Building
Measuring your van: the seven dimensions everything hinges on
The factory figure for your load space is not a building dimension. Differences of three to five centimetres are normal, and three centimetres is exactly the difference between a cabinet that fits and one you send back. Here is how to measure it yourself, with a tape measure and half an hour.
Updated on 9 min read
Every manufacturer measures its load space differently. One quotes the width at its widest point, another between the wheel arches; one measures to bare metal, another to the factory lining. You will not see that difference in a brochure. You will see it the moment you try to fit a 1260 mm cabinet into a 1240 mm gap.
Always measure after insulation and wall panelling, or subtract what you still intend to add. Twenty millimetres of insulation plus a four-millimetre panel costs you almost two and a half centimetres of width on each side. This is the single most common mistake in the whole process.
What you need
- A tape measure of at least five metres, preferably a stiff one
- A spirit level, or a phone with a level app
- A straight batten of about a metre
- Someone to hold the other end of the tape
The seven dimensions, in order
- 01
Load length behind the seats
Measure from the back of the cab seats, in their rearmost position, to the inside of the closed rear doors. This is the dimension that decides which layouts are possible at all. Measure it at floor level and at table height: on vans with a sloping rear wall that differs by up to five centimetres.
- 02
Width at hip height
At roughly 900 mm above the floor, because that is where your worktop and the tops of your cabinets sit. Measure in three places: just behind the seats, in the middle, and at the rear doors. Take the smallest of the three. Almost every van tapers slightly towards one end.
- 03
Width between the wheel arches
The narrowest point of the whole van, and the dimension that decides whether a transverse bed is possible. Measure at the widest point of the arches, not above them. If you want a transverse bed you need to clear the arches, and then the width at bed height is what counts — measure that separately.
- 04
Height from floor to headliner
Measure in the middle of the van, because the roof is almost never flat. If you still intend to build up a floor, subtract its thickness: 20 mm of battens with a 12 mm board and vinyl costs you over three centimetres of standing height.
- 05
Wheel arch height
From the floor to the top of the wheel arch. This decides the earliest height at which a transverse bed can sit, and whether a bicycle still fits underneath it.
- 06
Sliding door opening
Width and height of the opening, plus the distance from the back of the seats to its front edge. Put a cabinet against it and the door still opens, but you can no longer walk through. You find that out on the campsite, not before.
- 07
Rear door opening
Width and height — and mind the sill. Anything you want to bring in as one piece has to pass through here. A 1900 mm bed frame will not go through a 1560 mm opening, not even at an angle.
How much clearance to allow
Ten millimetres each side. A van is not a kitchen: it flexes under load, no wall is truly flat, and on a bad road everything moves. Those ten millimetres absorb all of that. You close them with a batten or a trim strip — five minutes of work, it looks finished, and you never think about it again.
Our own van dimensions are factory figures and therefore indicative. They are good enough to see which layouts are plausible, and not good enough to order on. Always enter your own measured dimensions in the configurator — that is what the field is for.
Enter your dimensions in the configurator
Frequently asked questions
- Can I use the factory dimensions of my van?
- For seeing which layouts are plausible, yes; for ordering, no. Manufacturers measure at different points and treat the lining inconsistently; differences of three to five centimetres are normal. Always measure load length, width at hip height and width between the wheel arches yourself.
- Do I measure before or after insulating?
- After insulating and after fitting the wall panelling. Insulation plus panelling easily costs 24 mm per side, so nearly five centimetres across the full width. If you measure beforehand, subtract that and write down what you subtracted.
- How much clearance should I allow?
- Ten millimetres each side. Less will creak as soon as the van flexes under load; more is a waste of space. Close the gap with a batten or a trim strip.