In the wall protection industry, corner guards or corner protectors are manufactured with different widths and lengths to offer various levels and types of protection against damage. It is sometimes confusing to determine which size you may need and what the measurements refer to. This quick guide will help you understand the basic corner guard sizes available, and provide some examples of the most commonly used sizes.

The Two Most Important Dimensions of Any Corner Guard

The two most important dimensions of any corner guard are its width and its length or height. It is helpful to think of the length as the installed height. Standard heights are 48” and 96”, but most manufacturers will also produce custom lengths for any building need.

The width of a corner guard is measured from one outside edge to the corner. In this way, the width will always be the same measurement on each side of the corner guard. See the drawing below for an example of this measurement.

There are many sizes of corner guards available to meet a variety of needs, but some sizes make more sense in certain building types and use cases. A good example of this is the hotel and hospitality industry. Because hotels have a high amount of foot traffic and light damage caused by luggage, corner guards are a necessity in almost every area. However, hotels do not require heavy duty protection like you might find in a hospital or healthcare facility. In a hotel the most common sizes chosen are 1 ⅛” and 1 ½”, while hospitals commonly utilize 2” or 3” corner guards. The key here is matching the level and type of damage most common in your building to the corner guard size that also fits into your buildings budget.