Ella's Bubbles Walk In Tub Blog

Support Center / Sizes, Fit & Measuring / How Wide Is the Door Opening? Published Door Widths, Swing Arcs and Clearance by Door Family

How Wide Is the Door Opening? Published Door Widths, Swing Arcs and Clearance by Door Family

Updated September 2026

The clear door opening on an Ella walk-in tub depends on the door family, not the tub size. The outward-swing U-shape drawings for the Monaco and Mobile print a 19 1/4 inch opening with a 165 degree swing, the LayDown glass door prints a 19 5/8 inch opening on a 115 degree arc, the L-shape Transfer door opens 172 degrees, the HomeCare door is 27 inches wide and swings a full 180 degrees, and the HoistAssist opening is 39 1/4 inches. The stainless steel inward door is the narrowest of the family at roughly 16 1/4 to 16 1/2 inches, and the Ultra's aluminum door is the widest inward opening at about 21 1/8 inches.

Figures Printed on the Spec Drawings

These numbers come straight from the dimension drawings on the current spec sheets, so they are the ones to quote first.

  • Outward-swing U-shape door (Capri, Monaco, Front Entry, Mobile, Lounger, ShaK, Big4One): the Monaco and Mobile drawings both print a door opening of 19 1/4 inches. The Capri, Monaco and Mobile drawings show the door swinging through a 165 degree arc, which is why the outward family needs clear floor space in front of the tub.
  • LayDown 30x60 and 32x72: the tempered glass inward door has a 19 5/8 inch opening with a 16 1/2 inch glass panel, and it swings on a 115 degree arc with a 20 1/4 inch clearance callout on the drawing.
  • Wheelchair Transfer L-shape door (Transfer26, Transfer30, Transfer32, Transfer60, TransferXXL): the family drawing prints a 172 degree door opening angle, and the Transfer26 and Transfer32 drawings add a 20 inch door swing clearance callout. The door uses a two-latch gear and shaft mechanism with the handle on the front of the door.
  • HomeCare 32x60 assisted-bathing tub: a 27 inch wide aluminum outward door that swings 180 degrees, with a clearance envelope of 103 3/4 inches on the drawing. This tub is for caregiver-assisted bathing only.
  • HoistAssist (Transfer3060HL): a 39 1/4 inch door opening width with a 12 1/4 inch clearance height, in an aluminum door and frame.

Most other spec sheets do not print a door opening figure on the drawing. If you need the number for a specific model, your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can read it from the CAD drawing for you.

Figures the Team Quotes over the Phone

These come from support conversations rather than a printed drawing, so treat them as close working numbers and confirm the drawing before you cut tile or move a wall.

  • Stainless steel inward door (Elite, Petite, Royal, Deluxe, Ultimate): about 16 1/4 to 16 1/2 inches wide, and the door needs roughly 17 1/2 inches of interior room to swing fully open. The Royal is a 32 by 52 inch tub (31.5 inches actual width), but its door opening is still about 16 1/2 inches because the door swings inward toward the seat.
  • Ultra inward aluminum door: about 21 1/8 inches, which is why the Ultra is often suggested when someone finds the stainless door a little tight.
  • Outward U-shape door: about 19 to 20 inches, which lines up with the 19 1/4 inch drawing figure.
  • Transfer L-shape door: the long top section of the L is about 36 inches, the lower section near the hinges is about 19 1/2 inches, and the walk-through opening at the bottom is about 18 1/2 inches when the door is open. The same door is fitted to every Transfer size, so the opening does not grow with the tub. The cutout at the bottom of the L sits about 20 to 21 inches above the floor, which is what lets the door pass over most toilets.

How to Use These Numbers

Door width matters less than most people expect, because you do not walk through an Ella door the way you walk through a doorway. Most Ella tubs are designed so you sit on the seat and then swing your legs in, so the measurement that decides comfort is your hip width against the seat width, not your shoulders against the door. If you are choosing between two families on door size alone, it is worth reading how to measure yourself for a comfortable fit first.

Where door size really counts is floor space. The Capri, Monaco and Lounger product videos all call for 21 inches of clearance in front of an outward U-shape door when it is fully open, and the Transfer door needs the tub width plus about 36 inches beside the tub. The full swing envelope is worked out in planning floor space for the outward-swing door.

Door Styles on Video

This short tour shows the three original door styles: the stainless inward U-shape door with its frosted glass panel, the PVC composite outward U-shape door, and the wide L-shape outward door that lets a wheelchair user transfer straight onto the seat. It also notes that the L-shape door fits over a standard size toilet.

The five-door version adds the Ultra's brushed aluminum door and the Standard's S-shape acrylic door, and notes that the inward stainless and Ultra doors are removable for cleaning. Both videos were produced before the current spec sheets, so when a clearance figure in a video differs from a drawing, quote the drawing.

Which Tubs Have the Widest Opening?

  1. HoistAssist, with a 39 1/4 inch opening designed around the hoist.
  2. HomeCare, with a 27 inch door that swings 180 degrees for caregiver access.
  3. The Transfer family, whose L-shape door opens 172 degrees and is shaped for a seated slide from a wheelchair.
  4. The Ultra, the widest inward door at about 21 1/8 inches.
  5. The outward U-shape family and the LayDown glass door, both a little over 19 inches.
  6. The stainless steel inward door, about 16 1/4 to 16 1/2 inches.

To confirm which door your own tub has, see which door does my Ella tub have. For the outside footprint of each model, the numbers live in walk-in tub dimensions by model, and for getting the crate through the house, use the doorway measurement guide.

Common Questions

How wide is the door opening on the Royal?
The Royal uses the stainless steel inward door, which the team quotes at about 16 1/4 to 16 1/2 inches wide. The tub itself is a 32 by 52 inch model with an actual width of 31.5 inches, but the opening stays the same across the stainless family because the door swings inward toward the seat rather than growing with the tub. This is a working figure from support conversations, so confirm the drawing with your Ella dealer or the team before you cut tile or move a wall.
What is the opening on the Ultra door?
The Ultra's brushed aluminum inward door opens to about 21 1/8 inches, which makes it the widest inward-swing opening in the Ella line. That extra width is why the Ultra is often suggested to anyone who finds the stainless steel door a little tight. Like the stainless doors, the Ultra door is removable for cleaning.
How much space does the L-shape Transfer door need?
Plan on the tub width plus about 36 inches of clear space beside the tub, because the long top section of the L is about 36 inches and the door opens through a 172 degree arc. The lower section near the hinges is about 19 1/2 inches, and the walk-through opening at the bottom is about 18 1/2 inches when the door is open. The Transfer26 and Transfer32 drawings also print a 20 inch door swing clearance callout, so hand the drawing to your installer.
What is the door opening on the LayDown?
The LayDown drawing prints a 19 5/8 inch door opening with a 16 1/2 inch tempered glass panel. The door swings inward on a 115 degree arc, and the drawing adds a 20 1/4 inch clearance callout. These figures apply to both the LayDown 30x60 and the LayDown 32x72.
How far does each door swing?
Outward U-shape doors on the Capri, Monaco and Mobile drawings swing through 165 degrees, the Transfer L-shape door opens 172 degrees, the HomeCare door swings a full 180 degrees, and the LayDown glass door moves on a 115 degree arc. The inward stainless steel and Ultra doors swing into the tub, so they need interior room rather than floor space in front of the tub. The stainless door needs roughly 17 1/2 inches of interior room to open fully.
Is the Transfer door bigger on the TransferXXL than on the Transfer26?
No. The same L-shape door is fitted to every Transfer size, from the Transfer26 through the TransferXXL, so the opening does not grow with the tub. Only the tub shell, the seat and the footwell change between models. If a wider opening is what you need, the HomeCare and HoistAssist openings are the widest in the line.
The video says 21 inches of clearance but the drawing shows a swing arc. Which do I follow?
Follow the drawing. The product videos were made before the current spec sheets, so the printed drawing on the spec sheet is the figure to hand to your installer whenever the two differ. If your model's sheet does not print the number you need, your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can read it from the CAD drawing for you.

Still unsure which door will work in your space? Send your model, your measurements and a photo of the room through ellasbubbles.com/support/new and the team will walk you through it.

Did this solve it?

If not, open a ticket and our team will pick it up from here.

Open a Support Ticket