The chair looked perfect online. Then it wouldn’t go through the bathroom door. Here’s how to avoid that, with a tape measure and five minutes.
This is one of the most common and most avoidable wheelchair regrets in Indian homes. Doorways here — especially bathroom and balcony doors — are often narrower than people expect, and a chair that’s perfect in every other way is useless if it stops at the threshold. The fix isn’t complicated. It’s just measuring, before you buy, not after.

The number that matters is “clear width,” not “door width”

Don’t measure the door frame. Measure the actual gap the chair has to pass through, with the door open as far as it goes. Open the door fully and measure from the face of the open door to the frame on the other side — that’s the real opening, and it’s usually a few centimetres less than the frame width because the open door itself eats into the gap. Do this for every door the chair must cross daily: the main door, the bedroom, and the one that catches everyone out — the bathroom.

Now measure the chair — the right way

The number that gets buyers into trouble is seat width, because the chair’s overall width is wider than the seat. The wheels, frame and handrims add several centimetres on each side — across our range, overall widths run from about 55 cm to 72 cm. Always check the chair’s stated overall width, not just the seat size, and confirm it against your narrowest daily doorway. Leave a little breathing room — aim for a couple of centimetres of clearance on each side. A chair that just scrapes through in the showroom becomes a daily fight with scuffed knuckles and chipped door frames at home.

Don’t forget the hands

For someone self-propelling, the widest point isn’t always the chair — it’s their knuckles on the handrims. A gap that clears the frame can still skin the hands on the way through. Factor that in, especially for doorways used many times a day.

When the chair is too wide for the door

Choose a narrower or transport chair. Transit chairs with smaller wheels are slimmer and often fit where a self-propel chair won’t. If indoor doorways are the constraint, this is frequently the simplest fix.

Fit offset (swing-clear) hinges. These inexpensive hinges let the door swing completely clear of the opening, often recovering a couple of crucial centimetres without any building work.

Remove the door entirely where privacy allows — a curtain on the bathroom is a common, dignified solution in many homes.

Transfer at the threshold. For a door that genuinely can’t be widened, a small transfer or a slim indoor chair kept on the other side can bridge the gap.

Structural widening is a last resort — useful in some homes, but rarely necessary once the simpler options are exhausted.

Not sure what’ll fit? Send us your narrowest doorway measurement and a care advisor will tell you which chairs clear it. Call +91 8796 093 434 or message us.