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5 m x 3 m awning buying guide

Updated: 22.10.2026

A 5 m run of patio doors and a table for six look like one order: type 5 x 3 and buy the first cassette that fits the budget. The first number is the width along the wall. The second is how far the arms reach over the chairs. This 5 m x 3 m awning buying guide is the measuring page, so the wall, the headroom, the cassette words and the drive are settled before the price. The six amazon.co.uk rows sit in the [5 m x 3 m cassette awning comparison](/hub/sun-shades/5m-x-3m-cassette-awning). A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

A 5 m run of patio doors and a table for six look like one order: type 5 x 3 and buy the first cassette that fits the budget. The first number is the width along the wall.

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What 5 m x 3 m is asking your patio to do

Five metres is the width along the house. Three metres is the projection over the chairs. Awnings Online treats about 4.5-5.5 m by 2.5-3.6 m as a popular domestic band, and suggests about 250-500 mm of wall beyond the glass each side so the brackets clear the door frame. Measure that spare masonry. The glass alone is not the order. The cloth is often shorter than the title. Awnings Online says the fabric is often about 70 mm narrower each side than the order width. Doors that are exactly 5 m, with no spare pier, can leave a bright strip at each end of the table. Every listing here prints 5 x 3 m. Five MBDRKVGF electrics also print 5000 x 25 x 3000 mm. The 25 mm slot cannot be the fabric, and it is not a cassette depth.

Headroom at a 3 m projection

A 3 m arm does not leave the wall square and stay level. Caribbean Blinds' pitch table, written so rain can run off, puts a 3 m projection at about 14 degrees as a 75 cm drop, and about 2.75 m of mounting height if you want about 2 m of walk-under at the front bar. If the only sound brick sits at 2.2 m, that 75 cm drop puts the front bar around head height. Measure both ends. A few centimetres of fall along 5 m can put one bracket in a bed joint. A low wall is a reason to shorten the projection, not to flatten the cloth. The British Blind and Shutter Association uses about 14 degrees so a light shower runs off, and Birkdale's manual uses 15 degrees for limited rain. A near-flat 3 m sheet holds a puddle.

The wall, then the cassette, then the drive

Brackets need brick or concrete, not mortar and not the cap of a thin single-storey wall. A downpipe in the middle of 5 m decides where you can drill. A full cassette is often held at the ends. A semi-cassette or half cassette often uses a bar so brackets can spread. Which you need is the full cassette vs semi cassette awning page. Cassette in a title is not a closed box. The five MBDRKVGF listings are electric, about 40.1-41 kg where a weight is printed, and four state a 165 cm crank. None states a voltage. UK mains are 230 V. A fixed outdoor motor sits under Approved Document P and BS 7671, and a new circuit is for a registered electrician. Price is last. Here the electrics are £139.95, or £169.99 for the charcoal row with no cloth weight. The Generic manual is £1,409.99 and says cassette design, not full cassette. Awning Man's 5 m x 3 m full cassette, at £2,140 electric, is a different product.

What the current listings leave blank

None of the six extracts has an amazon.co.uk review line, a wind class, or a UPF number. A 240 GSM line, or a PU coating where one is printed, is a fabric weight. It becomes a storm rating only when the maker prints a class. Retained Regulation (EU) 2019/1188 stops folding-arm awnings at class 2, a nominal pressure of at least 70 N/m². You cannot lift class 2 off a specialist brochure and stick it on a listing that never printed it. The Planning Portal treats an attached awning as an alteration. GOV.UK's householder guidance does not treat the principal elevation, a roadside side wall, or a veranda as permitted development. Flats, listed buildings and Article 4 directions change that. Greater Cambridge uses 3 m for a rear projection on semis and terraces. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own orders. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, the claim is against the retailer.

Common questions

Is the fabric as wide as the 5 m I order?
Often it is not. Awnings Online says the cloth is frequently about 70 mm narrower on each side than the order width. If your opening is exactly 5 m with no spare pier, ask the seller for the cloth width before you treat the title as the shaded width.
How high must the brackets be if the arms reach 3 m?
Caribbean Blinds' table gives a 3 m arm at about 14 degrees a 75 cm drop, and about 2.75 m of mounting height if you want about 2 m of walk-under at the front bar. A wall that only offers 2.2 m of sound brick puts that front bar in the way. Measure both ends. None of these listings states its own pitch.
What has to be true of the wall before I choose a model?
The brackets need brick or concrete you are allowed to drill, clear of mortar joints, downpipes and the thin top of a single-storey wall. On a 5 m run, a pipe in the middle is a real obstacle. If the only fix is a timber frame or external wall insulation, get that checked before you compare cassette words or prices.
Do I need a full cassette before I order?
Only if the brackets can sit at the ends and you want the arms boxed in. Full, semi and half are different housings, and cassette design is not the phrase full cassette. The five electric rows here say semi or half. The £1,409.99 manual says cassette design.
Should a 5 m awning be electric, and what about a power cut?
A wide cloth is hard work on a handle, which is why the cheaper rows here are electric with a remote. A motor does nothing in a blackout, so a crank still matters. Four of the MBDRKVGF listings state 165 cm. One mentions a crank and gives no length. None states a voltage. A new outdoor circuit is work for a registered electrician under Part P.

Related pages

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Listings captured 19 October 2026. Updated 22.10.2026.

  1. Retained Regulation (EU) 2019/1188 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  2. Planning Portal: awning FAQ (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  3. GOV.UK permitted development technical guidance (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  4. Approved Document P (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  6. Samson: retract in strong winds (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  7. Awnings Online buying guide (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  8. amazon.co.uk listing B0HGGX9192 (retrieved 22.10.2026)