Double Metal Doors: Standard Sizes & Measurement Guide

Last updated: September 19, 2026

What Are Double Metal Doors? Definition and Anatomy

A double metal door is a pair of hinged leaves — one active, one inactive — hung in a single frame and fabricated from steel or aluminum. The active leaf carries the operating hardware and swings daily; the inactive leaf is secured by flush bolts at the top and bottom and only opens when you need the full clear width, such as moving furniture or equipment through. Combined opening widths commonly fall between 60 and 96 inches, with leaf thickness of roughly 1.5–2 inches on exterior units.

The anatomy matters more than most buyers expect, because each component drives sizing:

• Active leaf — the operable panel; its width determines your everyday clear passage.
• Inactive leaf — fixed by flush bolts; must be released before the active leaf can be fully opened.
• Frame — the perimeter profile that anchors to the rough opening. Exterior frames are usually welded or knock-down steel, with a threshold at the base.
• Threshold — the sill that bridges the frame legs, set in sealant and often tied to a drainage path on exterior installations.
• Astragal — the vertical seal where the two leaves meet; on exterior doors it also carries weatherstripping.

Because both leaves share one frame, the total width is what governs the opening — not the individual leaf. That single fact is the source of most ordering errors.

Standard Double Metal Door Sizes: Data Table in Inches

Most manufacturers build to a set of nominal sizes, then allow custom widths and heights on top of that. The table below reflects typical industry practice for exterior double metal doors; confirm exact figures against the specific supplier’s cut sheet before you frame an opening.

Two notes on reading this table. First, “nominal” width is the door size, not the opening size — the rough opening is larger, as covered below. Second, leaf thickness on exterior steel doors is often expressed as a gauge rather than a decimal; gauge and nominal thickness are not the same thing, and a supplier quoting “16 gauge” should also state the actual steel thickness so you can compare fairly.

Height deserves its own decision. An 80-inch door suits most residential framing, while 96-inch units appear in commercial and tall-entry applications. If your wall is already framed, the height you can accommodate is fixed — measure before you fall in love with a design.

Terms buyers should know

How to Measure for a Double Metal Door (Rough Opening vs. Finished Opening)

The rough opening is the framed gap in the wall. The finished opening is what remains after the frame is installed — and it is always smaller. Every measurement decision flows from keeping those two numbers separate.

Measure the rough opening in three places for width — top, middle, and bottom — and three places for height — left, middle, and right. Use the smallest figure in each direction. Walls are rarely perfectly square, and a frame that fits the largest measurement will not fit the smallest.

Then check the diagonals. Measure corner to corner in both directions. If the two diagonal measurements differ, the opening is out of square, and the frame will fight you during installation. A difference of roughly 1/4 inch or less is generally workable with shimming; larger discrepancies usually mean the framing needs correction before the door is ordered.

For jamb depth, measure the wall thickness at several points, then add the thickness of interior and exterior finishes. An exterior metal door frame that sits flush with drywall on one side and siding on the other needs a jamb depth that accounts for both.

As a working rule, the rough opening should exceed the door unit’s nominal dimensions by enough to allow for the frame profile, shimming, and sealant. The exact allowance is supplier-specific — a welded frame and a knock-down frame do not need the same clearance — so request the rough opening requirement in writing rather than assuming a generic figure.

For a 72-inch double steel door, the frame you need is one sized to that unit, with a jamb depth matched to your wall assembly and a threshold that suits exterior exposure. Frame and door are specified as a system; buying them from separate sources is where alignment problems start.

Single-Leaf Reference Sizes: 32 Inch and 36×80 Metal Doors

Double doors make more sense once you understand the single-leaf sizes they are built from, since most double units are simply two single leaves plus a shared frame.

A 32 inch metal door is the standard single exterior leaf in residential construction — wide enough for everyday passage and furniture, narrow enough to fit typical hallway and entry framing. A 36×80 metal door is the larger single-leaf standard: 36 inches wide, 80 inches tall, common for main entries and commercial back doors.

The practical difference is clear width and swing. A 36-inch leaf gives noticeably more passage than a 32-inch leaf, but it also needs more wall space to swing and a heavier hinge set. When two 32-inch leaves are paired, you get a 64-inch nominal double unit; two 36-inch leaves give a 72-inch unit. That is why 72 inch double steel doors are so common — they are the doubled version of the most widely used single-leaf size.

If you are weighing single versus double for the same opening, the deciding factor is usually the largest object that must pass through. A single 36-inch door handles most residential traffic; a double unit is chosen when the clear width itself is the requirement.

Configuration Options: Windows, Glass, Screens, and Arched Tops

Configuration changes the specification, not just the look. Each option below affects the leaf structure, the frame reinforcement, or both.

A metal door with window typically means a factory-cut lite set into one or both leaves with a glazing frame — a fixed rectangular opening. Glass and metal doors is the broader category: any metal door where glazing is a primary design element, including full-lite doors, sidelites, and multi-panel arrangements. The distinction matters at order time because a small vision lite and a full-lite door carry different structural and thermal implications.

A metal door with screen is most often a patio application, where a screen panel or a screen-and-glass combination lets the door function as ventilation rather than just access.

An arched metal door requires the frame head to be curved to match the opening. Arched tops are almost always custom, because the radius must match the actual opening rather than a catalog dimension — which means the opening has to be measured and templated, not just sized.

Glass choice interacts with climate. In cold markets, a thermally broken frame and insulated glazing reduce condensation and heat loss; in hot, humid markets, the same specification controls solar gain. Neither is universal, and the right answer depends on your project’s exposure.

Material and Finish: Steel, Wood-Look, and Custom Exterior Metal Doors

A steel metal door is the default for exterior security and durability. Steel leaves can be formed with an insulated core, which improves thermal performance and gives the door a solid feel rather than a hollow ring.

Wood-look finishes have become a genuine alternative to timber. Metal doors that look like wood use a textured finish, embossed skin, or applied woodgrain coating over a steel substrate. Compared with steel doors that look like wood in a plainer finish, the difference is mostly realism of grain and depth of color — and cost. The trade-off is honest: you get timber’s appearance with metal’s dimensional stability and lower maintenance, but the finish quality varies widely between suppliers, and a thin or poorly applied coating will not weather like a good one.

Custom exterior metal doors extend to size, color, hardware preparation, and glazing layout. Custom sizing is normal in this category rather than exceptional, because exterior openings rarely match catalog dimensions exactly.

Application Scenarios: Residential, Patio, and Shop Metal Doors

For a metal door for house or metal door for home entry, the priorities are weather sealing, hardware quality, and a finish that holds up to sun and rain. Residential metal doors in this role are usually 64- or 72-inch doubles with an insulated core and a glazed upper section for daylight.

Patio metal doors are typically the widest residential application, often specified with glass, screens, or both. Because they face the weather directly and get used constantly, hinge quality and threshold drainage matter as much as the leaf itself.

A shop metal door shifts the emphasis toward durability and clear width. Commercial and shop doubles often run 72 to 96 inches wide to move equipment and stock, and they usually favor solid leaves over glazing except for a vision lite. Egress requirements in commercial occupancies can dictate leaf width, swing direction, and hardware — those are set by local code, so confirm the applicable requirement for your jurisdiction before finalizing the order rather than relying on a general rule.

Related Considerations: Frames, Custom Sizing, and Procurement Notes

The exterior metal door frame is where most sizing problems surface. Frame profile, jamb depth, and threshold design must all match the wall assembly and the door unit. A frame specified independently of the door is the most common source of fit issues on site.

For custom work, the practical sequence is: measure the rough opening, confirm jamb depth, decide the configuration, then have the door and frame built as one system. Asking a supplier to match an existing frame is possible, but it requires accurate field dimensions rather than nominal ones.

This is the point where the manufacturing side of the question becomes relevant. As a manufacturer, our approach is to treat the frame, leaf, glazing, and hardware as a single specification rather than separate line items — because the sizing tolerances only work if they are designed together. We build double metal doors to the width, height, and leaf thickness a project actually needs, with profile structure and fittings adjusted to suit the building code of the destination market. Custom size, color, glass, and hardware are standard parts of the order rather than exceptions, and units are inspected before shipment for air-tightness, water-tightness, and wind resistance. For buyers importing from China, we supply packing lists, proforma invoices, and full customs documentation, and ship both FCL and LCL direct from the factory.

If you are working through a size or configuration decision, Get a Free Quote and send your rough opening dimensions.

For related reading on sizing and configuration, see our guide to double door sizes and configurations for exterior and interior applications and our breakdown of office double doors: sizes, materials, and price. Buyers comparing material options may also find our rustic doors price guide and specifications useful for finish and construction reference.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the standard size of a double metal door?
There is no single standard, but the most common exterior sizes are 64 inches wide by 80 inches tall (two 32-inch leaves) and 72 inches wide by 80 inches tall (two 36-inch leaves). Commercial units commonly run 80 to 96 inches wide, and heights of 96 inches appear in taller applications.

How do I measure a rough opening for double exterior metal doors?
Measure width at the top, middle, and bottom, and height at the left, middle, and right, then use the smallest figure in each direction. Check both diagonals to confirm the opening is square, and measure wall thickness at several points to establish jamb depth. Confirm the required clearance with your supplier, since it varies by frame type.

What is the difference between a 32 inch metal door and a 36×80 metal door?
A 32-inch door is the standard narrower single leaf, offering less clear passage but fitting tighter framing. A 36×80 door is 36 inches wide and 80 inches tall — a larger leaf with more passage width, requiring more swing space and heavier hinges. Paired, they produce 64-inch and 72-inch double units respectively.

Can double metal doors be customized for arched openings?
Yes. Arched tops are normally custom because the frame head radius must match the actual opening, not a catalog dimension. The opening typically needs to be measured and templated before fabrication.

What is the difference between a metal door with window and glass and metal doors?
A metal door with window usually refers to a specific factory-cut lite in the leaf. Glass and metal doors is the broader category covering any metal door where glazing is a primary design element, including full-lite doors and multi-panel arrangements.

How do metal doors that look like wood compare to steel doors that look like wood?
The terms overlap; both describe a steel substrate with a woodgrain finish. The meaningful difference is finish quality — grain depth, texture realism, and coating durability — which varies significantly between suppliers and determines how the door weathers over time.

What size exterior metal door frame do I need for a 72 inch double steel door?
A frame sized to that 72-inch unit, with jamb depth matched to your wall assembly including interior and exterior finishes, and a threshold suited to exterior exposure. Frame and door should be specified together, since the rough opening allowance depends on the frame profile.

Are patio metal doors available with screens?
Yes. Patio applications commonly combine glass and screen panels, letting the door serve as ventilation as well as access. The screen configuration affects the leaf structure, so it should be specified at order time rather than added later.