If the biggest piece of your new sectional is 38 inches wide, and your front door only opens to 34 inches, you might have a problem

A sectional is a large, multi-piece sofa made of separate individual units that lock together into one seating arrangement.

Because these couches are quite massive, and nobody in the living room did the math, two people in work gloves are standing on the porch, trying to do it for you.

The strange part is how little anyone promises about doors. The national model building code only requires a home's main entry door to be 32 inches wide. Other doors in the house don't have to meet any minimum at all.

So the room is only half the measuring job. The other half is the path from the vehicle to the spot where the sectional lands.

BeX Furniture Outlet's team wrote this guide so the tape measure comes out before the delivery truck does. From Calumet City to Waukegan to Griffith, Indiana, it shows how to measure for a sectional sofa in 4 parts: the room, the biggest single piece, every door on the route, and the stairs.

New doors are the biggest risk if you just moved, or you're about to. The Census Bureau counted 11.8 % of Americans moving to a new home in 2024, according to the American Community Survey.

Between the front porch and your living room, there’s a whole obstacle course of doors and stairways your sectional needs to fit through.

How Do You Measure a Room for a Sectional?

Measure every wall the sectional will touch, then subtract the space you need to move around it. Designers typically leave 30 to 36 inches between large pieces and 14 to 18 inches between the sofa and the coffee table. What's left is the footprint for your sectional. .

Treat those numbers as a starting point. Your own lifestyle decides  the rest.

Tape it on the floor

Painter's tape is the cheapest design tool you'll ever buy. Use it in four steps:

1. Outline the footprint. Tape the full shape on the floor, including the chaise or the second leg of the L.
2. Live with it for a day. Leave the tape down and use the room normally.
3. Walk the paths. Walk to the TV. Walk to the hallway. Open the closet.
4. Check your toes. If your toes cross the tape,  you'll stub themon the sectional. Move the tape and try again.

The same steps work for a regular sofa. Learning how to measure for a couch is the same job with one leg instead of two.

The Dupont Anthracite sectional, currently $1,039.20. Notice the open floor between the chaise and the coffee table.

Measure both legs of the L

A sectional has two lengths, not one. Measure each of these:

• The wall for the first leg.
• The wall for the second leg.
• The depth of the chaise, if there is one.
• Which side the chaise sits on. Some listings, like the Altari 2 piece sectional with chaise, ask you to choose left arm facing or right arm facing before you order.

That choice decides which wall the chaise lands on. Decide with a tape measure, not a hunch.

How Wide Does a Doorway Need to Be for a Sectional?

Wider than the largest single piece, measured as clear width: the gap between the face of the open door and the stop. A main entry door must provide at least 32 inches by the model building code. Interior doors have no code minimum, so measure every one on the route.

The 32 inch rule comes from section R311.2 of the International Residential Code, which measures it with the door open 90 degrees. The same section says other doors aren't required to meet those minimums.

Your town may have its own rules, and older buildings predate them. Treat 32 as a guide, not a promise.

So, will my couch fit through the door? It's a subtraction problem: the clear width, minus the widest piece.

How to measure a doorway for furniture

1. Open the door to 90 degrees. That's how the building code measures it.
2. Measure the gap between the face of the open door and the door stop.
3. Measure the height of the opening, then compare both numbers to the widest and tallest piece.

Four ways to gain inches

If the numbers are tight, you have options before you give up on the sectional.

1. Take the door off its hinges. Family Handyman says an extra half inch is often all it takes, and removing the door can give you that and more.
2. Pry off the door stop molding. That adds another three quarters of an inch, according to the same Family Handyman moving guide.
3. Remove the feet. It makes a sofa a few inches shorter.
4. Stand it on end. Tilt the top away from the door and you can gain several inches of clearance.

None of these tricks help if the piece is simply too wide. Measure first.

Will a Sectional Fit Up Stairs and Around Corners?

Usually yes, if the largest single piece is narrower than the narrowest point on the path. The model code allows a stairway as narrow as 31.5 inches at handrail height with one rail, and as little as 6 feet 8 inches of headroom. Measure your own stairs, because yours may be tighter.

Both numbers come straight from the code. Section R311.7.1 requires 36 inches of clear width above the handrail, and 31.5 inches at and below handrail height when there's a handrail on one side. Section R311.7.2 sets the 6 foot 8 inch headroom.

Handrails are the part people forget. They eat the width exactly where a sectional piece has to squeeze past.

The Midnight Madness 3 piece sectional in Onyx, currently $1,796.00. The listing sells it as a 3 piece set.

A worked example

Say your stairwell measures 33 inches between the wall and the handrail at its narrowest point.

A section that's 36 inches deep won't pass with its depth running across the stairwell. Turn it so a shorter side runs across instead, say its 30 inch height, and it may clear.

That's why the number to get is the size of the largest single piece, not the size of the finished sectional.

Why piece count matters

Several of the sectionals on the BeX Furniture site are listed as 2, 3, or 4 piece sets, and a multi piece set is built from separate sections that connect in the room. A smaller section is easier to turn around a tight landing.

To measure a sectional that arrives in sections, get the width, depth, and height of the biggest section, not the finished set.

Take the Galactic Charcoal collection. The 2 piece version is $959.20 and the 3 piece version is $1,492.00.

If you choose the 3 piece, you pay $532.80 more and get a third section. If you choose the 2 piece, you pay less and carry fewer sections.

Which version has the smaller biggest piece? Only the spec sheet knows. Ask the showroom for the sectional dimensions of the largest section in each version, then compare them to your checklist.

The Delivery Door Checklist

Measure 8 spots, in order, from the truck to the room. Write the narrowest number at each spot on one page, then compare every number to the largest single piece of the sectional. That's all measuring furniture for delivery really is: a list of narrow points.

Apartments and condos

Add the building's own rules to the list. Many buildings limit move in hours or require you to reserve the elevator.

Ask your building manager before delivery day, not during it. A crew can't wait an hour for an elevator you forgot to book.

Chicagoland winters

Add the weather. Snow and ice change a tight outside path into a slow, careful one.

Clear and salt the steps the night before, and move the car so the truck can get close. It's a small favor that saves the crew time.

Which Sectional Size Fits Your Room and Your Path?

Pick the footprint from the room and the piece count from the path. More pieces can give you more route options. A reclining sectional needs extra space around it when it reclines. Choose the smallest set that still seats your household.

Here are a few BeX Furniture examples, so the trade-offs have prices attached. Prices are what the site listed on October 5, 2026 and may fluctuate due to price increase or a sales promotions. Always feel free to check back. BeX Furniture does have a price match guarantee as well as financing and layaway options. Also, when ordering check out our current offers page to see if there are any specials to sweeten the deal.

The Redondo Gray sectional, currently $1,860.00. A reclining style like this one needs floor space beyond its footprint.

The Dahlia Charcoal sectional, currently $1,639.20, shown with the chaise on the right.

If your room is small, tape out a 2 piece first, since it's the lowest priced set in the table. If you have a large family room and a wide path, the bigger sets and the reclining styles are worth a look.

Either way, the tape on the floor is the final vote.

Where Can You See a Sectional in Person in Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana?

BeX furniture is a furniture outlet in Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana with 6 showrooms: Calumet City, Homewood, Buffalo Grove, Waukegan, Lakehurst, and Griffith, Indiana. Bring your measurements to the closest one, sit on a few sectionals, and ask for the largest section's size. Local delivery covers Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin.

South suburbs: Calumet City and Homewood

Want a sectional in Calumet City, or a furniture outlet in Calumet City, IL? The showroom is on River Oaks Drive.

Prefer a sectional in Homewood, or a furniture store in Homewood, IL? That one is on S Halsted Street.

Both are in the south suburbs of Chicago, so one of them is probably your closest stop for discount furniture. Bring the 8 numbers from the checklist, and ask to see the biggest section of any sectional you like.

North and northwest suburbs: Buffalo Grove, Waukegan, and Lakehurst

For a sectional sofa in Buffalo Grove, or a furniture store in Buffalo Grove, IL, the showroom is at 1309 W Dundee Rd.

Farther north, the Grand Ave store covers anyone after a sectional sofa in Waukegan or a furniture outlet in Waukegan, plus shoppers searching for a furniture store near Gurnee, IL.

The Northpoint Blvd store is the one to visit for a sectional in Lakehurst or a furniture outlet in Lakehurst.

Northwest Indiana: Griffith

Griffith is the one showroom across the state line, on W Ridge Rd. If you've been searching for a sectional in Griffith, IN, a furniture outlet in Griffith, Indiana, or discount furniture in Northwest Indiana, that's the address.

Delivery reaches Indiana, so measure the route at your own address before you order.

What to Do Before Delivery Day

The cheapest time to find a fit problem is before the truck leaves the lot. Here's the order that works.

1. Tape the footprint and live with it for a day. Walk every path you'll actually use.
2. Measure the route with the checklist. Write the narrowest number at each of the 8 spots.
3. Get the largest single piece's size from the showroom. Width, depth, and height, before you order.
4. Pick the chaise side with the tape. Left arm facing or right arm facing, decided by the wall.
5. Know the return rules before you buy. On the BeX Furniture delivery and returns page, you can cancel an order for a full refund until delivery or pickup day. After delivery, stocking items can be returned or exchanged within 7 days, and additional delivery fees may apply.
6. Ask how your sectional ships. Items shipped directly from the manufacturer are excluded from White Glove delivery and in home assembly, according to the same policy page.

Seven days is short, so the measuring happens first.

Bring your numbers to the showroom nearest you, sit on a few, and ask for the biggest section's size. The full list of BeX Furniture locations is also on the showroom locations page.

Still deciding what to buy? Start with How to Choose the Best Sofa Set for Your Living Room, then come back to the tape measure.

Common Questions About Measuring for a Sectional, Answered

How do you measure a room for a sectional?

Measure each wall the sectional will touch, then subtract 30 to 36 inches for walkways and 14 to 18 inches between the sofa and the coffee table. The space that remains is your usable footprint. Tape that outline on the floor for a day before you order, so you can test the layout.

How wide does a doorway have to be for a sectional sofa?

A main entry door must provide at least 32 inches of clear width under the model building code, measured with the door open 90 degrees. Interior doors have no code minimum. Measure every door on the route, then compare each one to the widest single piece.

Will a sectional fit up a narrow staircase?

It can, if the largest single piece is narrower than the narrowest point, which the model code sets at 31.5 inches minimum at handrail height with one rail. Older stairs may be tighter. Measure your own stairwell and the piece, then stand the piece on its end if needed.

Does a multi piece sectional fit through doors more easily?

Usually yes, because each section is smaller than the assembled set, so the largest single section is the number that must fit. BeX Furniture lists Galactic Charcoal as a 2 piece at $959.20 and a 3 piece at $1,492.00. Ask the showroom for each section's size.

What if the sectional doesn't fit after delivery?

BeX Furniture allows stocking items to be returned or exchanged within 7 days of delivery, and additional delivery fees may apply. Special orders are non-refundable and floor samples are sold as is. You can cancel for a full refund until delivery or pickup day, so measure before then.

Where can I buy a sectional near Calumet City or Homewood?

Bex Furniture Outlet is a discount furniture store in Calumet City at 1785 River Oaks Drive, with a second south suburban showroom at 18150 S Halsted St in Homewood. Bring your door and stair measurements, and ask for the largest section's width, depth, and height before you order.

Where can I buy a sectional sofa near Waukegan, Gurnee, or Buffalo Grove?

Bex has 3 showrooms in that area: 3364 Grand Ave in Waukegan, 4062 Northpoint Blvd in Lakehurst, and 1309 W Dundee Rd in Buffalo Grove. Call first at (847) 360-1520, (847) 469-2910, or (847) 385-2616 to ask which sectionals are on the floor.

Is there a furniture outlet in Griffith, Indiana?

Yes, Bex Furniture Outlet is at 120 W Ridge Rd in Griffith, IN 46319, phone (219) 259-9130, with local delivery in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. Measure your route before ordering, because stocking items can be returned or exchanged only within 7 days of delivery.