Will It Fit? Measuring Your Delivery Path

A piece fits if, in at least one position, its cross-section is smaller than every opening it has to pass through on the way to the room. You need four numbers for the piece (width, depth, height and, for a sofa or chair, the diagonal depth) and two for each door, hallway, stairway and elevator on the route. Measure them carefully, enter them below, and the calculator tells you which openings pass, which are tight and which fail, all in your browser.

How the calculator decides

A box can face a doorway in several ways. Carried upright and end first, a sofa needs a clear width at least as large as its depth and a clear height at least as large as its height. Turned on its back, those two numbers swap. Stood on end, the long dimension becomes the height it needs. The calculator tries every one of these positions for each opening, works out the spare room in the tightest direction, and reports the best result. If any position leaves at least an inch to spare (or 2.5 centimetres in metric), the opening passes. If the best position leaves less than that but still clears, it is marked tight. If every position is too big, it fails, and the result tells you by how much.

The diagonal depth adds one more position. Many sofas and chairs have a sloped back, so when the piece is laid on its back, carried length first and tilted, the part that has to clear the door width is the diagonal from the top of the back to the front of the seat rather than the full depth. When you enter a diagonal depth, the calculator also checks that position, cautiously assuming it needs as much door height as the straight line from the bottom back corner to the top front corner, which is often the one that gets a deep sofa through a standard door.

How to measure the piece

Use a metal tape measure and write each number down as you go. Measure the width across the widest point, including arms, rolled edges and any hardware. Measure the depth from the very back to the very front, including cushions and any feet that stick out. Measure the height from the floor to the highest point, which on a sofa may be the back cushions rather than the frame. If the store's specification sheet lists dimensions, check them against your own measurement of the floor model, because published numbers sometimes leave out arms or legs.

To find the diagonal depth of a sofa or chair, hold a straight edge from the top back corner to the front edge of the arm, then measure from the bottom back corner up to the point where the straight edge crosses the seat front. Some retailers publish this number. If you cannot measure it, leave the field blank and the calculator will use only the straight positions, which gives a more cautious answer.

How to measure the route

Walk the route from the truck to the room and list every opening: the building entrance, the front door, any hallway, each interior door, every stairway and any elevator. For a door, measure the clear width between the door stops, not the outside of the frame, with the door fully open. The door itself and its hinges take up space, which is why the clear opening is usually smaller than the slab. Measure the clear height from the floor or threshold to the underside of the head jamb.

For a hallway, measure the narrowest point, which is often at a radiator, a light fixture or a handrail. For the height, use the lowest point of the ceiling, including beams, ducts or a hanging light. For a stairway, measure the width between the handrail and the wall, and the headroom from a stair tread straight up to the lowest point overhead, such as a ceiling edge or a landing above. For an elevator, measure the door opening and also the inside of the car, including its diagonal, because tall pieces are often stood on end inside.

Turns, landings and corners

The calculator checks each opening on its own. It does not model the turn from a hallway into a doorway, or the corner on a stair landing, and those are often where a delivery fails. A long piece has to pivot through a turn, so what matters is the space available on both sides of the corner. Measure the width of each hallway at the turn, the length of any landing, and the height of the ceiling over the landing. If the piece is long and the turn is tight, ask the store whether the crew can lift it vertically through the turn, and whether they will make that judgement before you pay or only on delivery day.

When a measurement fails or is tight

A fail is not always the end. Many sofas have legs that unscrew, which can gain an inch or two. Some have backs that lift off or arms that detach. Interior doors can usually be lifted off their hinges, which recovers the space taken by the door slab. Some pieces are made in sections or ship knocked down for assembly in the room. Ask the salesperson which of these apply to the model you are considering, and get the answer in writing.

If the route has a hard limit you cannot change, such as a narrow stair with a low ceiling, choose a piece that arrives in sections or in boxes, or a modular sofa that joins together in the room. Measuring a tight result again is worth the few minutes: a reading taken against the door frame instead of the stops, or a missed handrail, is enough to turn a pass into a fail on delivery day.

Bring the numbers to the store

Keep a note on your phone with the width and height of every opening on the route, the length of every landing, and the room dimensions. When a salesperson says a piece will fit, compare it with your notes before you sign. If the store offers a delivery that includes a fit check, ask what happens if the crew cannot get the piece in: whether you pay a return fee, a restocking fee or nothing at all. Our guide to returns and restocking fees explains what to look for in the policy.