Standard Door Sizes in Ghana: Complete Measurement Guide

Standard door sizes in Ghana fall into three classes. A single entrance runs 900 to 1,050 mm wide by 2,100 mm high (3’0″ to 3’6″ by 7’0″). A one-and-a-half runs 1,200 to 1,400 mm total. A double runs 1,500 to 1,800 mm. Bedroom and living room doors sit at 800 to 900 mm, and washroom doors at around 750 mm, all at 2,100 mm high.

These are market conventions, not law. Ghana’s building regulations set a minimum of 813 mm width and 2,030 mm height, and that minimum applies to fewer doors than most buyers assume.

Doors Locks and More is a door warehouse at Community 23, Greater Accra, supplying luxury, composite, Laminox, high-gloss, natural embossed, metal, PVC, and door-in-door systems.

What Ghana Law Actually Requires

Two documents govern doors here. LI 1630 (National Building Regulations 1996) carries the enforceable dimensions. GS 1207:2018, the Ghana Building Code, covers fire protection and construction types; its Part 03 requires one-hour fire-rated separation between hotel guest rooms and corridors.

The numbers in LI 1630

• Regulation 72(6): a single-leaf opening needs at least 813 mm width; one leaf must not exceed 1.22 m.
• Regulation 72(5): exit doors and doors onto public corridors need at least 2,030 mm height.
• Regulation 72(4): door closers must not cut head clearance below 2,000 mm.
• Regulation 72(3): a door swing must not reduce a stair or landing below 760 mm.

Where 813 mm comes from

813 mm is 32 inches; 2,030 mm is 80 inches. This is the imperial 32 x 80 door, the same standard South Africa uses nationally. It is a real off-the-shelf size, not an arbitrary figure.

The exemption nobody mentions

Regulation 72(1) covers doors in a means of escape, exempting exterior doors serving one dwelling unit. A detached house front door falls outside it. Apartments, compound houses with shared corridors, hostels, and offices are bound by it.

Build to 900 mm regardless, since inspectors and resale buyers both expect it. Confirm anything contested with your District Planning Authority.

Related clearances

Hallway: 900 mm minimum. Corridor: 1,050 mm. Exit corridor: 1,150 mm. Exit height: 2.13 m. Fire-resisting doors: half-hour minimum resistance.

The Three Door Size Classes

Single leaf: 900 to 1,050 mm. Default for bedrooms, kitchens, washrooms, modest entrances.

One-and-a-half leaf: one active leaf near 900 mm plus a bolted secondary leaf of 300 to 450 mm, totalling 1,200 to 1,400 mm. Dominates Ghanaian entrances, giving double-door capacity at near single-door hardware cost. Choose it when your rough opening lands between 1,250 and 1,450 mm.

Double leaf: two equal leaves, 1,500 to 1,800 mm total, for wide entrances and compound gates. Regulation 72(6) caps each leaf at 1.22 m.

Full Size Table

Origin Determines Size

Chinese stock follows GB standards; interior doors often measure 2.0 m against Ghana’s 2.1 m convention, leaving a 100 mm gap at the head. Turkish stock runs closer to European sizing. Never mix a leaf from one origin into another’s frame; rebate depths and hinge positions rarely align. Buy leaf and frame together.

Thickness, Hinges, Lock Backset

Internal doors: 35–40 mm. External and security: 40–44 mm. Steel security: 45 mm+.

Hinges follow leaf weight on a 2,100 mm leaf: two under 25 kg, three at 25–40 kg, four above 40 kg (anchor into blockwork, not render). Lock backsets run 55 or 60 mm; match the backset to your handle plate and confirm the case depth clears leaf thickness.

Frame Depth for Sandcrete Walls

Frame depth must span the finished, rendered wall. A 6 inch block wall needs 174–190 mm; an 8 inch wall needs 224–240 mm. Measure the finished wall, never the block alone.

The Lintel Ceiling

Your maximum door height is set by the lintel, cast into the blockwork. Measure to the lintel soffit, not the current door top. A 2,050 mm soffit will not take a 2,100 mm leaf without cutting the lintel, which needs an engineer and a permit. Under a 2.7 m or 3.0 m ceiling, add a fanlight above a standard leaf rather than oversizing it.

Climate

Harmattan dryness (December–February) shrinks solid timber and untreated MDF, opening gaps at the latch stile. Coastal humidity and salt air (Tema, Takoradi) corrode untreated steel frames and swell timber. Use composite or PVC on the coast with galvanised frames; use Laminox or composite inland; use PVC in washrooms; keep the 2–3 mm expansion gap intact.

Measuring a Door Opening

Measure width and height at three points each (top, middle, bottom or left, middle, right) and use the smallest reading. Measure frame depth across the finished wall. Note handing by standing on the pull side; hinges on your right means right-hand. A 10 mm variance between readings signals an out-of-square opening needing a site visit.

Watch for floors sloped toward drains, frames cast into blockwork, welded burglar-proof units, and retiled floors that raise finished height by 20–35 mm.

Rough Opening vs Leaf Size

Accessibility and Developer Notes

Hold 900 mm clear for wheelchair access, needing a rough opening near 1,000 mm; plan this at blockwork stage. Developers should standardise sizes across units, confirm bulk pricing tiers, measure lintels once blockwork is up rather than trusting drawings, and order matched left/right handing for mirrored layouts.

Key Takeaways

• Three size classes: single, one-and-a-half, double.
• 813 mm and 2,030 mm are legal minimums for escape routes and shared corridors, not detached house entrances.
• The lintel soffit, not the drawing, sets your maximum height.
• Frame depth follows the rendered wall thickness.
• Measure three points per dimension and use the smallest.

Next Step

Send your rough opening measurements, lintel soffit height, and photographs for a preliminary size review and quote.