To frame a door opening, set the rough opening from the door manufacturer, then frame two king studs, two jack studs and a header, and cut the bottom plate out between the jacks. In a nonbearing wall, 2021 IRC R602.7.4 allows a single flat 2x4 header for openings up to 8 feet wide.
A framed door opening is a gap in a stud wall bounded by king studs, jack studs and a header, with no rough sill because the door reaches the floor. What changes from door to door is the wall it sits in: a bearing wall needs a sized header, and a nonbearing wall does not. This guide is about that choice. The sequence for the rest of the wall is in how to frame a wall, and window openings are in how to frame a window.
Key facts
- The rough opening width and height for a door come from the door manufacturer, not the 2021 IRC.
- Interior load-bearing walls are framed, and fireblocked, as exterior walls are (2021 IRC Section R602.4).
- A nonbearing wall may use a single flat 2x4 header for openings up to 8 feet wide, with no cripples or blocking above it, if the nailing surface above is within 24 inches (2021 IRC Section R602.7.4).
- Bearing wall headers are supported by jack studs or approved framing anchors, as the NJ column in Tables R602.7(1) and R602.7(2) directs (2021 IRC Section R602.7.5).
- The required egress door must provide at least 32 inches of clear width and at least 78 inches of clear height (2021 IRC Section R311.2).
- A landing or floor is required on each side of each exterior door, at least as wide as the door and at least 36 inches in the direction of travel (2021 IRC Section R311.3).
What size is the rough opening for a door?
The rough opening size comes from the door manufacturer's installation instructions, because the width and height depend on the door unit, its jamb and whether it is prehung. The 2021 IRC gives no rough opening dimensions for doors, so none are given here.
The code does set minimums for the finished opening of the required egress door. Section R311.2 requires it to be side-hinged with a clear width of at least 32 inches, measured between the face of the door and the stop with the door open 90 degrees, and a clear height of at least 78 inches, measured from the top of the threshold to the bottom of the stop. Other doors are not required to meet those minimums. Those are clear dimensions of the open door, not framing dimensions, so choose the door first and read its rough opening from the manufacturer.
Is the wall bearing or nonbearing?
Decide this before you cut the header, because it sets the rule you follow. Do not judge it by looks: joist direction, what sits above and point loads all matter, and the load-bearing walls guide shows how to tell.
Header rules for a door opening by wall type, 2021 IRC Chapter 6.
| Wall type | Header rule | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Interior nonbearing | Load-bearing header not required; single flat 2x4 allowed up to 8 ft wide within 24 in. of nailing surface above | R602.7.4 |
| Interior bearing | Framed as an exterior wall; header and NJ from the interior bearing wall table | R602.4, Table R602.7(2) |
| Exterior | Header and NJ from the exterior bearing wall table; full-height studs from Table R602.7.5 | R602.7, Tables R602.7(1) and R602.7.5 |
How do you frame a door opening step by step?
Frame the opening into the flat wall before you raise it, then cut the plate once the wall is fixed and braced.
- Mark the plates. From the manufacturer's rough opening width, mark king and jack stud positions on both plates. Mark the opening before the common studs, so the regular layout resumes cleanly on either side.
- Cut the members. Kings run full height. Jacks run from the bottom plate up to the underside of the header. Header cripples fill the space above the header.
- Build the header (bearing walls) from the table, or use the flat 2x4 rule (nonbearing walls).
- Nail up the opening. Table R602.3(1) item 12 covers the full-height stud to the end of the header: 3-16d common nails, end nailed, is one listed option. Jacks nail to kings under the same stud-to-stud rows.
- Raise, plumb and brace. See the raising sequence in how to frame a wall.
- Cut the bottom plate between the jack studs once the wall is fastened. A door has no sill, and the 2021 IRC sets no rule for this step.
- Check the opening. Measure width, height and plumb against the manufacturer's sheet before sheathing or drywall.
How do you frame a door in a nonbearing wall?
Use the nonbearing rules: R602.7.4 says load-bearing headers are not required, and a single flat 2x4 may be the header for openings up to 8 feet wide if the vertical distance to the parallel nailing surface above is not more than 24 inches. No cripples or blocking are needed above that header.
The wall itself can be light. R602.5 permits interior nonbearing walls with 2x3 studs at 24 inches on center, or, where not part of a braced wall line, 2x4 flat studs at 16 inches on center. They need at least a single top plate and must be fireblocked under R602.8. The 2x4 flat header rule is a limit for that wall type only. If the wall carries joists or a beam, it is a bearing wall and the next section applies.
How do you frame a door in a bearing wall?
Use a header sized from the table, with jack studs per the NJ column. Interior bearing walls use Table R602.7(2), which has no snow load columns because the header carries floor load only. Here is a slice.
2021 IRC Table R602.7(2): interior bearing wall, one floor only, No. 2 grade DF-L, HF, SP, SPF. Spans in feet-inches; NJ = jack studs at each end.
| Header size | 12 ft wide: span | NJ | 24 ft wide: span | NJ | 36 ft wide: span | NJ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-2x8 | 7'-9" | 1 | 5'-5" | 1 | 4'-5" | 2 |
| 2-2x10 | 9'-2" | 1 | 6'-6" | 2 | 5'-3" | 2 |
The tables cover No. 2 sawn lumber only. Wider openings, such as double doors or a garage door, often outrun the sawn-lumber rows and need an engineered header sized from the manufacturer's tables. The full header tables, footnotes and king stud counts are in the header size chart. Footnote d lets an approved framing anchor replace a jack stud where NJ is one.
What changes for an exterior door?
An exterior door follows the exterior bearing wall rules and adds a few of its own:
- Header. Table R602.7(1) sizes it, and Table R602.7.5 sets the full-height studs at each end.
- Landing. Under R311.3 a landing or floor is required on each side of an exterior door, at least as wide as the door, at least 36 inches long in the direction of travel, with a slope of not more than 1/4 unit vertical in 12 units horizontal.
- Glass. Glazing beside or in a door may need tempered glass. See tempered glass requirements.
- Flashing and sealing. Follow the door manufacturer's installation instructions. This article does not quote the code flashing section because its source text carries Washington amendments.
How do you lay out a wall with a door in it?
Put the opening on the plates first, then fill in the common studs from the end of the wall, so the king stud beside the opening takes the place of one regular stud. Stud spacing still follows Table R602.3(5), covered in the stud spacing guide. Walls longer than a door opening keep their regular 16 or 24 inch layout on either side, and the extra studs at the opening are additional to the layout, not instead of it.
The tables here are prescriptive limits for their stated conditions. The adopted code edition and local amendments govern, and engineered headers use manufacturer tables. The code text is available from the International Code Council.
Summary
A door opening needs king studs, jack studs and a header at the rough opening size the door manufacturer gives. In a nonbearing wall, 2021 IRC R602.7.4 allows a single flat 2x4 header for openings up to 8 feet wide. In a bearing wall, the header comes from Table R602.7(2) or R602.7(1), with jack studs per the NJ column. Exterior doors add a landing under R311.3.
Framing Plan is a preliminary drawing aid. It draws joist layouts, beams and openings and exports PNG, PDF and DXF, but it does not size headers or check code, and the editor works in millimetres. Open the framing studio to mark door openings on your plan, then take header sizes from the table or the manufacturer.