Lifting power of a garage door opener

When it comes to the lifting power of a garage door opener the only thing considered is the size and weight of your garage door. The weight of a garage door depends on what material it’s made of. Doors made of wood construction will always weigh more than a steel door. One big misconception about steel garage doors is that they are made out of aluminum. There are doors constructed of aluminum but they are not common in residential garage door market. Commercial applications are where aluminum doors are more common. Steel garage doors are made of sheet metal sometimes as thick as a business card. And believe it or not in the 50’s they even made garage doors out of fiberglass.
Here is a breakdown of power and size and weight of garage door.

⅓ hp openers:

any single size steel garage door 107 or less. Also some wood doors that are less than 1.5 inches thick. As far as double car garage doors 167 or less ⅓ hp. Can be sufficient as long as the door is a basic pan door with no insulation or 3 layers construction or steel back. Most garage door opener manufacturers are starting to phase out their ⅓ hp openers.

 

½ hp openers:

Any 167 or smaller steel garage doors with 3 layer steel back or less. Also sufficient for wood doors 1.5 inches thick or less. Will also work on most single size 107 or less wood carriage style garage doors.

¾ hp openers:

Sufficient for any of the types of doors that the ⅓ or ½ hp. Openers work with. ¾ hp units are made for larger heavier garage doors. Should be used with any garage door larger than 16 ft. Wide and 7ft. Unless the door is a non-insulated standard basic pan door. Even oversized garage doors that are non-insulated can still be operated with a ½ hp opener unit unless it is over 10 ft. Tall.