Garage door motor selection guide: How many Newtons is enough? How to calculate for Thai houses 2025

Garage Door Motor Selection Guide: How Many Newtons is Enough? (Thai Home Edition 2025)
Automatic garage doors are a technology that enhances both convenience and safety in modern homes. However, choosing the wrong motor, such as one that's not powerful enough or doesn't support the actual weight of the door, can lead to problems such as the door not lifting, premature motor burnout, and significantly higher maintenance costs.

These problems can be easily avoided if you know how to select a motor that's appropriate for the weight of the door and the actual usage in your home.

This article is an easy-to-understand technical guide for homeowners, contractors, and automatic door installers.
What to Consider When Choosing a Garage Door Motor?
Motor selection isn't just about price or brand. Key factors to consider include:

Actual door weight in kilograms
Door type (e.g., roller, single-leaf, sectional)
Width and height
Material (e.g., aluminum, steel, insulated steel)
During the daily opening frequency (more than 10 times)
Slope of the track or friction
Required safety systems
Smart Home support requirements
Everything directly affects the "Newtons required."

What is a Newton? And how does this relate to motor selection?
Newtons (N/N) are the force required by the motor to lift or push the door. If the motor provides less force than the actual weight and friction,

The disadvantages are:

The door opens slowly, stumbles, or gets stuck halfway.

Noisy operation due to the motor resisting lifting.

Safety system malfunctions.

Motors overheat and have a short lifespan.

A basic calculation method used by professional installers:

Door weight (kg) x 10 = minimum required Newtons.

Also, add at least 30 to 50 percent reserve power.

Example:
Door weighs 100 kilograms.

100 x 10 = minimum 1,000 Newtons.

Add 40% reserve power = approximately 1,400 Newtons.

If a 1,000 Newton motor is too tight, it will definitely break within a year.

What is the typical weight range for garage doors in Thailand?

Depending on the materials used.

Aluminum, lightweight and suitable for most homes, uses a motor of approximately 600 to 1,000 Newtons.

Thin sheet steel, commonly used in townhouses. Medium-duty doors require a load of 800 to 1200 N.
Sectional doors with insulation require a load that increases with thickness, requiring 1000 to 1500 N.
Full-thick steel panels require a motor of higher than 1500 N.
Materials affect cost and safety, so have a technician measure the load before installation.

Different door types require different motor loads.
Doors that require a "full lift," such as sectional and single panels, require the highest load.
Roll-up doors require a medium load.
Sliding doors require no lifting weight and can use a small motor, but are not suitable for garages requiring high security.

Therefore, the door movement pattern is a key factor in motor selection.

How does frequency of use affect motor life and power?
Motors have a continuous duty cycle (DCC).

A typical home, with 4 to 10 uses per day, can use a medium-duty motor.
A home office or large family, with 10 to 20 uses per day, requires a higher-grade motor.
Commercial buildings, with frequent use throughout the day, require a heavy-duty motor.
Heavy-duty use with a motor that is too low-spec can cause the motor to overheat and burn out in a short period of time.

Security Systems That Should Come with a Garage Door Motor
Garage doors are directly related to life and home safety.
Therefore, standard systems should include:

Automatic stop and rewind when encountering an obstacle
Child and pet entrapment sensors
Hand-unlock system when power goes out
Remote signal spoofing protection
Power cut-off system when the motor overheats
Don't choose a cheap option and compromise safety, as dangerous situations can happen in Thailand.

Smart Home and Garage Door Control
Many motor models currently support Wi-Fi smartphone control.
Benefits include:

Open and close from anywhere

Notifications when the door is opened unauthorized

Connection to CCTV cameras

Check for forgotten doors

For homes without a front fence or at risk of theft, smart installation is recommended.

Example of detailed specification evaluation:
Assume a detached house with a sectional door:
Width 3 meters, Height 2.5 meters
Material: Insulated steel, average weight approximately 15 kilograms per square meter

The door area is 3 x 2.5, equaling 7.5 square meters.
The total weight is 7.5 x 15, equaling 112 kilograms.

The minimum Newton force is 112 x 10, equaling 1120 Newtons.
For durability, an additional 40 percent is recommended.
Therefore, a motor of approximately 1500 Newtons is ideal.

A 1200 Newton motor will work, but the door will deteriorate quickly.

Garage Door Motor Budget for Thai Homes
Common Price Ranges in 2025

Basic Level: 600 to 1000 Newtons, Approximate Price: 9,000 to 20,000 baht
Premium Level: Ultra-Quiet: 1000 to 1500 Newtons, Approximate Price: 20,000 to 45,000 baht
Industrial Level: 1500 to 2000 Newtons and up, 45,000 baht and up.
This price does not include installation, sensors, and smart home systems.

5 Checklists Before Buying To ensure you get the right product,
1. Measure the actual door size and weight on site.
2. Estimate the number of times it opens and closes per day.
3. Choose a motor with a higher than minimum Newton force and always have a spare.
4. Check all safety systems thoroughly.
5. Ensure after-sales service and replacement parts are available.

This will help you choose with confidence.

Simple-to-understand recommendations:
For a typical home, we recommend a motor of approximately 800 to 1000 Newtons.
For a large sectional door, we recommend 1200 to 1500 Newtons.
For a commercial or heavy-duty building, an industrial-grade motor of 1500 Newtons or higher is recommended.

The key is to calculate the actual weight and always allow for extra force.
A slightly stronger motor will last for years and provide better value in the long run.