16 feet wide · 8 feet high · double
16x8 garage door
Two vehicles, one of them tall. The double door for a truck household.
Where it comes from
Why an opening is 16x8
A 16x7 with an extra foot of height, and it is what builders started using when trucks and SUVs got taller. On a house built in the last twenty years in truck country, this is as likely as 16x7.
Two vehicles, and at least one of them can be tall. That is the whole reason to choose it over 16x7 — the width is identical, so it buys nothing except the ability to get a roof box, a rack or a raised suspension through.
Fitting one
What changes at 16x8
Everything true of a 16x7 applies, plus a section. Two springs, a strut on the top section, and a door that is meaningfully heavier than the seven-foot version — the weight goes up with area and the sections are handled by two people either way. The extra foot also eats into headroom, which is where a low-clearance kit starts being a real conversation rather than a catalogue page.
The opener. Three-quarter horsepower as a floor. Insulated at this size is a heavy door and a half-horse opener will lift it, complain, and wear out its gear early.
Getting hold of one. Stock, and increasingly the default double in new construction.
The mistake
What people get wrong about a 16x8
Ordering 16x8 to get more room and being surprised the cars do not fit better. The extra foot is HEIGHT. If the problem is mirrors and door edges, the answer is 18 feet wide, not eight feet tall.
What it costs
A 16x8 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 16x8 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 16x8
16'0" × 8'0"
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 16x8
- Compact car (Civic) — 9.2' spare across the mirrors
- Sedan (Camry) — 9.0' spare across the mirrors
- Small SUV (RAV4) — 8.9' spare across the mirrors
- Large SUV (Suburban) — 8.5' spare across the mirrors
- Full-size pickup (F-150) — 8.0' spare across the mirrors
- Cargo van (Transit) — 7.9' spare across the mirrors
- Pickup, tow mirrors (F-250) — 7.2' spare across the mirrors
Two side by side: compact car (civic).
Questions
16x8 garage doors, answered
How much does a 16x8 garage door cost?
A 16x8 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 16x8 garage door?
16 feet by 8 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 16x8?
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 16 ft garage door big enough for two cars?
Two of these, comfortably: compact car (civic). Anything wider across the mirrors gets tight — measure yours, mirror to mirror, before you decide.
Is an insulated 16x8 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 16x8 need?
Three-quarter horsepower as a floor. Insulated at this size is a heavy door and a half-horse opener will lift it, complain, and wear out its gear early.
Is a 16x8 a stock size?
Stock, and increasingly the default double in new construction.
The next size up
16x8 or 18x7?
A 18x7 is 2 feet wider and costs roughly $0 more in steel. Worth it if you open car doors inside the garage rather than on the driveway. See the 18x7 →
Other sizes