How Long Should an Entrance Mat Be? UK Guide to Entrance Matting Size, BS 7953 and Approved Document M

Wet shoes, gritty soles and wheels carry the outside in, and the entrance mat is the first thing that can stop it. So how long should an entrance mat be? There is no single legal length, but there is clear guidance. BS 7953 explains what an entrance flooring system should do, Approved Document M sets out how accessible entrances and mat wells should perform, and HSE explains how matting helps prevent slips.

This guide pulls those sources together in plain English, then shows how to size your own entrance by width, length and zone, how to measure a mat well, and which Mats4U entrance mats fit each part of the doorway. If you only need a quick size for a single door mat, our door mat size guide covers that.

Table of contents

• The short answer
• What Approved Document M says about entrance mats
• What BS 7953 covers
• What HSE says about entrance mats and slips
• How to size your entrance: width, length and zones
• Loose-lay mat or mat well? Measuring a mat well
• Which Mats4U mats fit each zone
• Accessible entrances: what to avoid
• Worked examples
• Frequently asked questions

The short answer

• No regulation sets one mat length. UK law and Building Regulations guidance describe how entrance floors should perform, not how many metres of mat you must lay.
• BS 7953 is the usual reference. It says an entrance flooring system should scrape, wipe and retain dirt, making contact with both feet of people entering and, for wheeled traffic, with the full circumference of the wheels. A self-propelled wheelchair wheel is commonly around 60cm across, so one full turn covers roughly 1.9m. That is where the often-quoted figure of about 2 metres in the direction of travel comes from.
• Busier and wetter entrances need more. BS 7953 aims for the maximum number of footfalls on matting within the space available, so treat 2 metres as a starting point rather than a target.
• Accessible entrances have extra rules. Approved Document M says mats in mat wells must sit level with the floor, and surfaces next to the threshold must not impede wheelchairs (it names coir as an example).

What Approved Document M says about entrance mats

Approved Document M is the statutory guidance on access to and use of buildings in England. Volume 2 covers buildings other than dwellings, such as shops, offices, schools and hotels. It applies to building work covered by the Building Regulations, such as new buildings, extensions and certain alterations and changes of use. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland publish their own guidance, so check the version that applies to your building.

Paragraph 2.7 of Approved Document M Volume 2 (2015 edition incorporating 2016 and 2024 amendments) lists what an accessible entrance needs. The parts that affect matting say:

• 2.7(d): there should be a level landing at least 1500 x 1500mm in front of the entrance, clear of door swings, "of a material that does not impede the movement of wheelchairs".
• 2.7(h): internal floor surfaces next to the threshold should be "of materials that do not impede the movement of wheelchairs, e.g. not coir matting", and changes in floor materials should not create a potential trip hazard.
• 2.7(i): "where mat wells are provided, the surface of the mat is level with the surface of the adjacent floor finish".

Paragraph 2.29, on entrance lobbies, repeats the coir and mat well points and adds that "the floor surface helps to remove rainwater from shoes and wheelchairs". In other words, Approved Document M expects lobby matting to do a real drying job, but without creating a barrier for wheelchair users.

What BS 7953 covers

BS 7953:1999, Entrance flooring systems. Selection, installation and maintenance, is the British Standard for entrance matting. BSI lists it as current. It describes the types of internal and external entrance flooring and gives recommendations for choosing, planning, installing and maintaining them.

As quoted in published industry guidance, the standard sets out three jobs for an entrance flooring system: reduce slipping accidents by reducing the soil and moisture tracked onto hard and resilient floors, prolong the life of interior floors, and reduce cleaning of internal floors. It also says the system should not introduce features that make access harder for people using wheelchairs, sticks or crutches, and should avoid abrupt changes in level.

On length, the standard does not give one figure. Its stated objective is to achieve the maximum number of footfalls within the space available, taking into account outside and inside conditions, traffic levels, the size of the entrance, how the building is used and the type of internal floor covering. BS 7953 is guidance, not law, but it is the reference many specifiers work to.

What HSE says about entrance mats and slips

HSE does not set a mat size either, but its slips guidance is practical and specific about entrances:

• Its slips and trips hazard spotting checklist suggests you "fit large and absorbent entrance mats to dry shoes", and if the floor between the threshold and the matting is slippery when wet, consider extending the mat or the exterior paving.
• The same checklist lists mats with curled-up edges as a trip hazard and advises fixing down mat edges or replacing the mat.
• In an HSE case study of a slippery supermarket entrance, the existing entrance matting systems "were not large enough to cope with the amount of water transferred onto the mats". The store added supplementary matting in wet weather and, longer term, built a canopy.
• HSE's leaflet Preventing slips and trips at work (INDG225) lists "use entrance matting" as a first step to stop floors becoming contaminated.

Behind this sits regulation 12 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, which says that, so far as is reasonably practicable, floors and traffic routes must be kept free from any article or substance which may cause a person to slip, trip or fall. Rainwater walked in from outside is exactly that kind of substance. More on the wider topic is on HSE's slips and trips pages.

How to size your entrance: width, length and zones

Width: cover the whole opening

Measure the full clear width of the doorway. The mat should cover all of it, with some extra where people naturally cut the corner towards a reception desk, lift or stairs. If there is a gap at the side, people will walk round the mat and wet footprints will follow.

Length: as much as the space allows

Length is measured in the direction people walk. Use about 2 metres as the starting point drawn from BS 7953's wheel guidance, then add more for busy entrances, exposed doors with no canopy, and buildings with smooth hard floors just inside. Check that doors open freely over the mat and that it does not reach into a door swing in a way that could ruck it up.

Zones: scrape outside, then wipe and dry inside

Most effective entrances split the job into zones. An outdoor scraper mat knocks off grit and mud. Inside, a wiping mat removes what is left, and a drying mat takes up moisture before people reach the main floor. Two or three zones add up to more total length than one doormat ever could. Our post on the correct placement of entrance mats goes into positioning in more detail.

Loose-lay mat or mat well? Measuring a mat well

A loose-lay mat is quick to install and easy to swap, but it sits on top of the floor and has an edge. A recessed mat well puts the insert level with the floor, which is what Approved Document M asks for at accessible entrances where a mat well is used. If your building already has a well, the insert must fit it properly.

How to measure a mat well

1. Measure the length and width in at least three places each, because wells are rarely perfectly square. Use the smallest figure.
2. Measure both diagonals. If they differ, the well is out of square and the insert may need cutting to shape.
3. Measure the depth from the top of the frame to the base in several places. The finished insert should sit level with the floor finish, not proud of it or sunk below it.
4. Note the frame type (aluminium, brass or none) and any drainage in the base.
5. Photograph the well with a tape measure in shot, so we can check before cutting.

Premium Track Entrance Matting comes as interlocking 30 x 45cm tiles that can be cut to fit with basic tools, and the listing describes it as suitable for recessed mat wells and for wheelchair use. For long runs, Frontrunner Plus Entrance Roll Matting is available in 12mm and 16mm thicknesses, and its open grid is described as heel and wheel-proof. See all well and recess mats.

Which Mats4U mats fit each zone

Every product below is from the live Mats4U range. Sizes are taken from the product pages; check the listing for current options.

Accessible entrances: what to avoid

• Raised or curled edges. Loose mats should lie flat with bevelled edges. HSE advises fixing down or replacing mats with curled edges.
• Mats proud of a mat well. A worn or wrongly sized insert can leave a lip. Approved Document M says the mat surface should be level with the adjacent floor.
• Coir next to accessible entrances or on wheelchair routes. Approved Document M gives coir as its example of a surface that impedes wheelchairs. Keep coir for other doors, and outdoors only where it is under cover.
• Deep or soft piles that make wheels drag, and joins between mats that create a step.

For product-by-product advice, read our guide to wheelchair-friendly entrance matting.

Worked examples

These examples use real sizes from our ranges. Every building is different, so measure your own entrance before ordering.

Single shop door

Outside: a Brush Hog mat at 115 x 180cm. Inside: a Tri Grip Heavy-Duty mat made to order to the full door width and as long as the space allows, for example 2m. That gives close to 4m of matting across two zones, comfortably past the 2m starting point.

Double office doors

Inside: a Waterhog Eco Elite at 180 x 373cm to cover the opening and give a long wiping zone, followed by a Heavy Duty Logo Mat at 200 x 300cm near reception. Make sure the two mats meet flat with no lifted edge, or leave a clear strip of floor between them.

School, hotel or public lobby with a mat well

Measure the well as above and fill it with Premium Track tiles or Frontrunner Plus roll matting cut to fit, finishing level with the floor. Then add an absorbent MicroLuxx or logo mat further in if wet footprints still reach the main floor. On an accessible route, keep any loose mat flat, with bevelled edges, and never coir.

Keeping mats working once they are down is a cleaning job; Rawlins has an entrance mat care guide for cleaning teams.

Frequently asked questions

Q1: Is entrance matting a legal requirement in the UK?

A1: No law names a specific mat or mat size. The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 require floors to be kept free, so far as is reasonably practicable, from substances that may cause a person to slip, and HSE lists entrance matting as one of the practical ways to stop rainwater being walked in. For new buildings and building work in England, Approved Document M also sets out how accessible entrances, lobbies and mat wells should perform.

Q2: What is the minimum length for entrance matting?

A2: No regulation sets a minimum length. BS 7953 says an entrance flooring system should make contact with both feet of people entering and with the full circumference of wheels, which is why a figure of around 2 metres in the direction of travel is often quoted as a practical starting point. Busier entrances and wetter conditions usually call for more.

Q3: Does Approved Document M ban coir matting?

A3: Approved Document M (Volume 2) says floor surfaces next to the threshold of an accessible entrance, and inside entrance lobbies, should not impede the movement of wheelchairs, and it gives "not coir matting" as the example. So coir should not be used next to accessible entrances or along wheelchair routes.

Q4: Does a mat in a mat well have to be level with the floor?

A4: Yes. For accessible entrances and entrance lobbies, Approved Document M says that where mat wells are provided, the surface of the mat should be level with the surface of the adjacent floor finish. Measure the well depth before you choose an insert.

Q5: Is BS 7953 a legal requirement?

A5: No. BS 7953:1999 is a British Standard giving recommendations for the selection, installation and maintenance of entrance flooring systems. It is not law in itself, but specifiers and facilities teams often use it as a reference, and a contract or specification can require it.

Q6: What size entrance mat do I need for a double door?

A6: Start by covering the full width of the opening, so nobody can step around the mat. Then work out how much length you can fit in the direction people walk. Waterhog Eco Elite is available up to 180cm x 607cm in Black Smoke, and Tri Grip Heavy-Duty is made to order up to 200cm x 550cm.

Q7: Can I put two mats end to end?

A7: Yes, many entrances use a scraper mat outside and a wiping or drying mat inside. Make sure every edge lies flat and nothing curls, because HSE flags mats with curled-up edges as a trip hazard. Where you can, a single longer mat avoids an extra joint.

Q8: Does a logo mat count as entrance matting?

A8: Yes. A logo mat inside the door does the same wiping and drying job as a plain mat while showing your brand. Mats4U Heavy Duty Logo Mats are made in the UK, come with a 12-month warranty and are available up to 200cm x 300cm with a flat or gripper back.

Need help sizing a long entrance or mat well? Send us your measurements and a photo through our contact page, and we will suggest a combination from our range.

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