Tools
Will the sofa fit through the door?
Enter the sofa's diagonal depth and the clear width of every door, hall and turn between the truck and the room. You get the tightest point and how much room it leaves.
The sofa
Top rear corner to the lower front corner of the side profile, back cushions off. Not on the listing? Ask the seller for this configuration's figure.
For a sectional, enter the largest piece.
The route, from the truck to the room
Measure with the door open, jamb to jamb. At a hallway turn, measure corner to corner.
Result
Enter the sofa's diagonal depth and at least one clear width to see whether it gets through.
Route sheet to send a seller
Route sheet for a sofa delivery Sofa diagonal depth (back cushions off): not yet measured Sofa overall height: not entered Clear openings, in order from the truck to the room: 1. Front door: clear width not measured 2. Room door: clear width not measured Could your delivery team confirm whether this configuration will get through this route?
The two numbers that decide it
A sofa goes through a doorway stood on end and tilted, so the figure that matters is its diagonal depth: the distance from the top rear corner of the side profile to the lower front corner, with the back cushions off. On the other side is the clear width, the gap jamb to jamb with the door open. A 30 inch door is a nominal size, and the real gap is smaller once the slab, the stops and the hinges take their share.
Most listings print width, depth and height and leave diagonal depth off. Those three describe a box rather than the shape of the arms and back, so the calculator does not estimate the diagonal from them. Ask the seller for the figure for your exact configuration, or take a tape to a floor model. How to measure a sofa for the door and the route walks through the sofa and every point between the truck and the room.
Why under half an inch counts as a miss
A crew does not slide a sofa straight through a doorway; it hooks it around the jamb at an angle. With less than half an inch to spare there is no room for that angle, so I treat it as a fail and the calculator calls it too close. That is the moment to copy the route sheet and send it to the seller's delivery team with a link to the exact product, and ask them to assess it before you order.
Three things to check with the tape as well
- The space either side of each door, which the crew needs to turn the sofa around the jamb.
- The ceiling above a stair turn or half landing, where the space closes in overhead.
- The inside of an elevator, which can be too shallow to hold a sofa that fits through its doors.
Then clear the route itself: gates down, furniture and pictures out of the path, pets in another room. Costco's sofa and sectional buying guide says its delivery team will not do that part for you. If you are still choosing, the chart of standard sofa and sectional dimensions shows what real models measure before you start taping.
Frequently asked questions
Will a sofa fit through a 30 inch door?
It will if its diagonal depth is smaller than the door's clear opening, with room left for the angle. Measure that opening with the door open, jamb to jamb, because it will be less than 30 inches once the slab, the stops and the hinges take their share.
Can I work out diagonal depth from width, depth and height?
No. Those three describe a box around the sofa, and the diagonal depth follows the actual arm and back, which is the shape that goes through the door. Measure it, or ask the seller for the figure for your exact configuration.
What if the legs come off?
Taking the legs off can be what makes a sofa fit. Confirm with the maker which parts are meant to come off and go back on, because the frame still has to clear every point on the route.
How do I measure a hallway turn?
Corner to corner rather than wall to wall, because the crew swings the sofa through the diagonal of the corner. Enter that figure as the clear width for the turn.
Stuck on a number the seller will not give you? Send PlushPick a question with the product link and your route.