How Wide is A Wheelchair?

Are you still get trouble with how to purchase the right wheelchair to help you counter it and make getting around easier? Fortunately, this post would solve all the problems about the specification of the wheelchair and help you choose the right power wheelchair or manual wheelchair.

Generally speaking, the manual wheelchair has a 25 inches width on average.

Currently, there is no set industry standard for wheelchairs. Therefore, all wheelchairs are not the same size, regardless of the type of the wheelchair. The above-mentioned width can not be a reference when you plan to buy a wheelchair.

According to ADA standards, the clear width of a door opening must be 32 inches at least. This clear width measurement is operated between the face of the door and the baffle of the frame, with the door opened to 90 degrees.

 

If the child wheelchair or manual wheelchair has a seat width of about 18in-22in and a wheel-base of 23in-26in, it could fit through the 30-32” doorways.

The answer is the same as the above question. If your wheelchair has a seat width of about 18in-22in and a wheelbase of 23in-26in, your wheelchair could go through.

As above mentioned, the above data cannot actually help you find the right wheelchair for your movement, because there are various sizes of wheelchairs on the market. In this section, the author would illustrate what you need to do before purchasing your chair.
 

You are the user of the wheelchair, so your feeling is the first and most important measurement. Therefore, you need to measure how wide are your hips. After that, add another 1-2’’ base on your hip data, the result is the ideal width of your wheelchair.
 

Ideally, no matter whether your wheelchairs are heavy duty wheelchairs or not, your wheelchairs should be wide enough for you to feel comfortable, yet narrow enough to go through the doorway of your home or apartment. However, because of the diversity of the designs of the house layout, household doorways are different in size. Therefore, it is necessary to measure how wide is your house doorway.
 

If you are tall, you need a manual wheelchair or electric wheelchair with a seat at least 18” off the ground. If you have no idea about the chair height, you could find a “regular” chair you can sit in comfortably and regard it as a purchasing guiding factor.
 

 

Measuring the length of your leg from the back of your hip to the back of your knee, and subtracting 1 inch. The result is the seat depth you’ll need to sit comfortably in your electric wheelchair or manual wheelchair.
 

If you usually spend extended periods of time in the chair, the armrest height matters. To measure the armrest height, you need to sit up straight in the chair with your arms at a 90-degree angle, then measure from the bottom of your arm to the seat. However, buying a wheelchair with an adjustable short stainless steel hand rail is suggested. You could use the handrail accordingly to your actual needs. from your shoulder blades to the base of your spine

●Back Height
Generally speaking, most types of wheelchairs don’t offer any kind of ergonomic support such as transfer wheelchairs, shower wheelchairs, etc. Then, if you plan to purchase an “ordinary” wheelchair, you need to measure the back height. Just measure from your shoulder blades to the base of your spine, and you will know how high the seatback should be.

We can conclude that the more specific the data you measure, the easier to find the right wheelchair. And, two things you need to bear in mind are using a precise scale and accurate tape measure to measure and taking all measurements twice.

As an industry-leading provider of hospital wheelchairs, Ecarre is well-placed to help you solve all the questions about wheelchairs. Also, we are capable of providing a myriad of sizes of electric wheelchairs and manual wheelchairs. If you already know the dimensions, you can contact us to get more information.