Cabinet and Finish Carpentry (C-6) · Lesson 3 of 6

Doors: Clear Width, Clear Height, and Hardware Checks

"Doors: Clear Width, Clear Height, and Hardware Checks" is lesson 3 of 6 in the Cabinet and Finish Carpentry (C-6) Learning Hub. It opens with "Read the Code Dimension, Not the Slab Size" and works through 5 short steps, then a worked example you can check yourself against.

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Steps in this lesson

  1. Read the Code Dimension, Not the Slab Size
  2. Houses: CRC Egress Door
  3. Commercial Work: CBC Section 1010
  4. Accessible Doors: CBC 11B-404
  5. Measure Before You Hang the Casing

The worked example in the course applies this lesson to a realistic job in 5 steps, from "Clear width, break room" through "Same door as the egress door of a house".

What you'll be able to do

  • Explain the main idea of "Doors: Clear Width, Clear Height, and Hardware Checks" in plain language you can use on the exam.
  • Apply this step with confidence: "Commercial Work: CBC Section 1010".
  • Apply this step with confidence: "Accessible Doors: CBC 11B-404".
  • Apply this step with confidence: "Measure Before You Hang the Casing".
  • Test yourself on the worked example and the quick-check quiz inside the classroom.
Doors: Clear Width, Height, and HardwareDOOR AND FRAME (ELEVATION)CLEAR WIDTH 33-1/2 inCLEAR HEIGHT 79-1/2 inlever 38 inabove floorBREAK ROOM (CBC 1010.1.1, 11B-404)Width 33.5 ≥ 32 in: PASSHeight 79.5 < 80 in (1010.1.1): FAILLever 38 in, within 34 to 44 in: PASSThreshold 3/4 > 1/2 in (11B-404.2.5): FAILWidth: face of door to stop, door open 90°HOUSE EGRESS DOOR (CRC R318.2)Width 33.5 ≥ 32 in: PASSHeight 79.5 ≥ 78 in: PASSHeight: top of threshold to bottom of stopOther doors in the home: no minimumSame door: fails 2 checks in a break room, passes in a houseFix: 80 in clear height and a threshold 1/2 in high or lowerSources: 2025 CRC R318.2; 2025 CBC 1010.1.1, 1010.2.3, 11B-404.2.3, 11B-404.2.5, 11B-404.2.7.CC
The diagram for this lesson, exactly as it appears in the Learning Hub.

The first steps of this lesson

Step 1: Read the Code Dimension, Not the Slab Size

A door is ordered by slab size (a 3-0 by 6-8 slab is 36 by 80 inches), but the codes regulate the clear opening, which is smaller than the slab. The clear opening of a swinging door is measured between the face of the door and the stop with the door open 90 degrees. Every number below is a clear-opening number, so you measure it on the installed door, not on the order sheet.

Step 2: Houses: CRC Egress Door

2025 CRC R318.2 requires at least one egress door for each dwelling unit. It must be side-hinged and provide a clear width of not less than 32 inches, measured between the face of the door and the stop with the door open 90 degrees. The clear height must be not less than 78 inches, measured from the top of the threshold to the bottom of the stop. Other doors in the dwelling are not required to meet those minimums.

The remaining 3 steps, the worked example and the quiz are in the course. This is a preview. The full lesson, with the step-by-step explanations, a worked example and a quick-check quiz, is inside the classroom.

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