18 feet wide · 7 feet high · double
18x7 garage door
Two vehicles with real space between them. Common on newer builds.
Where it comes from
Why an opening is 18x7
The generous double. Eighteen by seven is specified when the builder or the buyer wanted two cars to coexist properly, and it is common on newer builds where garages got wider before they got taller.
Two vehicles with genuine space between them. Two full-size pickups will go through an eighteen-foot opening with the mirrors out, which is the thing that is not true at sixteen feet.
Fitting one
What changes at 18x7
Eighteen feet is a long span and the door is built for it — two springs, a strut on the top section and usually one further down, and a shaft long enough that it deflects if it is undersized. The header above an eighteen-foot opening is a structural element and not an afterthought.
The opener. Three-quarter horsepower minimum, and a belt drive is worth the money at this width because a chain moving a door this wide is audible through the house.
Getting hold of one. Stock in the common styles. Less universally than 16x7, so the colour or panel you want may be the thing that is ordered rather than the size.
The mistake
What people get wrong about a 18x7
Treating it as a bigger 16x7 for framing. The extra two feet changes what the header has to do, and a door this wide fitted to a sagging header binds in the middle of its travel in a way that looks like an opener fault.
What it costs
A 18x7 door, installed
| Material | Typical, installed | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Sectional steel | $3,240 | The baseline, and most of the doors on most streets. |
| Insulated steel | $3,990 | Worth it on an attached garage or one with a room above it. |
| Steel overlay, carriage look | $6,790 | The swing-door look on a sectional door. Where the price starts climbing. |
| Wood overlay | $14,640 | Real wood over an insulated core. Beautiful, and it needs refinishing. |
| Aluminium and glass | $8,390 | Modern, lots of daylight, lower insulation value. |
The gap between the cheapest and dearest 18x7 is $16,620, and not one dollar of it is the size. Same opening, same fitting, same morning — what moves the number is the model: panel style, insulation and overlay. Why a door costs what it does →
National guide ranges, checked September 2026, not a quote — what moves the number.
That is the door, the tracks, the springs, fitting it and taking the old one away. An opener, a keypad and any work on the opening itself are separate — what is in a quote and what is not.
Before you book it
What the extras cost · why nobody should touch their own springs
Framing
Rough opening for a 18x7
18'0" × 7'0"
For a sectional door the rough opening equals the door size exactly. A 16x7 door needs a 16'0" wide by 7'0" high finished opening.
Fits
What goes through a 18x7
- Compact car (Civic) — 11.2' spare across the mirrors
- Sedan (Camry) — 11.0' spare across the mirrors
- Small SUV (RAV4) — 10.9' spare across the mirrors
- Large SUV (Suburban) — 10.5' spare across the mirrors
- Full-size pickup (F-150) — 10.0' spare across the mirrors
- Cargo van (Transit) — 9.9' spare across the mirrors
- Pickup, tow mirrors (F-250) — 9.2' spare across the mirrors
Two side by side: compact car (civic), sedan (camry), small suv (rav4), large suv (suburban).
Questions
18x7 garage doors, answered
How much does a 18x7 garage door cost?
A 18x7 in sectional steel runs about $2,130 to $4,350 installed, and $2,630 to $5,350 insulated. That is the door, the tracks, the springs, fitting it and taking the old one away. An opener is separate.
What is the rough opening for a 18x7 garage door?
18 feet by 7 feet, exactly. For a sectional door the rough opening is the door size — framing it wider leaves a gap the seal cannot close.
How much clearance do you need for a 18x7?
12" of headroom above the opening for a standard torsion setup, 9" front, 4.5" rear of sideroom each side for the vertical track, and the door height plus 16 inches of backroom. The full table, including low-headroom kits, is on the rough opening guide.
Is a 18 ft garage door big enough for two cars?
Two of these, comfortably: compact car (civic), sedan (camry), small suv (rav4), large suv (suburban). Anything wider across the mirrors gets tight — measure yours, mirror to mirror, before you decide.
Is an insulated 18x7 worth the extra?
About $500 to $1,000 more. Yes if the garage is attached or there is a room above it — you feel it in the summer and in the heating bill. A detached garage you only park in: skip it.
How long does it take to fit?
Four to six hours, plus an hour or two to take the old one away. Plan on losing the morning.
What opener does a 18x7 need?
Three-quarter horsepower minimum, and a belt drive is worth the money at this width because a chain moving a door this wide is audible through the house.
Is a 18x7 a stock size?
Stock in the common styles. Less universally than 16x7, so the colour or panel you want may be the thing that is ordered rather than the size.
The next size up
18x7 or 20x10?
A 20x10 is 2 feet wider and costs roughly $2,500 more in steel. Worth it if you open car doors inside the garage rather than on the driveway. See the 20x10 →
Other sizes