Mobile Home Exterior Door Size

Table of Contents

So, What Are the Common Mobile Home Exterior Door Sizes?

Alright, let’s get straight to the point. If you’re wondering about mobile home exterior door size, there isn’t one single size, but there are definitely a few very common ones. These sizes are pretty standard across the mobile home industry, and they’re what you’ll most likely find if you’re looking at stock replacement doors.

The sizes are typically given as Width x Height, usually in inches. These aren’t the rough opening sizes (the hole in the wall), but rather the approximate size of the door slab itself or the size the entire pre-hung unit is manufactured to fit within a standard wall opening. It’s important to remember that the frame is often part of the unit you buy, and the overall unit size will be slightly larger than the door slab.

Not Your Average Door: How Mobile Home Sizes Differ

One of the biggest reasons people get tripped up when looking for a mobile home exterior door size is that they assume a standard house door will fit. While some sizes might be close, they are often not identical. This difference stems from how mobile homes are constructed compared to site-built homes.

Mobile homes are built in a factory and designed to be transported. Because of this, construction methods, materials, and even component sizes can be slightly different to save weight, withstand transport stresses, and fit manufacturing processes. This includes the thickness of walls and the framing used around openings like doors. This means the standard sizes for mobile home doors are frequently shorter and sometimes narrower than typical residential doors found in stick-built houses.

The Most Common Mobile Home Exterior Door Sizes

Let’s look at the sizes you’re likely to encounter most often when dealing with mobile home exterior door size. These are the workhorses of the mobile home industry, widely available as replacement options.

32″ x 76″: This is perhaps the most ubiquitous size. You’ll find this width and height on countless mobile homes, often used for rear or side entry doors. It’s a standard workhorse size.
34″ x 76″: Another very common size, often used for front entry doors, providing a slightly wider passage than the 32″ model.
36″ x 76″: While 76″ height is common, 36″ width is less frequent than 32″ or 34″ for the overall door slab size, but you will definitely see it. It’s more common to see 36″ as a rough opening size designed for a slightly smaller door unit in some older homes or specific models. However, actual 36×76 slab doors designed for mobile homes do exist.
30″ x 76″: Less common than 32″ or 34″, but still found, particularly on older or smaller mobile homes, or perhaps for less-used side doors.

Notice the pattern? The height often settles around 76 inches. This is significantly shorter than the standard 80-inch height found in most site-built homes. The widths vary but tend to stick to these specific increments.

Why These Specific Dimensions?

You might wonder why mobile homes landed on these specific mobile home exterior door size dimensions, particularly the 76-inch height. It primarily comes down to:

Manufacturing Standards: Just like standard housing components, mobile home components follow specific manufacturing standards developed by the industry. These sizes streamline production.
Wall Construction: Mobile home walls are typically thinner than those in site-built homes. The frames of mobile home doors are designed to fit this specific wall thickness.
Structural Considerations: Every opening is a break in the wall’s structure. The standard door sizes are designed to fit common framing patterns and maintain the wall’s integrity, especially considering the stresses of transport.
Cost and Weight: Slightly smaller doors use less material, contributing to cost savings and, importantly, reducing the overall weight of the home for transportation.

These factors combined have led to the common acceptance and widespread use of sizes like 32×76 and 34×76 as the standard mobile home exterior door size.

What About Older Homes or Less Common Sizes?

While the sizes mentioned above are very common, they aren’t the only sizes you might encounter, especially if you have an older mobile home. Over the decades, manufacturing standards have evolved. Some older mobile homes might have exterior doors that deviate from the current standard mobile home exterior door size list.

You might find doors that are slightly different in height or width. If you have a very old home, verifying the size exactly becomes even more critical. In some rare cases, you might even find doors that are closer to traditional house sizes, but this isn’t the norm for most homes built in the last few decades. Custom-sized doors are generally expensive and harder to source for mobile homes compared to standard sizes.

Beyond the Size: Types of Mobile Home Doors

Knowing the mobile home exterior door size slab dimensions is crucial, but the type of door also plays a role in replacement and installation. Mobile homes often use specific door types and hanging methods.

The Go-To: Outswing Doors

One very common feature of mobile home exterior doors is that they often swing outward. This is different from most traditional house doors which swing inward. Why outswing?

Space Saving: In a mobile home, which often has limited interior space, an outswing door doesn’t take up valuable floor area when opened.
Weather Sealing: Outswing doors can sometimes offer a better seal against wind and rain because the force of the wind pushes the door tighter against the frame, rather than trying to push it open.
Security: While debatable depending on hinge type, standard outswing doors can sometimes be perceived as slightly more difficult to kick inward forcefully compared to inswing doors.

So, when you’re looking for a replacement based on your required mobile home exterior door size, be prepared for it to be an outswing model. Inswing mobile home doors exist, but they are far less common for exterior use.

Getting More: Combination Doors

Another popular type is the combination door. This isn’t just a single door; it’s a unit that includes the main entry door and an attached storm or screen door. These are very convenient, offering ventilation options without sacrificing security.

Pre-hung vs. Slab: A Key Difference

When replacing a mobile home exterior door, you’ll almost always be looking for a pre-hung door unit. This means the door slab comes already mounted in its frame, complete with hinges, and sometimes the threshold and weatherstripping.

Pre-hung Doors: These are designed to be installed directly into the rough opening in your wall. They make installation much easier because the door is already perfectly aligned within its frame. The size you order corresponds to the size of the rough opening or the overall unit dimensions. This is the standard for mobile home replacement doors.
Slab Doors: A slab door is just the door panel itself, without a frame or hinges attached. You’d typically only use a slab door if your existing frame is in perfect condition and you are simply replacing the panel. However, given the specific nature of mobile home door frames (which we’ll discuss next) and the fact that the frame is often part of the wear and tear, replacing the entire pre-hung unit is usually the recommended and easier route when dealing with a mobile home exterior door size replacement.

Understanding that you’ll likely need a pre-hung unit designed for a mobile home is crucial when shopping. The mobile home exterior door size you measure will help you determine the correct pre-hung unit size to order.

Understanding the Mobile Home Door Frame

The frame of a mobile home exterior door is often different from those used in traditional housing. They are frequently made of thinner gauge steel or aluminum and are specifically designed to fit the typical 2×3 or sometimes 2×4 wall construction of a mobile home.

Many mobile home door frames have characteristic rounded corners at the top, especially on combination doors. This rounded-corner design is another visual cue that you’re dealing with a mobile home specific door. The frame is integral to the pre-hung unit’s size, so when you measure for a new door, you’re measuring to find a unit with a frame that fits your wall opening. The thickness of the frame (the “jamb depth”) is designed for the mobile home wall thickness, usually around 4 inches or slightly less, significantly thinner than standard residential door jambs.

Getting it Right: Measuring Your Mobile Home Door

Okay, you know the common sizes and types. Now, how do you figure out exactly what mobile home exterior door size you need? Measuring carefully is the most critical step before buying a replacement. Don’t assume the size based on what “looks right” or what you think should be there.

There are two key measurements you should take: the size of the door slab and the size of the rough opening.

Measuring the Door Slab Itself

First, measure the door panel that swings open.

Measure the Width: Measure the width from the edge of the door on the hinge side to the edge on the handle side. Do this in at least three places (top, middle, bottom) in case the door isn’t perfectly square. Use the smallest measurement.
Measure the Height: Measure the height from the top edge of the door to the bottom edge. Again, measure in at least three places (left, middle, right) and use the smallest measurement.

Checking the Rough Opening

This measurement is arguably the most important when buying a pre-hung replacement door. The rough opening is the framed hole in the wall where the door unit sits before the frame, trim, and door are installed.

To measure the rough opening accurately, you’ll likely need to remove some interior trim around the door frame to expose the house framing.

Measure the Width of the Opening: Measure the distance from the internal framing member on one side of the opening to the internal framing member on the other side. Do this at the top, middle, and bottom. The smallest measurement is your rough opening width.
Measure the Height of the Opening: Measure from the top framing member of the opening (the header) down to the floor or the subfloor (depending on how the threshold is set). Measure on both sides and in the middle. The smallest measurement is your rough opening height.

Compare these rough opening measurements to the listed rough opening sizes that replacement mobile home doors are designed to fit. A common rough opening size for a 32×76 door might be closer to 32.5″ x 76.5″ or similar, providing a little wiggle room for installation. Door manufacturers will list the rough opening size their pre-hung unit is made for.

Why Getting it Right is Essential

Getting the mobile home exterior door size measurement wrong can lead to significant headaches.

Door Doesn’t Fit: A door that’s too big simply won’t go in the hole. A door that’s too small will leave large gaps between the frame and the wall opening, making proper insulation and sealing difficult or impossible.
Installation Problems: Mobile home door frames and the way they install are specific. Forcing an incorrectly sized door unit can damage the door, the frame, or the wall structure.
Wasted Money: Doors aren’t cheap! Buying the wrong size means you have to deal with returning it (potentially paying restocking fees or shipping costs), or worse, being stuck with a door you can’t use.
Energy Efficiency: A poorly fitting door creates drafts, increasing your heating and cooling bills. Proper size ensures a good seal and weatherstripping function effectively.
Security Issues: Gaps around a door or a frame that isn’t properly seated can compromise the security of your home.

Taking the time to measure the mobile home exterior door size accurately, including both the slab and the rough opening, is the single best thing you can do before purchasing a replacement.

Wrapping It Up: Getting Your Door Size Right

Navigating the world of mobile home exterior door size doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does require attention to detail. Unlike standard residential doors which often adhere to 80-inch heights, mobile home doors frequently come in shorter sizes like 76 inches, with common widths being 32, 34, and sometimes 30 or 36 inches.

These specific dimensions are a product of mobile home design and manufacturing standards. Understanding that most replacements are outswing pre-hung units, complete with their own frame designed for the thinner mobile home walls, is also key. This frame often features distinctive rounded corners at the top.

The most crucial step in replacing your mobile home exterior door is accurate measurement. Measure both the existing door slab and, ideally, the rough opening in the wall. Comparing these measurements to the specifications of replacement doors will ensure you buy a unit that fits correctly, providing proper security, weather protection, and energy efficiency for your home. Don’t guestimate; measure, measure, measure! Getting the mobile home exterior door size right is the foundation for a successful and stress-free door replacement project.