Standard garage size in Australia

Internal clear dimensions for single, double and tandem garages, why 3,000mm is not a single garage, and the door heights that catch out anyone with a 4WD.

Garage dimensions are always quoted as internal clear sizes: past the structure, and past whatever ends up stored along the wall.

The numbers

Where the minimum comes from: 3600 × 6000 clear for a single, 5500 × 6000 for a double.

Source: AU project-home convention (last checked 4 August 2026). Convention, not code. Calibrated against published builder and trade guidance; see docs/design-rules.md.

These are the figures Draftie's layout review measures your plan against, generated from the same table the checker uses, so this guide and the tool cannot disagree. Minimums are the point below which a room stops working, not a legal floor: outside ceiling heights, ventilation, sanitary facilities and egress, the NCC does not mandate most room dimensions.

Clear internal sizes

3,000mm is not a single garage. It appears on plenty of plans. A mid-size car is about 1,850mm wide, and a door needs roughly 700mm to open enough to get out: that is 2,550mm before you allow anything on either wall. At 3,000mm you can park, and you cannot comfortably get out on both sides or store anything.

Car sizes, for reference

A dual-cab ute at 5,600mm in a 6,000mm garage leaves 400mm total. If you have one, or might, plan 6,500mm.

Doors

• Single door: 2,400–2,700mm wide.
• Double door: 4,800–5,500mm wide. 4,800mm is the common project-home figure.
• Height: 2,100mm standard, 2,400mm if you have anything tall.

That height is the one that catches people. A roof-racked 4WD, a van, a caravan or a boat on a trailer will not clear 2,100mm. It is a cheap decision at design stage and an impossible one later.

What else lives in there

Australian garages are rarely only for cars. If you intend to keep bikes, a workbench, bins, a freezer or the surfboards in there, add it to the plan rather than to the parking space:

• Along one wall: add 600mm to the width.
• Across the end: add 900mm to the length.
• A workbench you can use: 600mm deep plus 900mm to stand, so 1,500mm.

The plan consequences

A double garage is 5,500–6,000mm wide, and on a narrow block that is most of your frontage, which is why garage siting drives the whole layout on a small lot. A garage should also open to the street it fronts, and sit on the path from the car to the kitchen, because groceries.

Check the driveway too: the crossover, the setback, and whether you can actually turn into the garage from the street width available.

Checking your own plan

Draw the room, put the furniture in it, and see what is left. Draftie flags every room that falls under the figures above and tells you the shortfall in millimetres, so you find out on the drawing rather than after a builder prices it.

Related: standard room sizes across the whole house, and how to read a floor plan.

FAQ

What is the standard single garage size in Australia?

About 3,600 × 6,000mm internal clear. 3,000mm wide is common on plans and too narrow to open both car doors or store anything along the walls.

What size is a standard double garage?

About 5,500 × 6,000mm internal clear, with 6,000 × 6,500mm being comfortable. The door is typically 4,800mm wide.

How high should a garage door be?

2,100mm is standard and 2,400mm is what you want if you have a roof-racked 4WD, a van, a caravan or a boat. It is a cheap choice at design stage and cannot be fixed later.

How long does a garage need to be for a dual-cab ute?

At least 6,000mm, and 6,500mm to be comfortable. Dual-cabs run 5,100–5,600mm long, which leaves very little in a 6,000mm garage once you add anything at the end.

Related guides

General information for Australian residential projects, not professional advice. Product specifications and prices change, confirm current details with the manufacturer or supplier before you rely on them. Draftie produces concept plans, not construction documents.