Door and frame sizes in UAE apartments, and how to measure an opening
Standard leaf sizes, the minimum widths the UAE fire code and accessibility rules ask for, what a frame adds, and the five measurements we need to quote.
By the Ajusteur team6 minute read
Leaf, frame, opening: three different widths
A door has three widths and people mix them up. The leaf is the door itself. The frame, or lining, is the timber or steel surround the leaf hangs in. The structural opening is the hole in the wall the frame sits in. Each is bigger than the last. When a shop quotes a door size it means the leaf. When a builder leaves an opening it means the hole. When we quote, we ask for the hole.
Standard leaf sizes
Door leaves are made to standard sizes, because frames, hinges and locks are made around them. The metric set used in Britain and much of Europe runs 526, 626, 726, 826 and 926 mm wide at 2040 mm high and 40 mm thick. An older imperial set, 1981 mm high and 35 mm thick, runs from 610 to 838 mm wide. Both appear in UAE buildings depending on who built them and when.
A made to fit door does not have to be a standard size. That is the point of it. But a standard leaf is cheaper and quicker when the opening already suits one, so the first thing we check is whether yours does.
Source: Emerald Doors: Door size guide
What the UAE fire code says about width
The UAE Fire and Life Safety Code of Practice, published by Dubai Civil Defence, sets minimum widths for doors on the means of escape. A door on an escape route must be at least 915 mm wide, or wider where the number of people needs it. Where a pair of doors is fitted, one leaf must give at least 810 mm clear. A balcony door must be at least 810 mm. The door to a bathroom of no more than 6.5 square metres that does not have to be accessible may be 710 mm.
The code also says how to measure: projections of up to 90 mm on each side of the opening, such as a handle or a stop, do not count as reductions, as long as they sit no higher than 965 mm from the floor. Whether every internal door in a private villa falls under these escape route rules is a question for the fire consultant on your project. In an apartment the entrance door certainly does.
Source: Dubai Civil Defence: UAE Fire and Life Safety Code of Practice, 2018 (PDF)
Clear width for a wheelchair
Accessibility codes measure the clear opening, not the leaf: from the face of the door stop on the closing side to whatever sticks out on the hinge side, with the door open. The British dwelling standard asks for 750 mm clear when you approach head on along a 900 mm corridor, and up to 800 mm when you have to turn into the door from a narrow corridor. For buildings other than homes it asks for 800 mm in new buildings. The international standard for accessible buildings works from a wheelchair footprint of 800 mm wide and 1300 mm long.
In Dubai, the accessibility requirements that used to sit in the Dubai Universal Design Code are now Part C of the Dubai Building Code, which is where a designer checks the clear width a new apartment door must give. If someone in your home uses a wheelchair or a walker, tell us, and we design the opening and the swing around the chair, not the catalogue.
What a frame adds
A frame takes about 30 to 45 mm off each side and the top of the structural opening, depending on its section, and the leaf needs a working gap inside the frame on top of that. So an opening of about 900 mm by 2100 mm suits an 826 mm leaf with a timber frame, with room to plumb and pack it. A thicker wall needs a deeper frame or an added lining, and the architrave, the moulding that covers the joint between frame and wall, is sized to the frame.
Sometimes the existing frame is sound and square, and only the leaf and hardware change. That saves money and mess, and our quote says which frames stay and which are new.
The five measurements that let us quote
Measure the hole, not the old door. Write everything in millimetres.
Photos help more than you think
Send a photo of the whole opening from each side, one of the existing hinge, one of the existing lock, and one of the floor at the threshold. From those we can usually say whether the frame can stay, which hardware fits and whether a standard leaf will do. Then we measure ourselves before anything is made, and the price is fixed after that visit. Start on doors made to fit, or read how a project runs.
Quick questions
What is the standard interior door size?
In the metric set, 2040 mm high, 40 mm thick and 526 to 926 mm wide in 100 mm steps. The older imperial set is 1981 mm high and 35 mm thick, with widths from 610 to 838 mm.
How wide must an apartment door be in the UAE?
The UAE fire code sets 915 mm as the minimum for a door on an escape route, and 810 mm for one leaf of a pair. Your building's fire consultant confirms which doors the rule covers.
How do I measure a door opening?
Measure the structural opening, not the old door: width at three heights, height at three points, wall thickness, the floor finish on each side, and which way the door opens. Send photos from both sides.
What clear width does a wheelchair need at a door?
Codes measure from the door stop to the hinge side obstruction. The British dwelling rule asks for 750 mm head on and up to 800 mm from a narrow corridor; the international standard works from an 800 mm wide chair footprint.