Wheelchair Accessible Door Widths for Homes

Frequently, private entrances are expanded to accommodate wheelchair accessibility, enabling disabled individuals to enter and exit their homes or gardens effortlessly.

Moreover, internal doorways can be widened to facilitate movement between rooms, supporting individuals with disabilities.

These modifications can ultimately enable disabled occupants to remain in their own homes instead of having to consider moving.

Building Regulations for Dwelling Doors

Part M, Section 1B of the Building Regulations specifies that an entrance door must have a minimum clear opening width of 775mm, as illustrated in Diagram 1.1.

For optimal accessibility, the door opening should ideally be 900mm wide to accommodate wheelchair users.

Any obstacles, such as radiators, should not be positioned opposite or near the doorway.

Furthermore, the corridor width should not be reduced below a minimum of 750mm and ideally should be 900mm to facilitate wheelchair access.

Click images to enlarge. 

If a step into the dwelling cannot be avoided, the rise should not exceed 150mm and should be aligned with the outside face of the door threshold. Furthermore, any threshold should be made accessible. This can be accomplished by installing a ramp leading to the external door, ensuring step-free access.

Please consult the below PDF for the full list of requirements under Documents M, Volume 1 Dwelling - access to and use of buildings.

Disabled Door Widths For Public Buildings

Doorways in public buildings are often expanded to accommodate high volumes of traffic, such as pedestrians, wheelchair users, individuals with prams, and wide equipment.

Moreover, in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, decision-makers in schools, hospitals, and other public facilities are installing wider doors to establish one-way systems within buildings and to ensure adequate space between individuals.

Building Regulations for Public Building Doors

According to Document M, Volume 2, accessible doors must be sufficiently wide to accommodate various individuals, such as wheelchair users, people with assistance dogs, individuals carrying luggage, parents with small children, and those pushing pushchairs (including double buggies wider than wheelchairs).

Moreover, visibility of individuals approaching from opposite directions should be ensured. It's important to note that revolving doors are not considered compliant with accessibility regulations.

Please refer below for the minimum effective clear widths required for both single and double doors:

Click images to enlarge. 

Please consult the below PDF for the full list of requirements under Documents M, Volume 2 – Buildings Other Than Dwellings.

Ramps For Wheelchair Accessbile Doors

If you need access over a threshold, we're here to assist. Our modular ramps can be tailored to match the width of various doorways, ensuring wheelchair accessibility.

Quotations can be returned within 24hrs if there is clear information given, including project address, drawings, photos and contact details. .>Request A Quick Quote<

Widths Available:

• 900mm – The minimum width for ‘Dwellings’. Approved Document M1 & the British Standards BS 8300-1:2018.
• 1000mm – Our suggested width for ‘Dwellings’. Approved Document M1 & the British Standards BS 8300-1:2018.
• 1200mm – The minimum width for ‘Communal’ residential usage. Approved Document M1 & the British Standards BS 8300-1:2018.
• 1500mm – The minimum width for ramps for ‘buildings Other Than Dwellings’. Approved Document M2 & the British Standards BS 8300-1:2018
• Customisable – Any of the platform widths stated above can be bolted together to make up a customised width.