Will My Sofa Fit Through the Door?
Enter your sofa and doorway measurements and see whether it can get through, which way round, and where the limits of the check are.
Will My Sofa Turn the Corner? Free Hallway Calculator
Enter your sofa and the width of the two corridors either side of a right-angle turn. We check whether it can be carried round, upright or tipped, and show you the tightest point of the turn to scale.
A guide, not a guarantee. The calculator checks one plain right-angle corner. It cannot see banisters, radiators, ceiling lights or stairs, so a good result does not confirm your whole delivery route.
How to measure the corner
- Corridor A: the narrowest clear width of the corridor you are coming from, wall to wall.
- Corridor B: the narrowest clear width of the corridor you turn into. It can be a different width from A.
- Height: measure at about hand height, because that is where a sofa and the people carrying it actually travel. Skirting boards matter less than radiators, coat hooks and shelves.
- Ceiling: the lowest ceiling or light fitting on the route, in case the sofa has to be tipped.
Why a corner is harder than a doorway
On a straight run, a sofa only has to be narrower than the corridor. A corner is different. To get round it, the sofa has to swing through every angle between pointing along the first corridor and pointing along the second. In the middle of that swing its leading end is pressed against one outer wall, its trailing end against the other, and its inside edge has to slide past the inner corner.
The result is a limit on how long a sofa of a given depth can be. For a sofa of depth w and length l, turning between corridors of width a and b, the tightest moment is wherever the quantity (a - w cosθ) / sinθ + (b - w sinθ) / cosθ is smallest, and the sofa gets round only if its length is no more than that. The calculator finds that point for you, and draws the sofa at that angle.
Two things follow. A sofa's depth matters more than people expect, because it eats into both corridors at once. And wider corridors help twice: they raise the limit on length, and they decide whether a deeper sofa can get through at all.
What if it says my sofa will not turn?
You have options, and the most effective is usually the simplest.
- Ask for it in sections. Many corner sofas and modular sofas arrive as two or three separate pieces. Each piece turns far more easily than the whole.
- Check what comes off. Arms, backs and legs that detach can change the footprint a lot. Measure again afterwards.
- Use another way in. Patio doors, a side gate or a window can avoid the corner altogether, and a delivery team may be able to take it.
- Clear the corner. Take off a door that opens into the turn, and remove coat hooks, shelves and radiator covers. A few centimetres often decides it.
- Choose a different size. The tool tells you the longest sofa of your depth that would turn, so you can shop with a number in mind.
Tips for moving a sofa round a corner
- Walk the route first with a tape measure, and check ceilings and door frames as well as walls.
- Protect corners and door frames with blankets or foam, and the sofa with a cover.
- Lead with the narrow end and let the person at the back call out the turn.
- Do not force it. If it jams, back it out and rethink, which is better than a cracked frame or a gouged wall.
Planning a purchase? Browse our sofas, sofa beds and armchairs, or see furniture for Airbnb and holiday lets.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as the width of the corridor?
The narrowest clear gap, wall to wall, measured at about hand height rather than at the skirting board. Take off anything that sticks out, such as a radiator, a coat rack or a shelf. If the two corridors are different widths, measure each one.
Why can my sofa fit through the door but not turn the corner?
A door only has to be passed once, in a straight line. A corner makes the sofa swing through every angle between the two corridors, and in the middle of the turn its two ends push against opposite outer walls while its inside edge passes the inner corner. That needs more room than the sofa's width alone suggests.
Does it work for an L-shaped corner sofa?
Yes, as a cautious check. The L is treated as the rectangle that would hold it, which is larger than the sofa really is. If your corner sofa arrives in sections, enter the biggest section instead, because that is the piece that has to turn the corner.
What does "tipped onto its back" or "stood on one end" mean?
The calculator tries the sofa lying on its back or standing on one end as well as upright, because each has a different footprint on the floor. Standing on its end, a long sofa takes up very little hallway but needs a ceiling at least as high as the sofa is long.
Why does it say tight when the numbers fit?
Because a measurement is not a manoeuvre. With under 5 cm to spare there is no room for hands, a wobble or a scuffed wall. We would rather warn you than give a false all-clear.
Can this tell me if the sofa will go up the stairs?
No. Stairs add the slope, the headroom and the turn at the landing, which this calculator does not measure. For stairs, ask the delivery team to look at them in advance.
The result says unlikely. Is it impossible?
Not necessarily. The calculator treats the sofa as a rigid box turned flat on the floor. Experienced delivery teams can tilt a sofa at an angle, lift it over a banister or take a different route. Treat an unlikely result as a reason to ask them early, not as the final answer.
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.
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