Door Awning Sizes: What Fits a Standard Canadian Door

The most common question we get on the phone is not about price or panels. It is "what size do I need?" And it is the right question, because a door awning that is too small looks like an afterthought and lets rain blow in at the edges, while one that is too large fights with your windows and your siding.

Here is how we size them for Canadian homes.

First, a note on the name

You will see these called door awnings, door canopies and sometimes entry awnings. They are the same product. Canopy tends to be the British and European term, awning the North American one, and Palram-Canopia uses both depending on the market. If you searched one and landed here, you are in the right place.

Start with your door width

Most Canadian exterior doors are 32 or 36 inches wide, which is 2 ft 8 in or 3 ft 0 in. Double doors and patio sliders are obviously wider, and older homes sometimes have a 30 inch door.

Measure the opening itself, then measure the full frame including any trim, brickmould or casing. The second number is the one that matters, because the awning needs to clear the trim, not just the door.

Our rule of thumb: the awning should be wider than the door frame on both sides. An awning that stops flush with the frame drips rainwater straight onto the person standing there. Going wider costs very little and it is the difference between a shelter and a decoration.

Then decide the projection

Projection is how far the awning reaches out from the wall. It is the number that does the actual work, and the one people most often get wrong.

Ask yourself what you want it to do:

• Keep the door itself dry so the weatherstripping and the finish last longer. A modest projection is enough.
• Keep a person dry while they find keys, sign for a parcel or hold a screen door open. You need enough depth for someone to stand fully underneath, clear of the drip line.
• Shelter a small landing or two or three steps. This needs the most projection, and it is worth measuring the landing depth before you shop.

Stand at your own door with a tape measure held out from the wall and you will know within a minute which of those three you are buying.

Check what is above and beside the door

This is the step people skip and then discover on installation day.

• Height. Is there a light fixture, a transom window, a house number or a second-storey sill where the awning would mount? The bracket needs clear wall.
• Sideways. Is there a window close to the door on either side? A wide awning can crowd it or block light.
• Above. Will snow and ice sliding off your roof land on the awning? In much of Canada it will, and that changes which snow rating you need.

Snow matters more than you think

An awning over an entry door is usually the one part of the house where snow gets a chance to pile up and stay. Every series publishes a snow load rating in pounds per square foot, and they are not all the same.

If you are not sure what your area needs, our snow load calculator converts snow depth to pounds per square foot so you can compare properly rather than guessing.

All 46 sizes in one place

We carry 11 Palram-Canopia door awning series across 46 sizes, from a 2.5 ft Neo over a single entry door up to a 29 ft Herald spanning a full walkway.

Rather than list every dimension here and let it go out of date, they all live in one table. Our door awning comparison table shows every series side by side with projection, width, panel type, wind and snow ratings and current pricing, and you can filter it by projection to narrow straight to the ones that fit.

One last thing before you order

Check what your wall is made of. Brick, block and solid wood framing are straightforward. Vinyl and aluminum siding are not structural and an awning bolted through siding alone will pull out. There is a simple fix using a pressure-treated header board, and we wrote it up in our guide to mounting awnings on siding.

Send us a photo

If you would rather not work it out alone, send a photo of your doorway with the door width and we will tell you which sizes fit and which do not. We are a Canadian family business and we have been supplying Palram-Canopia since 2007. We would rather spend five minutes getting it right than process a return.

Call 1-877-277-0190 or email sales@awnings-canada.ca. Free shipping to the ten provinces on orders over $125.

Browse all door awnings or compare all 11 series side by side.