How to Measure for a Gate
Five minutes with a tape and your phone will get you a far more accurate quote — and, for supply-only orders, a gate that actually fits.
Measure the width three times
Measure the clear opening width at the top, at the middle and at the bottom. Write down all three.
On a new build they will usually be within a few millimetres of each other. On an older property — a brick terrace, a rendered pier, an existing timber post — they very often are not, and the difference is exactly what determines whether a gate binds, scrapes or leaves an uneven gap.
If you are ordering supply-only and we are not coming to site, these three measurements are the difference between a gate that fits and one that does not. Take them properly.
Measure the height on both sides
Measure from the ground to where you want the top of the gate, on the left and on the right. If those two numbers differ, your ground falls across the opening, and by how much matters.
A gate is a rigid rectangle. If it swings over ground that rises, it has to clear the highest point along its arc — so the gap under the gate at the low side will be at least the difference in level, plus a working tolerance.
If that gap is a problem for you — keeping a small dog in, for example — say so in your enquiry. There are options, but they need to be chosen deliberately rather than discovered on installation day.
Measure the space around the opening
For a swing gate, measure how deep the clear space is inside the opening, on the side the gate will swing into. Then look at that space honestly: is a car normally parked there? Is there a garden bed, a step, a downpipe? The gate needs that arc clear every time it opens, not just on the day you measured.
For a sliding gate, measure along the fence line beside the opening. You need clear space roughly as wide as the opening, along the whole travel. Check for meter boxes, taps, downpipes, air-conditioning units and anything else fixed to the wall.
- Opening width at top, middle and bottom
- Height on the left and on the right
- Swing arc depth, if a swing gate
- Run-back length beside the opening, if a sliding gate
- Note what the gate will hang off: new posts, existing posts, brick pier, wall
Take these four photos
One square-on to the opening from four or five metres back, showing the whole opening and a bit of what is either side. This is the single most useful photo you can send.
One from inside, looking out through the opening, showing the swing area or the run-back.
One close-up of whatever the gate will hang off — the post, the pier, the wall, including how it meets the ground.
One of any adjacent fence you want the gate to match, taken straight-on so we can see the slat and gap proportions.
