How to Measure Sectional Furniture

Record all measurements as width by depth by height. For example: a piece that is 84 inches from side to side, 46 inches from front to back and 40 inches from the floor to the top is recorded as 84 by 46 by 40 inches. Keep the numbers in the correct position: width by depth by height; this method of recording is standard across the furniture industry.

Measure the diagonal of each piece and record it as "Diagonal: 42 inches," for example. Place the yardstick on the sofa, resting one end on the front edge of the sofa, near the inside of the arm, the other end on the front edge of the back. Tape two yardsticks together if one is not long enough or use a 1-by-2-inch, 6-foot board. Measure the distance from the floor behind the back legs diagonally to the position on the yardstick where the tape and yardstick meet. Estimate this measurement if the piece has arms and the two measuring devices cannot be intersected. Measure the diagonal to ensure that the piece will fit through doors; this measurement must be less than the width of the door opening.

Measure each sofa portion of the sectional sofa. Measure across the back, from side to side and record this measurement as the width. Measure the distance from the back of the sofa to the front and record this as the depth. The height is the measurement from the floor to the top of the sofa at its highest point.

Measure and record the chair portion of the sectional. The width is the distance across the back, the depth is the distance from the back of the chair to the front of the arm and the height is the distance from the floor to the topmost point on the back of the chair.

Measure and record the chaise portion, if applicable. The width is the distance across the back of the piece, the depth is the distance from the back of the chaise to the front edge, and the height is the distance from the floor to the top of the back.