Wide or narrow garden arch
Updated: October 2026
You have two photos open. One is a slim black arch with a double gate, barely wider than the path. The other is a long frame with boxes on both sides that looks as if two people could pass. The wide or narrow garden arch decision is not that photograph. A frame about 2 metres across can still leave about 110 cm to walk through, and a narrow listing can print an entrance of 112 cm on a 114 cm outer width. This page is that one choice. The full set is the [garden arch with gate comparison](/hub/fencing-and-wire/garden-arch-with-gate). Peter F. used the stored listings. This is not a lab test.
You have two photos open. One is a slim black arch with a double gate, barely wider than the path. The other is a long frame with boxes on both sides that looks as if two people could pass.
You have two photos open. One is a slim black arch with a double gate, barely wider than the path. The other is a long frame with boxes on both sides that looks as if two people could pass. The wide or narrow garden arch decision is not that photograph. A frame about 2 metres across can still leave about 110 cm to walk through, and a narrow listing can print an entrance of 112 cm on a 114 cm outer width. This page is that one choice. The full set is the garden arch with gate comparison. Peter F. used the stored listings. This is not a lab test.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Outer width | Clear opening | Side planters | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Relaxdays Relaxdays tall arch with gate and planters | 204 cm | About 110 cm | Two side boxes | 5.5 | about £115.90 | View offer |
 GiantexUK GiantexUK arch with gate and planters | 198 cm | Not stated | Two side planters | 8.6 | about £88.09 | View offer | |
| Best value |  Outsunny Outsunny double-gate arch | 114 cm | 112 cm wide, 221 cm high | No | 7.0 | about £58.99 | View offer |
On this page
What narrow means here
Narrow, in this set, means an outer width of about 114–124 cm and a gate that is most of that width. Outsunny prints an entrance 112 cm wide and 221 cm high, on a frame of 114 × 36 × 232 cm.
Kalolary never states the clear opening. A narrow arch is the right buy when 110–112 cm is honestly enough and the listing prints that opening.
What wide means here
Wide, here, means an outer frame of about 198–204 cm, almost always because something sits beside the walk-through. The tall Relaxdays is 247 × 204 × 43 cm and states a passage of about 110 cm. The walk-through is still in the same band as the Outsunny’s 112 cm entrance.
The GiantexUK with planters is 198 cm wide and the opening is absent. The other wide Relaxdays is 202 cm across, with doors about 88.5 cm high, and the passage is absent too. The tall Relaxdays at about £115.90 is the wide listing that tells you the walk-through in centimetres. The others tell you the outer size and leave the gap for you to guess.
Planters and the missing bottom
Side boxes are the usual reason to accept a 2 m footprint for a 110 cm walk. A UK review of the GiantexUK planter arch says the side baskets have no bottom. A ring of metal will not keep compost in. The wide Relaxdays states two planters and does not say whether they have a base. A review of the tall Relaxdays says the frame falls over in the wind if you leave the boxes off. That review text is not from the UK.
Sketch the outer width on the ground with canes before you order. If the canes hit the lawn edge you meant to keep, the narrow Outsunny is the frame that matches the path. A wider sail of climber on a light tube is a worse wind case.
If the passage is not printed
Treat a missing passage as a pause, not as about the same as the outer width. On the Outsunny the two numbers are close: 114 cm outside, 112 cm inside. On the tall Relaxdays they are not: 204 cm outside, about 110 cm inside. You cannot know which pattern a silent listing follows.
When you need a number, stay with the listings that print one. Outsunny’s 112 cm and the green Relaxdays’ about 111 cm are the narrow printed openings. The tall Relaxdays’ about 110 cm is the wide frame that still publishes the walk-through. Coatings and scores sit on the garden arch with gate buying guide. A qualifying purchase through the amazon.co.uk links can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Common questions
Is a wide arch easier to walk through?
Not in this set. The only wide frame that states a passage, the tall Relaxdays, gives about 110 cm inside a 204 cm outer width. That is the same sort of gap as the narrow Outsunny at 112 cm. You walk through the opening. You look at the outer width. Easier walking would need a larger printed passage, and these pages do not show one.
What opening do the narrow arches in this set actually state?
Outsunny states 112 cm wide and 221 cm high for the entrance, with doors 80 cm high. The green Relaxdays states a gateway about 111 cm wide and about 228 cm high. Kalolary and the 116 cm GiantexUK do not state a clear opening, so they are narrow on the outer size only. Outer width and walk-through are the same idea only when both numbers are printed and they almost match.
Why is a 204 cm arch still about 110 cm inside?
Because the extra width is the side boxes, not the gate. The tall Relaxdays is 204 cm outside and about 110 cm through the middle. The boxes make the silhouette and the planting positions. They do not move the hinge posts further apart. If you only need a wider walk, that arch does not provide it.
Will roses make a 112 cm opening feel tight?
They can. The National Trust suggests planting both sides of a rose arch and training the growth across, and the RHS describes climbing roses as vigorous. Neither page gives a millimetre you must subtract. A 112 cm gap that is just enough for you and a barrow today will feel smaller after two seasons. If you are already brushing the tape, keep the plants off the posts or look for a larger printed opening than this set states.
When are side planters worth the footprint?
When the border has room for an outer width of about 198–204 cm and the boxes can hold a pot or soil. They are not worth it when a UK review of open bottoms on the GiantexUK baskets means the compost falls through, or when the path itself is only just over a metre and the boxes would stand in the way. Sketch 204 cm with canes before you decide the photo is the garden.
Which width suits a wheelbarrow?
The sources here do not state a standard barrow width, so measure yours, including the handles, and compare it with the printed opening. The stated gaps in this set cluster around 110–112 cm. If the barrow needs more than that once plants have thickened, neither the narrow Outsunny nor the wide-looking Relaxdays has published a larger walk-through. A missing passage is not a promise that the gap is bigger.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings used for this comparison. Retrieved 19 October 2026.
- Planning Portal — Fences, gates and garden walls (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 2, Class A (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- GOV.WALES — Planning permission: fences, gates and garden walls (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Planning Circular 1/2024, Class 3E (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Planning (General Permitted Development) Order (Northern Ireland) 2015, Part 3 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- RHS — Climbing roses (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Agriframes — How to install a garden arch (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- amazon.co.uk — metal garden arch with gate (retrieved 19 October 2026)