Will My Sofa Turn the Corner?
Check whether a sofa, or one section of a corner sofa, can be carried round a right-angle turn in your hallway, upright or tipped, drawn to scale.
Will My Sofa Fit Through the Door? Free Calculator
Measure your sofa and your doorway, and find out whether it is likely to go through, which way round to carry it, and what this check cannot tell you.
A guide, not a guarantee. The calculator checks whether the sofa's cross-section can pass through one opening. It cannot see your hallway, corners or stairs, so a good result does not confirm your whole delivery route.
How to measure your sofa
You need three measurements, each taken at the largest point, with a rigid tape measure if you have one.
- Width: the longest side to side, from the outside of one arm to the outside of the other.
- Depth: the longest front to back, including any back cushions that sit proud.
- Height: from the floor to the highest point, with the legs on.
If the legs unscrew, or the arms or back detach, you can add those in the optional section. Measure how much each one saves, rather than guessing.
How to measure your doorway
Doorways are narrower than they look, mostly because of what is in them.
- Usable width: the narrowest clear gap, measured at the height the sofa will pass. With the door open, it is usually the distance from the door itself (or its hinges) to the opposite frame.
- Usable height: from the floor, or the threshold if there is a raised one, to the underside of the frame.
- Obstructions: handles, hinge barrels and a door that opens only part way all steal width. Enter that loss in the optional box and we will subtract it.
- Door opening angle: a door that opens to 90 degrees takes up part of the gap. If it can be lifted off its hinges, measure again afterwards.
Can you turn a sofa to get it through a doorway?
Often, yes, and that is why comparing the sofa's width with the doorway's width is not enough. What has to pass the opening is the sofa's cross-section, the outline you would see looking along the direction it travels. Carried end first, that outline is the sofa's depth by its height. Carried sideways, it is the width by the height. Stood on one end, it is the width by the depth.
For each of those three directions the calculator tests whether the outline passes the right way up, turned onto its side, or tilted at an angle. The tilted case uses the standard geometry for fitting one rectangle inside another, so a long, thin outline in a square opening is judged correctly rather than by eye.
A sofa that only passes tilted or on its side is shown as a tight fit. That is deliberate: it can work, but it needs room and care.
What about narrow hallways and staircases?
This is where measurement stops and judgement starts. A long sofa that clears a doorway can still jam in a hallway if there is not enough room beyond it to swing the far end round. Stairs add headroom, the width of the stairwell and the turn at the landing, and the sofa may need to be tilted at an angle that depends on all three.
The calculator does not measure those, so it will not claim they work. If you tell it there are stairs, a tight turn or a hallway, a pass becomes a tight fit with a note. For routes like these, a physical check by the delivery team is the reliable answer.
Tips for moving a sofa safely
- Clear the route first: rugs, shoes, pictures and anything that can be knocked off a wall.
- Protect door frames and corners with blankets or foam, and the sofa itself with a cover or wrap.
- Remove legs, arms or backs only where the manufacturer says they detach, and keep the fittings in a labelled bag.
- Lift rather than drag. Two or more people, with someone calling out the moves, make a big difference.
- Do not force it. If it jams, back it out and rethink rather than pushing, which can crack a frame or mark a wall.
- Measure the final room too, not only the way in.
Planning a purchase? Browse our sofas, sofa beds and armchairs, or see furniture for Airbnb and holiday lets. Check a sofa's dimensions here before you buy.
Printable measuring checklist
A one-page sheet for the tape-measure stage, useful for homeowners and removal teams alike. Print it, or save it as a PDF from your browser's print dialogue.
Open the measurement checklist
Frequently asked questions
Should I measure the sofa or its box?
Measure the sofa itself, at its widest, deepest and tallest points. Packaging adds bulk, so if the sofa arrives boxed, check the box size as well and use whichever is larger.
What is the "usable" width of a doorway?
It is the narrowest clear gap the sofa can actually pass through, not the width of the wall opening. Measure with the door fully open, and take off anything that sticks out, such as handles or hinges that stand proud of the frame.
Can I take the door off to gain space?
Often, yes. Lifting a standard internal door off its hinges can recover the width the open door takes up. Measure again afterwards, and check the hinge pins and frame so you do not damage either.
Why does the calculator say "tight" when the numbers fit?
Because a measurement is not a manoeuvre. If there is under 3 cm to spare, or the sofa has to be turned or tilted, there is little margin for the real world. We would rather warn you than give a false all-clear.
Does it work for corner sofas?
Use the largest width, depth and height. A corner sofa is not a simple box, so that is a cautious check. Many corner sofas also arrive in separate sections, which can make delivery easier than a single piece would be.
Will cushions and padding squash down?
We do not assume they will. Some compress a little and some do not, so the calculator uses the full measurements you enter.
Can this tell me if my sofa will go up the stairs?
No. Stairs depend on the width, headroom and turns of your particular staircase, which the calculator does not measure. If stairs are involved, it will never return a plain "likely to fit".
Can I use inches?
Yes. Switch to inches at the top of the form. Everything is calculated in centimetres and converted for you.
Is my data stored or sent anywhere?
No. The calculation runs in your browser. If you copy a results link, the measurements are in the link itself, and nothing else.
Use this calculator on your own website
Removal companies, estate agents, landlords and bloggers are welcome to embed this calculator free of charge. It runs in a frame, loads nothing from third parties, and shows a small credit line linking back here. Linking is not a condition of use.
More free tools
Will My Sofa Bed Open Up in My Room?
Find out whether a sofa bed opens fully in your room with space left to use it, and how many people it sleeps.
Will My Sofa Fit My Room? Layout Planner
Plan a sofa, coffee table and TV against your room: walkways, gaps and viewing distance, with a masking tape guide for the floor.
What Size Bed Do I Need?
Tell us who sleeps in the bed and how tall they are, and get a recommended UK size, a comparison of every size and the room you need.
Will My Bed Fit My Room?
Check a UK bed size against your bedroom for room to get in and out, open drawers and wardrobe doors, drawn to scale.
Will My Bed Base Fit Through the Door?
A divan or ottoman base cannot fold. Check it through your doorway and round a tight corner, and see whether a two-part base would help.