How to measure for your screens
Ten minutes with a tape measure is all it takes. Follow these steps for each window or door, and we'll check every size before anything is made.
Watch how to measure
Short videos for hinged and sliding screen doors. A voice-over talks you through every step, the steps are written on screen, and captions and a transcript are included.
Read the transcript
How to measure a door opening for a hinged screen door. Take every measurement from outside, and measure the door frame, not the old door.
Measure the width between the door jambs, from the frame on one side to the frame on the other side. Do it at the top, the middle and the bottom.
Use the smallest width: 860 mm.
Now measure the height, from the floor or sill up to the top of the frame, on the left, in the centre and on the right.
Use the smallest height: 2040 mm.
Next, measure your existing door handle height, from the floor or sill to the centre of the handle. Then decide if you want the screen door handle above it or below it.
Now, still outside and facing the door, note the handle side. Here, the handle is on the right and the hinges are on the left.
In our quote form, enter 860 × 2040, a door handle height of 1000 mm, the screen door handle above it, and the handle on the right. If the floor is uneven, add a note.
Scenic Screens. Quality Fabrication. Made to Measure.
Voice-over made with ElevenLabs (elevenlabs.io).
Read the transcript
How to measure a sliding door for a sliding screen door. Take every measurement from outside, where the screen door will run.
Start with the height. If your door has a top rail and a bottom rail, measure from the top of the bottom rail to the bottom of the top rail, at both ends and in the middle.
Use the smallest height: 2050 mm.
If your top track has no rail, measure from the top of the bottom rail up to the top of the top track instead, in the same three places. For security door orders, we can supply a rail for you to fit to the top track.
Now the width. Measure from the edge of the side cover, where the screen door closes, to the far edge of the mullion, where the two glass panels meet. Do it at the top, the middle and the bottom.
Use the smallest width: 910 mm.
Next, measure your glass door handle height, from the bottom track to the centre of the handle. Then decide if you want the screen door handle above it or below it.
And note the handle side, looking from outside. Here, it's on the left.
In our quote form, enter 910 × 2050, a door handle height of 1000 mm, the screen door handle below it, and the handle on the left. Add photos of your tracks.
Scenic Screens. Quality Fabrication. Made to Measure.
Voice-over made with ElevenLabs (elevenlabs.io).
Before you start
Measure every window and door separately, even if they look the same. Openings that look identical are often a few millimetres different.
- A steel tape measureCloth tapes stretch. A metal tape gives true readings.
- Pencil and paperOr our printable measuring sheet, with a row for each opening.
- Your phonePhotos of door openings and tracks help us check your request.
- A helperUseful for tall doors and wide openings.
Always measure in millimetres. 1 metre is 1000 mm, and 90 cm is 900 mm. Write down exact numbers and don't round up.
Opening size or make size
Our quote form asks which kind of measurement you are giving us for each screen. Window fly screens are the exception: they're ordered by make size only. Getting this right is the most important part of measuring.
Opening size
The size of the space the screen fits into. You measure the opening and we check your sizes and allow for the fit before we make anything.
Make size
The exact finished size of the screen. We make it to those numbers. Use this if you have a work order, or you're measuring an old screen that fitted well.
Measure the width in three places
Measure the width across the opening, from the frame on one side to the frame on the other, at the top, the middle and the bottom. Hold the end of the tape hard against one side and read it where it meets the other side. Openings are rarely perfectly straight, so the three numbers are often slightly different.
Use the smallest of the three. For example, if you measure 902, 900 and 901 mm, your width is 900 mm.
Measure the height in three places
Measure the height from the bottom of the frame to the top, at the left side, the centre and the right side of the opening.
Again, use the smallest. Write the width first and the height second, for example 900 × 1200 mm.
Check it's square
Measure from the top left corner to the bottom right, then from the top right to the bottom left.
If the two diagonals are within about 5 mm of each other, the opening is square enough. If they differ by more, add both numbers to the notes for that screen and include a photo. We'll check it before we make anything.
Window fly screens
How a window fly screen is measured depends on the type of screen frame (extrusion) your window takes, so there's no one video that suits every window. We make window fly screens to the make size you give us, so there's no need to send photos of your windows.
Window fly screens are ordered by make size: the finished size of the screen. If you're replacing an old screen that fitted well, measure the old screen frame edge to edge, using the three widths and three heights above, and enter the smallest of each.
No old screen to measure? Measure where the screen sits, usually inside the frame or channel on the outside of the window, and enter the finished size the screen needs to be. We make it to the exact numbers you give us.
Hinged doors
Take every measurement from outside. Measure the width of the door opening between the door frame jambs at the top, middle and bottom. Then measure the height from the floor or sill to the top of the opening, at the left, centre and right. Use the smallest of each.
Measure your door handle height. Measure from the floor or sill to the centre of your existing door handle. Then decide whether you want the screen door handle above or below it. The quote form asks for both with each door.
Note your handle side. Stand outside, facing the door. The side you want the screen door handle on is your handle side. If you're replacing an old screen door, it's usually the same side.
French doors. For a pair of hinged doors, measure the full width of the opening the same way, across both doors, then the width of each door. Tell us which door has the handle, looking from outside.
Check the floor or sill. If it slopes or has a step, mention it in the notes.
Sliding doors
Take every measurement from outside, where the screen door will run. A sliding screen door runs on a rail in the bottom track, and on a rail hanging down in the top track if there is one. How you measure the height depends on your top track:
- Top and bottom rails: measure from the top of the bottom rail to the bottom of the top rail, at both ends and in the middle. Use the smallest.
- No rail in the top track: measure from the top of the bottom rail to the top of the top track, in the same three places. Use the smallest. For security, diamond grille and perforated sliding doors, we can supply a rail for you to fit to the top track. Tick Top rail under add-ons in the quote form.
- Width: measure from the edge of the side cover (the frame at the side where the screen door closes) to the far edge of the mullion (the upright where the two glass panels meet), so the width takes in the whole mullion. Measure at the top, middle and bottom. Use the smallest.
- Door handle height: measure from the bottom track to the centre of your glass door handle, then decide whether you want the screen door handle above or below it.
- Handle side: left or right, looking from outside.
- Double (French) sliding doors: measure the full width of the opening, across both doors, at the top, middle and bottom, then the width of each door.
- Triple sliders: one glass door is fixed and the other two slide, so you need two screen doors. Measure the width and height of each screen door: door 1 is the door with the handle, door 2 is the other one. We supply four interlocks separately for you to install, and the two screen doors slide closed with the help of the interlocks.
The quote form asks whether your top track has a rail. Attach photos of the top and bottom tracks too. Track shapes vary, and the photos help us check the fit.
Pleated retractable screens
Measure the full width and height of the opening, frame to frame, in three places each, and use the smallest numbers.
Pleated screens come in two ranges, and each style has its own size range. Check your sizes fit before you order:
Pleated window screens
Slim single horizontal
Width 200 to 3000 mm
Height 300 to 2500 mm
Slim single vertical
Width 300 to 2500 mm
Height 300 to 2000 mm
Pleated door screens
Width 300 to 4000 mm
Height 300 to 3000 mm
For windows, choose a slim single horizontal screen (pulls across from one side) or a slim single vertical screen (pulls down from the top). For doors, choose single (pulls across from one side) or double (two screens that meet in the middle).
For a horizontal window screen or a single door screen, also choose the direction it pulls across to close (right to left or left to right), looking from inside.
Take a photo showing the sides and top of the opening so we can check how the frame will fit.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Measuring in centimetres or inchesOur quote form takes millimetres only. 90 cm is 900 mm.
- Measuring the glass instead of the openingMeasure the space the screen fits into, not the glass panel.
- Measuring onceAlways measure three times in each direction and use the smallest.
- Swapping width and heightWidth is side to side and height is top to bottom. Width always comes first.
- Assuming windows are the sameMeasure every opening, even ones that look identical.
- Forgetting the door handle detailsFor every hinged or sliding door, we need your existing door handle height, whether the screen door handle goes above or below it, and the handle side. Decide while you're standing outside, facing the door.
Your measuring sheet
Jot your numbers down like this, one row per opening, then enter the final sizes in the quote form. You can also print our measuring sheet.
Slide the table sideways to see every column.
| Opening | Product | W1 | W2 | W3 | H1 | H2 | H3 | Final W × H | Door handle | Handle side | Size type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchen window | Window fly screen | 1212 | 1210 | 1211 | 902 | 900 | 901 | 1210 × 900 | Make | ||
| Back door | Hinged security screen door | 862 | 860 | 861 | 2042 | 2040 | 2041 | 860 × 2040 | 1000, screen handle above | Right, from outside | Opening |
| Bedroom 2 | Window fly screen | 610 | 610 | 609 | 1210 | 1212 | 1210 | 609 × 1210 | Make |
Example figures only.
Got your numbers? Request a quote.
Enter your sizes in the quote form, choose your mesh, colour and add-ons, and we'll email your pricing and lead time.
Prefer email? Write to info@scenicscreensandblinds.com.au. We reply to every request in writing.
