Measure a custom cedar planter in two separate ways: the maximum outside size that fits your space, and the minimum clear inside space your plants or existing pots need. Send both measurements with your request. A planter that fits a patio can still be too small inside for a pot, while a box that holds the pot can be too wide for the intended location.
This checklist is for ordering a freestanding cedar planter. It is especially useful when you want to hide nursery pots inside a wooden box, fit a narrow patio edge, or match an existing container.
Start with how you will use the planter
- Planting directly into growing medium: confirm usable internal length, width and soil depth for your chosen plants.
- Placing existing pots inside: measure the pots themselves, including their rims, handles and saucers. The clear opening and narrowest internal space must accommodate them.
- Fitting a fixed space: give the maximum finished outside dimensions, including any trim that could project beyond the box.
These are different design constraints. Do not describe all three with a single measurement such as “a 12-inch planter.”
Record four measurements, not just the catalogue size
1. Finished outside length and width
Measure the space at the narrowest point. Include posts, projecting trim, door swings, pipes and any other obstruction. Decide how much clearance you want at each side, and mark that separately rather than leaving the builder to guess.
For a box beside a walkway, tape the proposed footprint onto the ground. Walk past it and open nearby doors fully. This simple check tells you more about daily use than a photograph alone.
2. Clear opening at the top
A framed top edge can make the opening smaller than the space lower inside the box. If a pot has to pass through that opening, ask for its clear length and width. Do not assume a pot can be tilted into place, particularly when a plant is already established.
3. Narrowest usable internal length and width
Wall thickness, corner supports, a liner or other construction details can reduce usable space. Ask where the internal measurement is taken and whether any supports interrupt it. For several pots, arrange the actual pots in the intended layout and measure the complete group.
4. Usable internal depth
Measure from the inside base to the proposed soil level, or to the required top position of an inserted pot. Overall planter height may include feet, a stand, a base or space below the growing compartment. It is not automatically planting depth.
Measure the pot at its widest point
For a round nursery pot, record its widest rim diameter, base diameter and full height. Include handles or a saucer if they will remain inside. For a rectangular insert, record the widest length and width, not only the base.
Photograph the tape beside each critical dimension. State whether the container needs to lift out for watering, seasonal changes or cleaning. A tight friction fit can be impractical even if the pot technically enters the box.
There is no universal extra clearance that works for every pot and planter. The proposed construction, rim shape and removal method should be checked together before the final dimensions are agreed.
Why you cannot simply order the pot's width as the planter's width
Consider a hypothetical 12-inch-wide pot and a plain box with two walls each ¾ inch thick. The walls alone add 1½ inches, so a 12-inch clear interior would require at least 13½ inches outside before allowing for removal clearance, a liner, trim or supports. These numbers illustrate the arithmetic only; they are not the specifications of a Coastline product.
Likewise, a maximum outside width and a minimum inside width may conflict. Tell the builder which constraint is fixed. The answer might be a different pot, a revised location or a different proposed design, rather than making an unapproved change to one dimension.
Published planter specifications also vary by manufacturer. For example, Eartheasy's Natural Cedar Planter Boxes distinguish outside measurements from the interior planting space. Do not apply one supplier's subtraction rule to another supplier's construction.
Use standard sizes as a starting point, not a fit guarantee
Coastline's Long Cedar Planter Box is offered in 5-foot and 6-foot lengths. The listed dimensions are 60 or 72 inches long, 13 inches wide and 14 inches high. Those figures do not establish the clear interior opening or a guaranteed fit for a particular pot. Ask us to confirm the usable internal dimensions for your intended use.
For a condo, also read our balcony planter guide for access, drainage and placement considerations. This measuring guide does not establish the load capacity of a balcony or raised deck.
If you will use removable pots, also plan how excess water leaves both the pot and the wooden surround. Our cedar planter drainage guide explains the liner and water-path checks to make before filling.
Check the delivery route before agreeing the build
Record the narrowest gate or doorway, elevator opening and any tight turn. Include stairs and the final placement location in your request. A long assembled planter may fit the final footprint but not the route to it. Confirm arrival condition and placement arrangements in the quote.
Use the 3D builder after measuring your space
Open the custom cedar planter 3D builder to explore outside dimensions, optional legs and finish previews before requesting a quote. Keep your measured footprint beside you while comparing configurations.
When legs are selected, separate the box height from the ground clearance: together they make the overall height. Neither number establishes usable internal planting depth. Include any minimum inside dimensions or pot-opening requirements in your project details so they can be checked with the proposed construction.
A visual preview does not replace a tape measure or confirm balcony capacity, safe loading, manufacturing feasibility or an exact real-world finish colour. AR is available only on supported devices. Final dimensions, design, price, delivery and timing are confirmed through the custom quote.
A checklist you can send with your quote request
- Quantity and intended location
- Maximum finished outside length, width and height
- Minimum clear top opening and internal dimensions, if existing pots must fit
- Pot dimensions, including rims, handles and saucers
- Whether you will plant directly or use removable pots
- Photos of the space, containers and access route
- Preferred finish and delivery postal code
- Which dimensions are fixed, and which can change
Before production, ask for the agreed dimensions to be identified as outside, clear inside or top opening, with units and any agreed tolerances. A short written confirmation is more useful than assuming both sides mean the same thing by “exact size.”
Request a custom cedar planter quote with your measurements and photos. Coastline Cedar builds custom planters for Greater Vancouver projects. Build timing, access and delivery arrangements are confirmed for the specific quote.