Threshold ramps
For door sills, sliding door tracks and small steps between rooms: which type to choose, and how to measure so it fits the first time.
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A threshold ramp is a small wedge that smooths out a raised door sill, a sliding door track, or a short drop between rooms. It is the right tool for rises from about half an inch to about six inches. Above that, you need a portable ramp or a full ramp.
When a threshold needs a ramp at all
The ADA sets the line for public buildings, and it is a sensible guide at home:
- Up to ¼ inch: no ramp needed.
- ¼ to ½ inch: a bevelled edge, which some door thresholds already have.
- Over ½ inch: a ramp.
Small rises are easy to underestimate. They catch a walker's front wheels and the toe of a shuffling foot as well as wheelchair casters.
Rubber or aluminum
| Rubber | Aluminum | |
|---|---|---|
| Rises covered | Fixed sizes, such as 1½ and 2½ inches; can be trimmed down | About ¾ to 6¼ inches across the range |
| Capacity | 850 lb | Up to 700 lb |
| Best for | Sliding doors and indoor sills; heavy, so it stays put | Higher rises, outside doors; lighter to move |
| Price, one dealer | About $120 to $210 | Varies with height |
Figures are for EZ-ACCESS TRANSITIONS rubber and aluminum threshold ramps. Other brands are similar in type but check each model's rise and capacity.
Rubber ramps from EZ-ACCESS have bevelled sides so they sit beside a sliding door track without blocking it, and they can be trimmed if the threshold is a little lower than the ramp. Aluminum ramps come in fixed heights, so measure first and buy the size that matches.
How to measure
- Measure the height from the floor to the highest point of the threshold, in inches. Use the higher side if the floor is uneven.
- Measure both sides. Many doorways have a step up on the outside and a smaller one on the inside, so you may need two ramps.
- Measure the width of the doorway, so the ramp covers the whole opening.
- Check the door swing. A ramp on the side the door opens toward must not stop it opening fully.
Threshold ramps are steeper than 1:12, and that is allowed
A 2½ inch rubber ramp that is 25 inches long has a slope of 1:10. A 1½ inch ramp 14 inches long is close to 1:9. Both are steeper than the 1:12 rule for full ramps. The ADA allows this for very small rises where there is no room for anything longer: up to 1:10 for a rise of 6 inches or less, and up to 1:8 for 3 inches or less. The ADA ramp requirements page has the full table.
If the person using it struggles with the slope, a longer threshold ramp, or a short portable ramp, makes the same rise gentler.
Indoor and outdoor
Both rubber and aluminum threshold ramps work outside. Outdoors, make sure water can still drain away from the door, and in winter check that ice has not built up on or behind the ramp.
ADA level change rules are from section 303 of the 2010 ADA Standards (opens in a new tab), and steeper slopes for small rises from Table 405.2 in Chapter 4 (opens in a new tab). Rubber ramp sizes, capacity and prices are from an EZ-ACCESS dealer's 2½ inch (opens in a new tab) and 1½ inch (opens in a new tab) listings; aluminum heights and capacity from a dealer's EZ-ACCESS TRANSITIONS listing (opens in a new tab). Prices change; check current listings.