Garage Door’s Weight Can Be Extremely Heavy
As most homeowners know, garage doors can be very heavy. Ever try opening your door manually? Some doors are made to be easy to open, and some are made with heavier materials. At Metro Garage Doors, we like to emphasize the importance of our customers knowing about their garage door and its weight. Your garage door’s weight can impact the parts that go along with it, its safety mechanisms, and future replacements.
Why do I care?
- You may be in the market for a new garage door but need it to be compatible with your current opener. With different styles and types of doors, many require different openers based on weight. To be safe, your replacement door must be in the weight range that your opener can withstand.
- Your torsion springs may need replaced. The torsion springs are essential parts of the garage door as they hold the weight of it when in use. Installing torsion springs that cannot hold the weight of your garage door can be extremely dangerous. If you feel like your garage door isn’t opening and closing correctly, or is falling, you may have the wrong parts. Understanding the weight of your garage door is important to keep your kids and car safe!
- You may be interested in a door that is easy to manually open. Metro can recommend specific styles and materials to make it easier for you to manually operate your new garage door.
Materials and Their Weights
The biggest contributing factor to garage door weights is the materials they are made of. If you know what your garage door is made of, you can read more below about how the material affects its weight.
- Wood Garage Doors: Some of the nicest, sleekest garage doors are made of wood. However, they are one of the heaviest kind. A single garage door made of wood can weigh up to 300 pounds, and a double can weigh up to 500 pounds.
- Steel or Metal Garage Doors: These doors will weigh less than wood but can vary significantly based on thickness. Typically, a steel or metal door weighs 80 pounds for a single door and 150 pounds for a double door.
- Overlay Garage Doors: One of the newest, modern styles is an overlay door. This is a combination of steel and wood. The base is made of steel with a wood overlay. For this model, a single door can weigh about 250 pounds and a double door can weigh around 400 pounds.
- Glass Garage Doors: Glass is the heaviest material of them all. A single door can weigh around 300 pounds and almost double that at around 550 pounds for a double door.
Weights of the Door Based off Size
Dimensions vary and can impact the weight of your door regardless of material. For instance, a vinyl garage door with dimensions 9×7 can weigh between 85-95 pounds. An insulated door the same size can weigh from 95 to 115 pounds. For a 14×7 uninsulated door, the weight typically ranges from 135 to 150 pounds. Insulation can increase that weight to around145-170 pounds. These differences can be applied to different materials for a close estimate of your door.
Accessories on your Door and Their Weights
Many garage doors have additional gadgets like windows, handles, and reinforcing struts. It may not seem like a large addition, but the weight of these can add pounds to the door and change the type of torsion springs needed. Here are guidelines to see how much your accessories may be adding.
- Windows: Many garage doors have a few windows to add light into the garage and a nicer look to the outside. Typically, one acrylic window panel is at least 1.5 pounds, and most doors have a few of them.
- Handles and Hinges: Many new doors have handles or hinges that give that garage door a finishing touch. However, don’t underestimate the weight of those handles. Many are made from iron or wood that can add up to 20 pounds on your garage door. Therefore, be sure to factor these in when trying to estimate the weight.
- Reinforcing Struts: Many doors have extra support to keep your door in good shape and prevent damage. Depending on garage door’s weight and size, these struts can add 12 pounds or more to the weight of the door.
Weighing Your Door
Many are curious to the weight of the garage door and attempt to guess the weight. This is usually fine with research on what all to incorporate into the weight. However, a more precise weight is needed if you are using that weight to determine parts to install or openers to use. This is where you need a professional to come in and give you a more exact weight estimate. Here at Metro, our technicians are professionally trained to inspect your door and provide a proper weight. Call us today and schedule an inspection.
