To measure a room for furniture you need eight numbers: the length of each wall, the ceiling height, the width and swing of every door, the height and width of each window, the position of radiators and vents, the outlets and the cable or internet jack, the closet door swing, and the narrowest point on the way in. Write them on a rough sketch of the room, then compare them with the furniture's product-page sizes, not the mattress or cushion sizes.
With a tape measure: the eight measurements
- Each wall, baseboard to baseboard at floor level. Walls are rarely the number on the listing; a 12 ft room is often 11 ft 8 in.
- Ceiling height, for wardrobes, bookcases and standing a sofa on its end to turn a corner.
- Every door: clear width with the door open, which way it swings, and how far the swing reaches into the room (a 32 in door sweeps a 32 in quarter circle).
- Windows: sill height from the floor and the window width. A sofa back (32 to 36 in) fits under a sill at 36 in or higher; a headboard needs more.
- Radiators, baseboard heaters and vents: where they start and end along the wall and how far they stick out.
- Outlets and the cable or internet jack, so the TV stand and the lamps land near them.
- Closet doors: hinged doors need their swing clear, sliding doors need nothing.
- The route in: the narrowest door, hallway turn, stairwell landing or elevator. The door guide explains what to measure.
Draw it, then subtract
Sketch the room on graph paper at one square per foot, mark the doors with their swing arcs and the windows with their sill heights, and cross out the floor the swings cover. What is left is where furniture can go. For each wall, subtract the furniture width and split the rest between the sides; for the depth, add the piece, its gap and a 30 to 36 in walkway and check it against the room's depth. The clearances guide has the gaps designers use.
Sizes to compare against
| Piece | Typical size | Needs |
|---|---|---|
| Loveseat | 52 to 72 in wide, 34 to 38 in deep | A 7 to 9 ft wall |
| Sofa | 72 to 96 in wide, 34 to 40 in deep | A 9 to 11 ft wall and a 36 in walkway in front |
| Queen bed with frame | 64 x 86 in | A 9 ft 4 in wall and 24 in on each side |
| King bed with frame | 80 x 86 in | A 10 ft 8 in wall and 24 in on each side |
| Dining table for 4 | 36 x 60 in | 36 in of chair room on each side, so 9 x 11 ft |
| 8 x 10 rug | 96 x 120 in | Front sofa legs on it, 12 to 18 in of floor showing around it |
| TV stand | 48 to 70 in wide, 16 to 18 in deep | Screen size x 1.5 to 2.5 to the sofa |
Without a tape measure
- A US interior door is 80 in tall and 30 to 32 in wide; the handle sits about 36 in up.
- Kitchen counters are 36 in tall; a floor tile is usually 12 in; a sheet of letter paper is 11 in.
- A phone is about 6 in long. Walk heel to toe along a wall: a size 10 shoe is about 12 in.
- A photo. Take one picture of the empty room with a door in it, tap the ends of a wall and the top of the door, and Fits Here works out the floor in inches and shows a sofa or a bed at its real size. The photo guide shows how to take it.
Questions people ask
- What should I measure before buying a sofa?
- The wall it goes on, the depth of the room from that wall, every door that opens near it, and the narrowest point on the route in. Then compare with the sofa's overall width, depth and diagonal depth from the product page.
- How do I measure a room without a tape measure?
- Use known sizes: a door is 80 in tall and about 32 in wide, a counter is 36 in high, a floor tile is 12 in. Or take a photo with a door in it and let an app work out the scale.
- Do I measure a room at the floor or at eye level?
- At the floor, along the baseboard, because furniture sits on the floor. Measure at eye level too if a window sill or a radiator is in the way.
- How accurate do room measurements need to be?
- To the inch. A sofa that is 1 in wider than its gap does not go in, and a bed that leaves 23 in instead of 24 is still fine. Round the furniture up and the room down.