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How Much Weight Should a Garage Door Opener Lift?

Jennifer Dermody

The parts of a garage door opener must work together to manage the weight of the door. Openers come in three different horsepowers. A 1/3-horsepower opener is intended for a small door weighing from 90 to 200 lbs.

The weight of garage doors varies greatly.

Garage Door Openers Vary According to Door Weight

A middle-range, 1/2-horsepower opener is most common and is intended for doors ranging from 150 to 300 lbs. The 3/4-horsepower motor is powerful enough for a large, heavy, commercial door weighing over 400 lbs.

Garage Door Openers Can Be Universal

Springs do the heavy lifting for a garage door opener.

A garage door motor does not actually open the door. When it is time to lift, springs do most of the work by recoiling and opening the door. A universal residential-grade garage door opener, regardless of the horsepower, can successfully open a standard single or double garage door.

Bottom Line

The weight of garage doors varies greatly. A garage door opener should be matched with a door of specific size and weight for it to open and close correctly. Use a weight calculator to determine the weight of your garage door and choose an opener that is suitable. A weight calculator can be found at GarageDoorPartsLLC.com.