Will a sofa fit through a 27 inch door?
No: 6.4 cm too big a typical three-seater, tipped back
No, not a typical sofa: a 68.6 cm (27 in) door is narrower than a three-seater's 75 cm (30 in) diagonal depth, so tipped back the sofa is 6.4 cm too big. Straight through it is 16.4 cm too big. A two-seater with a 72 cm (28 in) diagonal depth does no better: it is 3.4 cm too big.
The number that decides it is the sofa's diagonal depth, not its width or how many it seats. Hold a straight edge from the top of the back to the front of the arm and measure from the back bottom corner up to it: that is the least width the sofa needs when it is tipped back through a door.
For a door this narrow, shop by that figure. Sofas with a low back, loose back cushions, bolt-on arms or feet that unscrew have a much smaller diagonal depth, and some ranges are sold to come apart for exactly this door.
Worked out for A typical three-seater sofa, 200 cm (79 in) wide, 92 cm (36 in) deep and 85 cm (33 in) high with a 75 cm (30 in) diagonal depth, carried through a doorway 68.6 cm (27 in) wide and 198 cm (78 in) high, with no turn straight after it. Change the numbers
The working
- Straight through: height 85 cm across the 68.6 cm door (and 92 cm under its 198 cm height): 16.4 cm too big.
- Tipped back: diagonal depth 75 cm across the door: 6.4 cm too big.
- No turn after the door, so the length does not matter here.
A delivery team may still find an angle, and feet or legs often come off. Ask the shop before you order.
The rules, and their sources
The diagonal-depth test
Furniture shops' test: a sofa that is too deep to go straight through can be tipped back through the door if its diagonal depth is less than the door's clear width, and its length is less than the door's height or the clearance from the door to the facing wall.
A rule designers use Sources: Darlings of Chelsea, Sofa fit guide (checked 31 October 2026); Furniture Choice, How to measure a sofa (checked 31 October 2026).
Sofa sizes vary
One maker says its sofas vary by about ±5% from the listed size, so the calculator calls anything with under 5 cm to spare 'tight'.
A rule designers use Source: Darlings of Chelsea, Sofa fit guide (checked 31 October 2026).
Standard UK internal door
The most common internal door in England and Wales is 762 × 1981 mm (2 ft 6 in × 6 ft 6 in). The gap you can carry a sofa through is smaller.
Shop sizes Source: Howarth Timber (Green, 14 Sep 2026), UK door sizes (checked 31 October 2026).
The clear opening
Measure the clear opening: from the door stop to the face of the open door. On a 762 mm door that is often about 700–720 mm, because the open door (about 35 mm) and the stop (10–15 mm) take their share.
A published standard Source: HM Government, Approved Document M, Volume 1, Diagram 2.2 (checked 24 October 2026).
Typical sofa depths
Most two-seater sofas are 80–95 cm deep, and three-seaters and corner sofas 85–100 cm.
Shop sizes Source: Furniture Choice, How to measure a sofa (checked 31 October 2026).
Other doors, same sofa
The same three-seater against the clear widths of the doors UK homes have. Under 5 cm to spare counts as tight, because sofas vary from their listed size.
| Clear width | Tipped back | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| 61 cm (24 in) | 14 cm too big | will not fit |
| 68.6 cm (27 in) this page | 6.4 cm too big | will not fit |
| 72 cm (28 in)a standard door, left on | 3 cm too big | will not fit |
| 76.2 cm (30 in)a standard door, taken off | 1.2 cm to spare | is a tight fit |
| 83.8 cm (33 in) | 8.8 cm to spare | fits |
Change the numbers
Your sizes will differ. The sofa fit calculator opens with these numbers filled in: change any of them and the answer, the working and the drawing follow.
Editorial notes
Worked out by the Snuug team on 12 November 2026 with the same code as the sofa fit calculator, so the two cannot disagree. Every rule cites its source, with the date we last checked it. A rule designers use is a convention, not a study.