Revolving Door Dimensions: Diameter, Wings and Space in mm

Revolving door dimensions decide almost everything about how a revolving entrance performs: how many people it moves, whether a suitcase or a trolley fits in a compartment, how much floor it takes, and whether it can be built into the opening you have. Getting the revolving door dimensions right at design stage is far easier than living with a drum that is too small for the traffic or too large for the lobby.

This guide explains the revolving door dimensions that matter, in millimetres, how diameter and the number of wings work together, what the height and the surrounding space need, and how to measure an opening before asking for a quote. MC Automations supplies, installs, commissions and services the MC-R30 automatic revolving door, which covers diameters from 2 000 to 3 800 mm in three or four wings, with the height made to the opening.

The revolving door dimensions that matter

A revolving door is a rotating set of wings inside a round enclosure, usually called the drum. Five revolving door dimensions describe it.

• Diameter. The inside diameter of the drum. It sets the size of every compartment and the footprint of the door.
• Number of wings. Three or four. More wings mean more, smaller compartments; fewer wings mean fewer, larger compartments.
• Height. The clear height inside the drum, with the canopy above it. On the MC-R30 the height is made to the opening.
• Overall width and depth. The space the drum and its fixed walls take up, which is more than the diameter alone.
• Approach space. The clear floor inside and outside the drum where people queue and step in.

Revolving door dimensions in mm for the MC-R30

Our MC-R30 automatic revolving door is made to the project within these published limits:

• Diameter: 2 000 to 3 800 mm.
• Wings: three-leaf or four-leaf.
• Height: made to the opening.
• Safety: anti-pinch sensor device on the wings.
• Control: central control computer with a combination operation panel and programmable rotation behaviour.
• Finishes: a range of colour and surface options.

Revolving entrances are quoted per project. The diameter, wing count, height, finish, safety devices and the accessible door alongside are all decided against the building and its traffic, and we confirm the final revolving door dimensions from a site assessment rather than from a table. The automatic revolving doors page and the revolving door brochure carry the full MC-R30 specification.

Diameter and wings: how the compartment size works

The simplest way to understand revolving door dimensions is to look at how the circle is shared out. The wings divide the drum into equal compartments. A larger diameter makes every compartment bigger; more wings make each one smaller.

The geometry is easy to check. The circumference of the drum is the diameter multiplied by π, and each compartment gets an equal share of it. On a 2 000 mm drum the circumference is about 6 280 mm, so three wings give each compartment about 2 090 mm of the outer edge and four wings give about 1 570 mm. On a 3 800 mm drum the circumference is about 11 940 mm: about 3 980 mm per compartment with three wings and about 2 980 mm with four.

These figures describe the geometry, not a clear passage width, but they show how quickly compartment size grows with diameter.

Three wings or four?

• Three wings give fewer, larger compartments. They suit entrances where people carry luggage, push trolleys or walk in pairs, such as hotels, airports and shopping centres.
• Four wings give more, smaller compartments. They seal better against draughts because more wings are always touching the drum walls, and they suit office lobbies and buildings where energy and wind control matter most.

The choice between three and four wings is often more important than a few hundred millimetres of diameter. A four-wing door at a smaller diameter can feel cramped to someone with a suitcase; a three-wing door at the same diameter feels much more generous.

Matching revolving door dimensions to traffic

Revolving door dimensions should follow the people who will use the entrance. A useful way to think about it is by building type.

• Hotels and serviced apartments. Guests arrive with luggage and in groups. Larger diameters and three wings are common. Our hotel automatic doors page covers lobby entrances.
• Office towers. Steady streams of people with bags and laptops, peaks at the start and end of the day, and a strong case for draught control. Four wings at a mid-range diameter are typical.
• Shopping centres. High numbers, trolleys and prams. Larger diameters, and almost always a sliding or swing entrance alongside for trolleys.
• Airports and transport. Heavy luggage and trolleys make a large diameter essential, and revolving doors are usually paired with wide sliding doors. Our guide to airport automatic doors explains how those entrances are planned.
• Hospitals and clinics. Beds, wheelchairs and equipment cannot use a revolving door, so revolving doors are used only alongside wide automatic sliding or swing doors.

Where a building has a strong morning peak, it is worth sizing for the peak rather than the average, or pairing the revolving door with a sliding door that carries the overflow.

Revolving door dimensions compared with a sliding door

A sliding entrance needs width along the facade: the opening plus room for the leaves to stack behind fixed panels. A revolving entrance needs depth: the drum projects into the lobby, the street side, or both. Comparing revolving door dimensions with a sliding door on the same facade usually comes down to three questions.

• Is there depth to spare? A 2 000 mm drum needs about two metres of depth before the approach space is added; a 3 800 mm drum needs nearly four. Shallow lobbies often favour sliding doors.
• Is draught control the priority? A revolving door is always closed; a sliding door is open for every person who passes. In tall or air-conditioned buildings the revolving door often wins.
• What about trolleys, beds and wheelchairs? Only a sliding or swing door handles them properly, so a revolving entrance is always paired with one.

Many buildings use both: a revolving door for the steady flow of people and a sliding door alongside for accessibility, trolleys and peak overflow.

Common mistakes with revolving door dimensions

• Sizing for the average day. Revolving door dimensions should handle the morning or event peak, or have a sliding door alongside to carry it.
• Forgetting luggage. A compact four-wing drum looks efficient on a plan and feels cramped with a suitcase. Think about what people carry.
• Measuring height too late. The canopy needs space above the wings. Measure to the soffit before the ceiling is designed.
• Putting the mat under the wings. Mats belong outside the drum; a mat under the wings lifts and catches.
• Crowding the approach. Reception desks, turnstiles, planters and bollards too close to the drum create queues in the wrong place.
• No accessible door. Every revolving entrance needs an accessible sliding or swing door alongside, planned from the start.

Height, canopy and headroom

Height is the revolving door dimension most often left too late. On the MC-R30 the height is made to the opening, but the drum needs a canopy above the wings, and the canopy has to fit under the soffit, beam or ceiling above the entrance. Measure the clear height to the underside of whatever is above, not only the finished door height on the drawings.

Ceiling finishes, sprinkler heads, lighting and signage all compete for the space above an entrance. Coordinate the revolving door dimensions with the ceiling and services designers before the soffit is closed up.

The floor around the drum

The floor is part of the revolving door dimensions. The drum sits on a level finished floor, and the area inside and outside needs enough clear space for people to slow down, queue briefly and step in without blocking the pavement or the lobby.

• The finished floor under the drum must be level across the full diameter.
• Mats and mat wells should be planned around the drum, not under the wings.
• Outside, keep the approach clear of planters, bollards and seating that narrow the queue.
• Inside, keep reception desks and turnstiles far enough back that people are not stepping out of the drum into a queue.
• Plan drainage outside external revolving doors so water does not run into the drum.

Accessibility: revolving doors never stand alone

A revolving door, however large, is not an accessible route for everyone. Wheelchair users, people with walking aids, parents with prams and people moving equipment need a door that opens fully and stays open. Every revolving entrance should have an accessible door alongside, usually an automatic sliding or swing door, within sight and on the same route.

That accessible door has its own dimensions to plan: a clear opening wide enough for a wheelchair and a level threshold. Our guide to automatic doors for disabled access covers how that door is planned, and the automatic sliding doors and automatic swing doors pages cover the options. Building regulations, including SANS 10400, set the rules for accessible routes, and the building’s consultant confirms what applies. The South African Bureau of Standards publishes the SANS standards.

Safety and the moving wing

A revolving door’s wings sweep through the space people are standing in, so safety is built in at every size. The MC-R30 has an anti-pinch sensor device on the wings, and the rotation behaviour is programmed to the building: speed, the slow-down as someone approaches, and how the door responds when it is pushed or obstructed. Larger revolving door dimensions do not change the principle: a moving wing is a moving wall, and the door is commissioned so that it stops or slows before it can hurt anyone.

Measuring an opening for a revolving door

A quote for a revolving door starts with a few measurements and photographs. Send us:

• The width of the opening in the facade, wall to wall, in millimetres.
• The clear height to the underside of the soffit, beam or ceiling above.
• The depth of floor available inside and outside the opening.
• Whether the floor is level and finished, and what finish is planned.
• Photographs of the opening from inside and outside.
• The type of building, typical and peak traffic, and whether people carry luggage or push trolleys.
• Where the accessible door alongside will go.
• Power available near the entrance.

From those revolving door dimensions we can suggest a diameter and wing count, then confirm everything on a site assessment. Request a quote or call us on 010 412 0062.

How we confirm revolving door dimensions on site

Drawings are a starting point, not the final word. On the site assessment we measure the opening, the clear height to the soffit and the floor depth on both sides, check the floor level across the full diameter, and look at where people actually approach from. We then propose revolving door dimensions for the drum, the wing count and the accessible door alongside, and confirm them in writing before anything is made.

If the revolving door dimensions that suit the traffic do not fit the opening, we say so early and suggest the alternatives, such as a smaller drum with a wider sliding door beside it, or a sliding entrance with a draught lobby. Final revolving door dimensions are only fixed once the floor and ceiling finishes are confirmed.

Revolving doors, draughts and energy

One reason buildings choose revolving doors is that they are always closed. At least one wing is touching the drum on each side, so wind and outside air cannot blow straight through. That makes revolving entrances useful for tall buildings, where stack pressure pushes air through open doors, and for air-conditioned lobbies where every open door costs energy. Four wings seal more consistently than three, which is part of why office towers often choose them.

Night locking and security

Revolving door dimensions also affect how the entrance is secured after hours. The drum is locked with the wings in a position that closes both sides, and many buildings add access control so staff can use the door out of hours. Larger drums with three wings leave bigger compartments, which matters when deciding how the door is parked at night. Our automatic door access control page explains readers, locks and night modes.

Revolving door terms, explained

• Drum. The round enclosure the wings rotate inside.
• Wing (leaf). One of the three or four rotating panels.
• Compartment. The space between two wings that a person stands in.
• Canopy. The ceiling of the drum, above the wings.
• Anti-pinch sensing. Safety devices on the wings that stop or slow the door before it can trap anyone.
• Accessible door. The sliding or swing door alongside the revolving door for wheelchairs, prams and equipment.

Servicing a revolving door

Revolving doors are serviced every six months as standard, and more often for high-traffic entrances. A service checks the drive and control, the rotation settings, the anti-pinch sensing, the wing alignment and the bearings, the seals and brushes, and the floor and threshold. Our automatic door servicing page explains what each visit covers.

Revolving door dimensions: quick answers

• Revolving door dimensions start with the diameter: the MC-R30 covers 2 000 to 3 800 mm.
• Revolving door dimensions also depend on wing count: three wings for larger compartments, four for better draught sealing.
• Revolving door dimensions include height, which is made to the opening on the MC-R30.
• Revolving door dimensions must leave clear queue space inside and outside the drum.
• Revolving door dimensions never replace an accessible sliding or swing door alongside.
• Revolving door dimensions are confirmed on a site assessment before the door is made.

Revolving door dimensions questions

Planning a revolving entrance? Send the opening width, the height to the soffit and a few photographs, and we will suggest revolving door dimensions that suit the building. Call 010 412 0062, Monday to Thursday 08:00 to 16:30 and Friday 08:00 to 14:00.