measured.

Common questions

What are the standard sizes for roll up doors?

There is no single standard. Makers build to the opening within each model's maximum, so a storage facility may have doors of several widths on one building. The table above shows where each class of door tops out.

What is the difference between a bay door and a roll up door?

A bay door names where the door is, on a vehicle or loading bay. A roll up door names how it works, with a curtain of slats that coils around a barrel above the opening. A bay door can be a roll up door or a sectional door. For the tradeoffs, see sectional vs rolling steel commercial doors.

Can a roll up door be made to fit an odd-sized opening?

Usually yes, within the model's maximum width and height. Openings past those limits move up to a heavier class of door.

What size is a loading dock door?

Dock doors follow the trailers that back up to them rather than the storage door sizes above. Our page on loading dock door size covers the common dock widths and heights.

How G Brothers helps

G Brothers works on rolling steel doors, rolling grilles and self-storage unit roll up doors across Denver, Lakewood and the metro, and works on self-storage doors regularly. We measure the opening, the headroom and the side room before quoting a door, carry stock on the truck for most repairs and can send a certificate of insurance, usually within 24 hours. See roll up and rolling steel door repair, storage unit door repair or commercial garage door installation, call (720) 421-6489, or contact us to have your opening measured.

Sources

• Janus International, Door Comparison Chart (August 2025)
• Overhead Door Corporation, Rolling Service Door Systems brochure