Accessibility dimensions: the memo
The six or seven dimensions you recheck on every project, gathered on one page.
| Case | Usual value |
|---|---|
| Clear door opening width | 83 cm |
| Wheelchair turning circle | 1.5 m |
| Usage space in front of a fitting | 0.8 to 1.3 m |
| Width of a circulation route | 1.2 m |
| Height of a control or handle | 0.9 to 1.3 m |
| Width of an accessible parking bay | 3.3 m |
| Maximum tolerated upstand | 2 cm |
Usual sizing values, aligned with this site's calculators. They replace neither a product datasheet nor a regulatory text.
These are the figures used in French accessible construction and they serve to size a project, not to declare it compliant. The applicable text depends on the building type, dwelling, public establishment or workplace, and on the filing date. Always check the regulation in force before committing a dimension to a construction drawing.
Sizing values, excluding special cases and exemptions. An existing building under refurbishment follows rules distinct from those for new build.
To apply these values to a real area, with no account:
Staircase calculatorFrequently asked questions
Does a 90 door give a 90 clear opening?
No, and that is the most common mistake. The nominal size names the leaf, not the opening: the frame thickness and the swing of the leaf take several centimetres off. What counts is the clear opening, measured with the leaf open.
Can these dimensions be checked automatically on a drawing?
Partly. Once the doors and rooms are detected, clear widths and the fit of a turning circle can be tested mechanically. What does not automate is judging a special case or an exemption, which remains professional work.
The areas themselves come out of the drawing
An allowance is useless without the area to apply it to. FloorScan reads it off the PDF and exports it to your spreadsheet.