Three minutes, one tape measure

How to measure your radiator

Get these three numbers right and everything else is easy. We cut to the 1/8 inch, and the Perfect-Fit Guarantee has your back.

1. Width — add 2 inches

Run your tape across the widest part of the radiator, including the shut-off valve and any pipe that sticks out at the ends. Then add 2 inches total so air can move up the sides. If the radiator sits in an alcove, measure the alcove instead and subtract nothing — we'll build to fit the opening.

2. Height — add 1 inch

Floor to the highest point: usually the top of the radiator, sometimes the top of a thermostatic head. Add 1 inch. Measure at both ends. Pre-war floors slope, and if the two numbers differ, give us the larger one.

3. Depth — add 1 inch

From the wall to the front face at its deepest point, including valves. Add 1 inch. Don't measure to the baseboard — measure to the wall, and tell us in the notes if the baseboard is thicker than 3/4 inch.

4. Photograph it

Snap one straight-on photo and one from the side, with your tape measure in frame. You'll thank yourself if anything needs checking later, and our team can review before we cut.

Video walkthrough (2:04)

Common mistakes

Measuring to the radiator instead of to the wall — depth comes out an inch short.
Forgetting the shut-off valve, which almost always pokes out past the last fin.
Rounding down. Round up, always. Extra clearance is invisible; a tight cover is not.
Measuring one end only in a room with a sloping floor.
Ignoring a floor register or outlet the cover would sit on top of.

Get the printable guide

One page, big diagrams, a place to write your numbers. We'll email the PDF and nothing else you didn't ask for.

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