Will my sofa fit? Door, hallway and turn calculator
The short answer: a sofa usually fits through a door if its depth or its back height is smaller than the door width, and it can be tilted in the doorway if its diagonal depth is under the door height. Enter your numbers in cm or inches below to get Likely fits, Tight or Probably won’t fit, with the reason.
Likely fits: Passes the 90 cm door on its back height with 10 cm to spare; diagonal depth 118.9 cm is under the door height.
Measure twice, check whether the legs and cushions come off, and ask the retailer about the box size: a boxed sofa is bigger than the sofa.
How to measure, in cm
- Sofa width: arm to arm at the widest point, often 140-230 cm.
- Sofa depth: from the front of the seat or arm to the back, at the deepest point; standard sofas are 85-100 cm.
- Back height: from the floor to the top of the back. Measure with the legs on, then again without them if they unscrew.
- Door width: the clear opening with the door fully open, from the door leaf or stop to the frame, not the outside of the frame.
- Door height: from the floor to the underside of the frame.
- Hallway: wall to wall at the narrowest point, at the height of any radiator, coat hook or light switch on the way.
How the calculator decides
- Through the door: the sofa goes through on its narrow side, depth or back height, carried on its back or front. It has to be under the door width; within 5 cm (2 in) it is Tight.
- Tilting: the diagonal depth used here is √(depth² + back height²), the box around the sofa’s side profile. Under the door height means it can be tilted in the doorway.
- Hallway turn (estimate): for a 90° L-turn between two halls of the same width, carried flat on its narrow side, the longest sofa that turns is about 2 × (1.41 × hallway width − narrow side). Within 10% of that is Tight. If it is longer but the sofa stood on end would pivot (its depth or back height under that length), it is also Tight, because the ceiling has to be higher than the sofa is wide. This is a rule of thumb: real corners have frames, radiators and people holding the sofa.
The checks behind it are in how to measure a rental before you buy furniture. For sofa sizes, depth and arms, read choosing a sofa for a small room; for where it goes once it is in, the small living room layout guide and the before-you-buy-a-sofa layout. For any other piece and the walkway it leaves, use the will-it-fit check.
Questions
How do I know if my sofa will fit through the door?
Compare the sofa's depth and back height with the door width. If either one is smaller than the door width, the sofa can usually go through on that side, carried on its back or its front. Measure the clear opening with the door fully open.
What is the diagonal depth of a sofa?
This calculator uses the box diagonal: the square root of depth squared plus back height squared. If it is under the door height, the sofa's side profile can be tilted in the doorway. A sofa with a sloped back is usually a little smaller than this, so the number errs on the safe side.
Will my sofa fit around a corner in a hallway?
The calculator gives an estimate for a 90° turn between two halls of the same width: the longest sofa that turns, carried flat on its narrow side, is about 2 × (1.41 × hallway width − the narrow side). If it is longer, stood on end it may still pivot when the ceiling is higher than the sofa is wide. It is a rule of thumb, not a guarantee: door frames, radiators and how you hold the sofa all change the answer.
What if the calculator says Tight or Probably won't fit?
Measure twice, check whether the legs and cushions come off, and ask the retailer about the box size, because a boxed sofa is bigger than the sofa itself. A modular or flat-pack sofa avoids the problem.
Methodology & sources
- Standard geometry only: narrow side against the door width, the box diagonal against the door height, and a textbook rule of thumb for a 90° corner. No survey or delivery data is used.
- The answer is an estimate. Sofa shapes, door stops, skirting boards and handrails all take a few cm; measure the real piece and the real way in.
- Nothing is stored or sent: the calculation runs in your browser.