How to measure furniture, including the parts that stick out

Find the true overall width, depth and height of a piece of furniture, plus the space it needs when drawers, doors or recliners open.

Product pages list a width, a depth and a height, but they do not always say where those numbers were taken. This guide shows how to get the overall footprint that actually matters for your plan, and the extra space a piece needs when it is in use.

The three overall dimensions

Width: the widest point from side to side as you face the piece. On a sofa that is usually arm to arm; on a table it may be the top, which overhangs the legs.
Depth: the deepest point from front to back, including handles, a sloping back, or feet that splay outward.
Height: floor to the highest point, including loose back cushions, finials or adjustable feet.

If you are measuring a piece you already own, hold a book or a straight board flat against each side and measure between the boards. That captures the widest point without guessing.

Space the piece needs in use

Drawers: measure one fully open. Many open to roughly their own depth.
Hinged doors: a door needs its own width in front of the cabinet to open to 90°.
Recliners and sofa beds: use the fully extended length from the product information.
Chairs: the chair’s footprint does not include the space needed to pull it out and sit down.
Appliances: check the manufacturer’s installation instructions for required gaps and door clearance.

The Room Planner draws each item’s closed footprint. To see in-use space, add a second rectangle for the open drawer or extended bed and set it to “Floor covering” so it is shown without triggering overlap warnings, or save an alternative with the open size.

While a tall piece is tilted upright, its diagonal — not its height — must clear the ceiling.

Worked example: will a wardrobe stand up?

A wardrobe is 200 cm high and 60 cm deep, and is carried in lying on its back. As it is tilted upright, the longest line through its side is the diagonal: √(200² + 60²) = √43,600 ≈ 209 cm. With a 240 cm ceiling there is about 31 cm to spare. With a 205 cm ceiling under a sloped roof it cannot be stood up in that spot, even though 200 cm is less than 205 cm. It would have to be assembled upright, or stood up elsewhere and slid in.

Round and unusual shapes

For a round table, measure the diameter. For an L-shaped sofa, measure the two overall lengths along the walls and the depth of each arm of the “L”. The planner has circle, oval, L, U, T, half-round, quarter-round, triangle, capsule, hexagon and octagon shapes so the footprint can match the real thing.

Common mistakes

Using the seat width instead of the arm-to-arm width.
Ignoring feet or a base that is wider than the top.
Trusting a name such as “queen” or “king”. Sizes vary by country and by manufacturer, and a bed frame is larger than its mattress. Use the frame’s stated dimensions.
Mixing units. Write the unit next to every number.

Limits

Manufacturers’ dimensions can be rounded or carry a tolerance. If a fit depends on a centimetre or less, ask the retailer for exact figures before ordering.

Record sizes in My Furniture List

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