Measuring for a sectional means taking two sets of numbers. The first set is the room: each wall the sectional will sit along, and how far it can come out before it blocks a path. The second set is the way in: the narrowest door, the hallway, the stair turn and any elevator between the truck and the room.
A sectional is a sofa built from pieces that join, so every measurement happens twice. The whole shape has to suit the room, and each piece has to pass through the house on its own. When someone orders a sectional from our Island stores, we draw the layout and write the measurements on the invoice. Then we ask people to go home and measure again before the order is final.
How do I measure my room for a sectional?
Room measuring for a sectional starts at the walls, then works outward into the floor. A steel tape, painter's tape and a sheet of paper are all it takes. Sketch the room first so each number has a place to go.
- Each wall. Measure from the corner to the first thing the sofa cannot cover: a door frame, a heat register, a window that opens low. That figure, not the full wall, is the longest a run can be.
- The depth into the room. From the wall, measure to the coffee table spot, the TV stand or the edge of the path people use. A chaise has to fit inside that number.
- The paths. A rule of thumb used by designers is about 30 in for a walkway, 18 in to a coffee table. Mark both with tape before deciding on a size.
- Where the arms end. An arm that stops in front of a doorway or a closet gets bumped every day. Mark both ends on the floor.
- The way in. Write down the clear width of every door on the route, the hallway width, the ceiling height over the stairs and the stair turn. Apartment buyers add the elevator's door and inside depth. Furnishing a first apartment means doing this for every piece.
Leave the taped outline down for a day. A shape that looks small on paper can feel very different underfoot.
Understanding sectional dimensions: width, depth and height per piece
Sectional dimensions are printed per piece on most of Merit's pages, as width by depth by height in inches. Width runs along the back. Depth runs from the back to the front edge of the seat. Height runs from the floor to the top of the back. Here are six pieces from our listings, as their pages print them on October 16, 2026.
| Piece | W | D | H |
|---|---|---|---|
| Island Living Kennedy one-arm sofa | 80 | 35 | 33 |
| Island Living Kennedy one-arm chaise | 37 | 81 | 33 |
| La-Z-Boy Kennedy apartment sofa | 69 | 38 | 39 |
| Island Living Alberni one-arm chaise | 43 | 69 | 32 |
| Island Living Shawnigan chaise | 39 | 64 | 38 |
| Decor-Rest 2006 | 75 | 40 | 37 |
On a corner chaise, the depth figure is the length the chaise runs out into the room. The Island Living Kennedy chaise is 37 in wide but 81 in deep, so the room depth from step 2 has to hold 81 in plus the walkway.
Add the pieces along each wall to get the run. The Kennedy's one-arm sofa plus its chaise make an L of 117 in along one wall and 81 in along the other. Its page prints the same 117 by 81 for the whole sectional, so the sum checks out. Island Living doesn't show its prices online, so ask us for that one. The Ambee 3-piece sectional is listed as one set at 143 in by 91 in, for $1,699.00.
Two smaller numbers decide comfort more than fit. The La-Z-Boy Kennedy apartment sofa is 69 in wide, but its page gives a seat width of 59 in, the part people actually sit on. The Island Living Shawnigan page says all dimensions are approximate because each piece is hand built, so leave an inch or two of room there.
Which end is the left arm?
The side names are measured from a viewpoint, and makers pick different ones. Ashley says left and right describe the arm when you face the piece. La-Z-Boy's Trouper page names the arm as you sit in it. Our drawing on the invoice settles it, and how each maker names the side walks through the brands.
How are sectionals measured in Canada?
Sectionals in Canada are measured in inches, on our pages and on almost every maker's spec sheet. The BC Building Code sets door and hallway sizes in millimetres. Canada's Weights and Measures Act fixes the inch at 1/36 yard and the yard at 0.9144 metre, which makes an inch exactly 25.4 mm. Converted, the code's minimums for a house look like this.
| BC Building Code 2024 | Minimum | In inches |
|---|---|---|
| Required entrance door, stairs to a finished floor | 810 mm | 31.9 |
| Most other room doors | 760 mm | 29.9 |
| Bathroom door | 610 mm | 24.0 |
| Hallway, stair width | 860 mm | 33.9 |
| Clear height over stairs | 1,950 mm | 76.8 |
The code sets the size of the door the opening must take, so the clear gap is smaller once the door stops and the open slab are counted. Measure between the stops with the door open. Older Island houses built before these tables may be tighter, and a basement door can be the narrowest on the route.
Will a 40 inch wide sofa fit through a 32 inch door?
A 40 inch sofa can fit through a 32 inch door when one of its other two numbers clears the opening, or when its diagonal does. The movers turn the piece on its end and pass it through the narrowest way. A sofa 40 in deep and 30 in high goes through on its back. A sofa 40 in deep and 37 in high needs the diagonal.
That second case is the usual one. Of the sectional listings on Merit's pages that print a full seat-piece size, all but one are taller and deeper than 31.9 in. The one exception is the Decor-Rest 2875, at 31 in high. Every other piece goes through a minimum entrance door by angle, not straight.
The diagonal depth is the measure that decides it. Run the tape from the top back corner of the frame to the front edge of the seat, across the side of the piece. If that figure is under the clear door width, the piece can tilt through. Product pages rarely print it, so it is worth a call to ask us to measure the display piece. The door test covers hallways and turns in more detail.
The two-thirds rule and the 2-2-1 rule for sofas
What is the 2/3 rule for sofas?
The two-thirds rule says a sofa looks in proportion when it covers about two-thirds of the wall behind it. On a 14 foot wall, that is roughly 112 in. A sectional is allowed to break it, because the second run turns the corner. Treat it as a guide to looks, never a limit on fit. How the frame looks, in any of the main furniture styles, is a separate choice from its size.
What is the 2 2 1 rule for sofas?
The 2-2-1 rule is about cushions, not measuring. Ideal Home describes five scatter cushions: two large ones at the ends, two smaller ones beside them and one statement cushion in the centre. On a sectional, the corner piece usually takes the centre cushion. It changes nothing in the measurements above.
The mistakes the owners name most are skipping the doorways and skipping the elevator. That is why the drawing goes on the invoice: which way the sectional faces, and every number we agreed on. Then we ask for one more measure at home, before the order is final.
When a sectional measurement can let you down
Measuring a wall to its end instead of to the door frame or heat register is the most common slip on paper. The sofa stops where the obstacle starts.
A spec sheet's depth on a corner chaise reads like a seat depth, and it is really a length. Check each piece's own page, not the photo.
A sectional ordered as a special order cannot simply be sent back if it does not fit. Merit takes a 24% deposit on special orders. We do encourage exchanges for up to 30 days, and we look at each one case by case.
A sectional is also the wrong buy for some rooms. When the room depth cannot hold a chaise plus a walkway, a sofa and a chair will fit better. The compact shapes help rooms that are close.
Where these measurements come from
- Province of British Columbia, BC Building Code 2024, Division B, Table 9.5.5.1 and Articles 9.5.4.1, 9.8.2.1 and 9.8.2.2, checked October 2026.
- Justice Laws Website, Weights and Measures Act, Schedule II, Canadian Units of Measurement, checked October 2026.
- Ideal Home, The 2-2-1 rule for styling sofa cushions, checked October 2026.
- Merit Home Furniture product pages for the pieces named above, and every listing in /collections/sectionals, read October 2, 2026, with the pieces and prices re-read October 16, 2026.
- Merit's owners, Rubeena Sandhu and Michael Ruhr, on deposits, exchanges, delivery and lead times.
Bringing your sectional measurements to Duncan
Bring the sketch, or a photo of the tape against the door frame, to Merit's Duncan store at 107 Ingram St. We'll hold the numbers against any sectional on our pages. Most Duncan sectionals are custom orders, so the display models show the shapes and the rest is ordered.
Lead times run 4 to 6 weeks for Ashley and 8 to 10 for Decor-Rest and La-Z-Boy sofas. Island Living made to order is 6 to 8 weeks, or 2 to 3 if Island Living has it in stock in Vancouver. Each is ready for pickup or delivery once it lands.
Delivery from Duncan is $150 across the Island, assembly included, and a call to the store tells you which Gulf Islands we reach. Pickup at Duncan is free. Our other stores set their own terms, so ask the one nearest you.
Call the Duncan store, (250) 746-5527
Every sectional we list prints its dimensions, and the sectional guides cover shape and orientation.