Industry Terminology

Aesthetics

The appreciation of beauty or good taste

Air Infiltration

This test measures air infiltration through a window or door, excluding air which passes between the frame of the unit and the wall

Aluminum

A malleable metallic element, bluish silver-white in color, that has good electrical and thermal conductivity, high reflectivity, and resistance to oxidation. It is the most abundant metal in the earth's crust

Aluminum
Cladding

Durable aluminum cladding provides a protective shell on the exterior surfaces of windows and doors

Back Door

An entry door typically found in the rear of a home or building

Backset

This is the distance from the edge of a door to the center of the hole where the handle set or lock is inserted

Ball Bearing
Hinge

A hinge option, used in applications where a door will get more than residential-type usage.  Suggested for entry application and frequent-use areas, it reduces the rubbing friction of the hinge flange

Ball Catch

Hardware used mainly on double doors, installed on the top of door which keeps the door closed

Base

Applied where floor and walls meet, forming a visual foundation   Protects walls from kicks and bumps, furniture and cleaning tools . The base shoe and base cap are used to conceal uneven floor and wall junctions

Bifold

A door capable of being folded into two parts, as with doors that are hinged together

Birch

Birch wood offers a fine, uniform grain in light tan or whitish hues  Birch wood provides strength and durability, along with a satin-like sheen 

Blind Stop

A blind stop is a rectangular moulding that fits on the exterior of a double-hung side jamb designed to hold the sash in place

Bottom Rail

A horizontal rail at the bottom of a sash, door, blind or other panel assembly

Brickmould

A form of exterior casing for windows and doors that serves as an aesthetic boundary between the siding and the frame

Butt

A door hinge, one leaf being mortised or routed into the door frame jamb and the other into the edge of the door

Butt Hinge

A typical door hinge  One hinge plate is fastened to the door frame and the other is fastened to the panel

Butt Joint

The joint of two square edges united without overlapping

By-Pass
Door Frame

An interior door frame to accommodate two or more sliding doors that slide by each other in a horizontal direction

Cafe Door

A single door or pair of half-width doors, hung in the middle of a doorway, that swing both inward and outward to allow entry; similar to saloon doors in the Old West

Caming

Pieces of metal (often brass, lead, nickel or zinc) that hold individual pieces of glass together in a decorative glass insert, sidelight or transom

Cased Opening

An interior opening without a door but finished with jambs and casing

Casing

Used to trim door and window openings  Interior casing is shaped, decorative moulding that covers the inside edges of the jambs and the rough opening between the window unit and the wall  Exterior casing is an alternative to brickmould

Chair Rail

An interior moulding usually applied about on third the distance from the floor, paralleling the base moulding and encircling the perimeter of a room   Originally used to prevent chairs from marring walls   Used today is as a decorative element or a divider between different wall covering such as wallpaper and paint or wainscoting

Cherry

Grown in the Eastern and Midwestern United States, Cherry wood offers a range of hues from white, light to deep red, and reddish brown  Its color deepens with age, providing rich, beautiful color for years to come  Cherry has a distinctive fine, straight, uniform grain with a smooth, satiny texture

Clavos

These decorative metal accents were inspired by the function bolt heads that were used in Medieval and Renaissance architecture

Clear Wood

This refers to wood without any knots or blemishes

Composite

A term used for window or door components, composite consists of two or more materials, such as glass fibers or wood and plastic. The term also is used for windows and doors that combine two or more materials in the frame or sash construction, such as a product with a wood interior and a vinyl or aluminum exterior

Composite Brickmould

This extruded brickmould is made from cellular PVC or some other non-wood material

Composite Door

A door manufactured from a material other than solid wood or plywood

Continuous Head and Sill

A single element that combines both the top (head) and bottom (sill) pieces of a window

Corner Blocks

Square blocks used in lieu of mitering the side and head casing  They often include decorative carving

Crown

Most often used where walls and ceiling meet .  Crown mouldings are used to cover larger angles   Crowns are always "sprung" meaning it has the interior corner beveled off to better fit a right angle joint

Custom Millwork

Decorative Entry System

An entryway made up of a door in a frame, one or two sidelights, and a transom

Dentil

A series of small square blocks uniformly spaced and projecting like teeth. Often used in a cornice or mantel treatment

Direct-Set

The window’s glass is secured directly into the window frame without the stiles and rails of a sash (e.g.  picture window)

Distressed Finish

Doors with a distressed finish have an aged, Old World appearance.  Chisels and other tools are used to apply random worm holes and additional character marks to the door's stiles, rails, panels, and mouldings

Divided Lite

A window opening divided into smaller sections by a grid system on the interior or exterior of the glass, between the glass panes, or any combination of these three

Door Bevel

An angled cut on the lock side of a door, usually 3 degrees, that enables it to swing free of the door frame when opening and closing

Door Casing

A door casing is a piece of trim that surrounds the jamb of the door or entry system

Door Core

A core placed inside the door to provide either strength or fire rating.  Core types are corrugated honeycomb paper, particleboard, wood stave, mineral fiber, polyurethane, or polystyrene

Door Face

The wide flat surface of a door

Door Frame

A complete door frame consists of one header and two jamb legs.  A strip of wood called a “stop” keeps the door from swinging through the frame

Door Height

The vertical measurement of the door ranging from 6 feet, 6 inches to 7 or 8 feet

Door Jamb

The part of a door frame which surrounds and contacts the edges of the stiles and top rail of a door.  Jambs may be classified as “head’ or “side” jambs and “plain” or “rabbeted”

Door Lite

A door lite is a glass insert installed in a door panel

Door Panel

A sheet of thin lumber, plywood or composition material inserted into the frame formed by the stiles, rails, and mullions of a door

Door Rails

Doors can be manufactured with double rails on the top and/or bottom so the door can be field-trimmed for off-square replacement installations

Door Skin

The front or face panel (usually two or more plies) of a flush door

Door Striker

This component is a slightly beveled metal plate, which is set into a door jamb to receive and guide a door latch to its socket when closing

Door Trim

Moulding applied around door openings on the exterior and interior

Edge Veneers

Doors manufactured with vertical edge veneers such as oak or birch to match the veneer on the face of the door

Entrance

The exterior area of a door (usually used for the main or front entrance of a structure) with decorative exterior trim.  Trim may include pilasters, entrance head or cap, or a decorative exterior casing

Entrance Door

A door that serves as the main entrance of a structure; may be single or paired 

Entrance Head

An entrance head is the portion of the entrance above the door opening.  Also called entrance cap or entablature.  It is commonly used when the head is other than a pediment

Entry Door

A door typically found in the front of a home or building

Entry Lockset

This hardware allows an exterior door to be open, closed, and locked

Environmental Condition

The state of the environment necessary for the support and comfort of the inhabitants.  The control of air quality, light, temperature, food, security, etc

Extension Jamb

Wood or other material fastened to the inside edges of a window or door to extend it in width and adapt to a thicker wall

Exterior Casing

Casing that trims the exterior of a window or door frame and serves as the boundary molding for the siding material

Facade

The main or front elevation of a building

Face

Outer or exposed ply in cross banded construction.  Also the surface from which lumber grade is determined

Fiberboard

A broad term used to describe wood sheet material of widely varying densities manufactured of refined or partly refined wood fibers

Finger-Jointed

This assembly technical involves joining components that have finger-like projections on their ends that fit together

Finish

The final, protective treatment of a surface (paint, stain, etc)

Fir

This wood species is dimensionally stable with a uniform color, grain pattern, and texture.  It features a straight, vertical grain and a light rosy shade that will appear redder over time when exposed to light.  Fir offers exceptional stain and finish consistency

Fire-Rated Door

Fire doors are designed to meet independent testing facilities’ standards for fire ratings of 20, 30, 45, 60, or 90 minutes.  The specific rating is achieved through the application of special door cores and framing materials

Flat Door Panel

A door panel consisting of a flat piece of plywood, solid wood or other material in contrast to a raised door panel

Flat Jamb

This jamb is a plain piece of lumber, not rabbeted or ploughed.  Instead of a door rabbet, this jamb requires a door stop applied to prevent the door from swinging through

Flush Door

A flat-faced door that may have a variety of door facings and may be hollow-core or solid-core

Flute

A long, rounded groove machined along the grain of a wood member

Folding Door

One of two or more sliding doors hinged to move laterally in an opening.  Also known as an accordion door.  A complete unit may consist of doors with butts applied, track and guide hardware, door pulls and door frame

Frame

The assembly of structural members (head, sill, jambs) attached to the wood members lining the rough opening used to fasten a window sash or a door panel to a structure

French Door

A style of door in which two panels open to provide a clear opening which is approximately twice as wide as one panel  Many styles have full panel clear or decorative glass

Garage Door

A multi-paneled door built in horizontal sections.  It slides upward on a metal track, stopping when parallel to the garage ceiling, to allow a car to enter or exit

Glue Chip Glass

This type of glass features a feathered or frost-like texture and provides an obscured view

Grain

An arrangement and direction of wood elements or fibers; can be straight or spiral grain; also used loosely to indicate texture

Granite Glass

This glass has a texture that resembles a rough rock surface.  With granite glass, the view is completely obscured

Green Building

A movement in architectural building circles, green building is aimed at creating structures that are occupant and environmentally friendly.  Criteria such as sustainability, energy efficiency, and healthfulness are considered

Half-Panel

This is a type of door that has panels on one half (usually the bottom half) and a glass insert on the other half

Handing

A term describing the swinging direction of a window or door.  Window or door hardware may also be left or right-handed

Handle Set

A generic term given to the components that attach to the face of a sliding door panel, handle sets allow the door to be opened and closed

Hardboard

A board material manufactured of wood fiber, refined to form a panel.  Hardboard has a density range of approximately 50 to 80 pounds per cubic foot.  Created under carefully controlled combinations of pressure, heat and moisture hardboard has a characteristic, natural ligneous bond

Hardwood

One of the botanical groups of trees that have broad leaves in contrast to the needle-like leaves of conifers or softwoods.  Hardwoods are usually deciduous, shedding their leaves in the fall or at the end of each growing season

Head Jamb

The horizontal frame member at the top of a window or door assembly

Header

A header is a heavy beam extended across the top of the rough opening for a window or door, resting on the jack studs to support the weight of the wall above the unit

Hemlock

Hemlock is a coarse, rough wood with a straight, open grain.  Almost white with a tinge of purple, hemlock is light in color and weight

Hinge

A jointed or flexible device on which a door or window turns

Hinge Jamb

Side jamb in which the door hinges (butts) are applied

Hollow Core Door

A type of door that has corrugated cardboard between the stiles and rails and is made up of an interior frame of stiles and rails, covered by a skin of veneer or hardboard, plastic, or metal

Hollow Core Flush Door

A flush door with a core assembly of strips or other units of wood, wood derivative or insulation board, that supports the outer faces and has intervening hollow cells or spaces

Horizontal Lite

A lite or cutout that extends from stile to stile of a sash or panel 

Inner Casing

An entrance member that fits over the outside edges of the side and head jambs, thereby providing a base for the pilasters; an entrance casing nearest to the opening that provides a base for the pilasters

Inner Frame

On a panel door, the intermediate panel member between the stile and door panel that accentuates the sticking of the door

In-Swinging

This refers to doors that swing in toward the inside of a room or home

Integral Deadbolt

This type of lock has the locking cylinder within the knob

Interior Casing

A casing that trims the interior of window and door frames

Interior Door
Frames

Jamb

The vertical frame members of a window or door assembly

Jamb Adjuster

These are adjustable screws that are designed for mounting window and door frames into rough openings  They are used to help ensure the product is squarely installed

Jamb Depth

This is the measurement from the outside of the exterior sheathing to the inside of the drywall

Jamb Extension

This is a jamb-like component that extends the depth of a window or door frame.  In general, a jamb extension has a larger depth than a jamb liner

Kick Rail

A rail located approximately 10 to 12 inches from the bottom of a hollow-core flush door frame, used primarily on institutional doors

Kickplate

This is a protective plate applied to the lower rail of a door or patio door to prevent damage from daily wear

Knocked-Down

Unassembled, as contrasted to assembled or built-up

Knot

A portion of a branch or limb that has become incorporated in a piece of lumber.   In lumber, knots are classified as to form, size, quality, and occurrences.   A red knot is one that results from a live branch growth in the tree and is inter-grown with the surrounding wood.   A black knot is one that results from a dead branch which the wood growth of the tree had surrounded

Level

 A condition that exists when a surface is exactly horizontal

Lineal Foot

Having length only; used in designating quantities of mouldings; "linear," "foot," or "running foot;" "lineal" usually designates non-specific or random lengths, 3-20 feet or 6-20 feet

Lite (Light)

A framed opening in the glass within a sash or door panel; frequently used in reference to glass divided by a grid into multiple smaller openings

Louver

A door, bifold, or shutter constructed with a series of downward-sloping, horizontal slats that allow ventilation, inhibit sunlight, and provide some privacy

Mahongany

Mahogany ranges in color from reddish brown to a deep, rich red, and it stains well for a superior finish  The wood displays a prominent growth ring figure, with grain that is straight or interlocked  Mahogany also offers less expansion, contraction and moisture absorption than other hardwoods

Maple

Grown in the Eastern United States, Maple features a very fine grain in whitish hues with tinges of reddish brown.  Maple wood is dense, tough, and offers excellent shock resistance

Medallion

A raised decorative wood design sometimes used on flush doors 

Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF)

This product is made up of wood fiber glued together instead of wood chips.  It is more dense and heavier than Particle Board.  Unlike Particle Board, it can be sanded to a smooth surface and is used in finish goods such as trim

Millwork

Products primarily manufactures from lumber in a planning mill or woodworking plant   Includes mouldings, door frames and entrances, blinds and shutters, sash and window units, doors, stair-work, kitchen cabinets, mantels, china or corner cabinets and porch work

Molded

Refers to something worked into a form or shape

Moulding

Decorative trim placed within a home, around doors, windows, walls, ceilings, and more

Mullion

The upright or vertical member dividing the panels in a door  A mullion is also the vertical member of a sash, window or door frame between openings in a multiple opening frame  The mullion is known as the ‘mullion center’  In door they are sometimes referred to as ‘muntings’

Multipoint Locking System

A multipoint locking system has more than one locking point

Oak

Grown in the North Central United States, Oak is one of the most popular woods used in homes  A big, slow growing tree, Oak has a prominent, straight grain and coarse texture  Oak is a heavy, dense wood with high durability and shock resistance

Obscure Glass

This is any type of decorative textured glass that fully or partially obscures the view  It allows for privacy while still letting light enter a home

Out-Swinging

This refers to patio doors that swing toward the outside of a room or home

Over/Under Shim

When the side jamb bows in or out because of excessive or insufficient shim material used between the window or door frame and the rough opening during installation

Pane

A piece of glass

Panel

A wood surface within a surrounding frame.  All panels have structural frames, the interstices of which are filled with sheets or fields called panels.  The panel may be raised above or recessed below the surrounding frame and set off from it by moulding or other decorative treatment

Panel Door

A door constructed of several smaller components (stiles, rails, loose-fitting panels which allows the door to maintain its shape while expanding and contracting with weather and temperature changes  This door style was first developed in the eighteenth century as an alternative to batten doors, which didn't function well under moisture and climate changes

Panel Profile

This is the dimensional detail design surrounding each panel in a door

Particleboard

A formed panel consisting of particles of wood flakes and shavings, bonded together with a synthetic resin or other added binder  The particles are classified by sizes, dried to a uniform moisture content, mixed with binder, mat-formed, compressed to density, and then cured under controlled heat and pressure. Particleboard can be used to create a solid-core door

Passage Door

An interior door connecting two inside rooms or used as a closet door; this door type does not have the strength, insulation, or security requirements of an exterior door.  Panel construction on passage doors is designed to allow the wood to expand and contract with changes in moisture and temperature; the center panels are allowed to float within the door's frame

Patio Door

A mainly glass door that opens onto a patio, deck or backyard of a house.  The door panel is comprised of stiles, rails, and glass to allow for viewing

Patio Mull

This is the vertical structure frame member found between doors in a patio door unit

Pine

Pine is abundant across America  It has a distinctive straight, uniform grain in heartwood and wide growth bands in sapwood  Pine hues vary from honey- and straw-toned sapwood to reddish-brown heartwood  Pine is soft, yet durable and is suitable for a range of applications  Knotty Pine provides character and natural beauty with reddish-brown knots

Plank Door

A door constructed from planks.  The lumber used is typically one inch or less thick and 4 to 6 inches wide

Planted Moulding

A moulding applied to a surface and projects or remains above it.  Also known as a raised moulding, as opposed to a solid sticking or applied moulding

Poplar

Grown in the Eastern United States, Poplar provides rich color and graining  Poplar can range from dark brown to pale yellow or olive green; color generally darkens over time and exposure to light leaving wood a rich brown  Popular has a fine, even texture with straight graining

Prefit

Trimming additional width or height off the nominal size of a door to make it fit in the frame better

Prehung Door Unit

A precut and assembled unit consisting of a door with the locking or passage hardware hung on hinges in a wood frame.   The wood frame includes a one or two piece jamb adjustable or as-ordered widths as well as the door stop mouldings and casings

Prime Coat Finish

A hardware finish of baked enamel intended for a later application of paint

Rabbet

A cut or groove along or near the edge of a piece of wood that allows another piece to fit into it to form a joint

Radius Casings

This type of decorative trim is used around the rounded interior perimeter of a window frame

Radius Lite

For divided lites, a radius lite is an available grille pattern

Rail

The cross or horizontal pieces of a door’s framework of: "top rail," "mullion rail," "lock rail," and "bottom rail" are different types of rails based on their location in the structure of the door

Rain Glass

This type of glass is completely obscure and features textured, vertical streaks

Raised Door Panel

A door panel on which the edges have been contoured or shaped to provide an aesthetically appealing, three-dimensional effect

Resin

This commonly used industry term refers to the raw materials used by PVC extruders to produce vinyl window profiles. The work is also used to describe a liquid material that is used in the production of laminated glass

Rough Opening

Finished, cut-out opening into which a door and frame will be fitted

Sapwood

Outer layers of growth between the bark and the heartwood which contain the sap

Screening

A mesh of fine aluminum, galvanized steel or bronze wire often referred to as ‘insect wire screening’, ‘wire cloth’ or ‘insect wire’

Seedy Glass

Minute air bubbles create sparkle and texture in this fairly obscure glass

Shim

This is a spacer used between the jamb and rough opening to maintain the correct frame placement during installation

Shutters

A louver door used to cover a window or door opening or the exterior of a window to provide protection

Side Jamb

The vertical frame member on either side of the window or patio door

Sidelite

An assembly of stiles and rails, with or without a wood panel containing a single row of glass panels or lights.  Installed on one or both sides of an exterior door frame, especially a front entrance door frame.  Sidelights provides light, especially for an entry hall, as well as decorative appeal

Sill

A main horizontal member forming the bottom of the frame of a window or door

Sill Horn

An extension of the double-hung or single-hung sill, a sill horn allows brickmould or other casing to fit over the sill

Sill Pan

A three-sided box made of sheet metal flashing, this is what a window sits in on the rough opening  It is designed to catch water that infiltrates into the rough opening and divert it to the outside

Sill Track

The track on the sill of a sliding or gliding window or door that guides the sash or panel as it opens and closes

Simulated Divided Lites

This divided lite option offers the most authentic true divided lite appearance.  It includes interior wood bars, optional shadow bars between the glass, and exterior metal bars that are permanently attached to the exterior glass

Slab

A slab refers to a complete door panel that has not been prepared for installation into a frame

Sliding Door

A door which slides in a horizontal direction parallel to a wall of the structure  They may be of the ‘pocket’ or ‘in-the-wall’, ‘folding’ ‘accordion’ or the ‘by-pass’ type

Sliding Patio Door

A door that has one or more panels that slide horizontally; often found in rooms with limited space and where a door opening inward into the room cannot be

Softwood

One of the botanical groups of trees that has persistent needle-like or scale-like leaves; softwoods are evergreen and have longer-length fibers than hardwoods

Solid Core Flush Door

A flush door consisting of a core of solid wood blocks or strips with cross banding and face veneers, or with face veneers only

Solid Door Panel

A door panel consisting of solid wood, raised or beveled on one or two sides

Solid Sticking

A mould or profile worked on the article itself

Solid-Core Door

A door with a solid interior made from composite wood, agri-fiber, wood staves, particleboard, or fire-rated mineral fiber

Split Jamb

This interior or exterior jamb is composed of two halves that fit together.  One side has a built-in stop and the other side can slide in or out to adjust the frame for various wall thicknesses, usually from 1" to 2"

Square

A condition that exists when two surfaces are perpendicular (90 degree angle)

Stain

A discoloration of the wood. The stain does not affect the strength of the wood, and the growth of the fungi stops once the wood is dry.

Steel

A strong alloy of iron and carbon that contains a lower carbon content than cast iron (lower than 1 7%); used in commercial building because of its malleability under certain conditions

Sticking

This is the detailing around the perimeter of the panels or lites on a door

Stile

This is the vertical frame members of a sash, door, blind or screen

Stop

A moulding primarily used in window and door trim that is positioned to stop the door or window sash from opening beyond a set point

Strike Jamb

Jamb opposite the hinge jamb.  A jamb on which the lock or passage-set strike plate is installed

Strike Plate

A metal piece mortised into or fastened to the face of a door frame side jamb to receive the latch or dead bolt when the door is closed

Sunburst

A semi-elliptical area, the lower center of which contains a sun-like figure with radiating rays; may consist of a wood panel or a glazed sash

T-Astragal

This is the vertical strip between doors in a French door unit.  It is always attached to the inactive door

Tempered Glass

This glass is heat-treated during manufacturing for extra strength, enabling it to withstand abnormal force or pressure on its surface  And it will not break into sharp pieces  Local building codes often require tempered glass to be used in all windows that are close to the floor or near doors, bathtubs or showers

Textured Glass

This is any glass that includes a decorative texture.  It often provides a partial or full obscured view

Top Rail

The top rail of a sash, door, blind or other similar panel assembly

Transom

A window, usually rectangular, placed over a door or window. Transoms increase the amound of light let into a front hall

Trim

Millwork, primarily mouldings, that finish off window and door openings, fireplaces, walls and other members

Veneer

A thin sheet or layer of wood, usually rotary cut, sliced or sawn from a log, bolt, or flitch; thickness may vary from 1/100 to 1/4 of an inch

Vertical Lite

A lite or cutout formed by a vertical bar extending from rail to rail of a sash or door

Wainscot

A lower interior wall surface (usually 3 to 4 feet above the floor) that contrasts with the wall surface above it; an interior wall composed of two different interior wall surfaces one above the other

Warp

Any deviation from a true or plane surface, including bow, crook, cup and twist and any combination there of, warp may be classified as very light, light, medium, and heavy

Warranty

A statement or representation that the goods and/or services will perform as promised

Waterglass

This type of glass features a texture that resembles ripples

Water-Repellent Preservative

A formulation of chemical which retards the absorption of liquid water and which inhibits decay and stain in wood.  It is commonly used on exterior wood components

Weathering

The mechanical or chemical disintegration and discoloration of the surface of wood caused by exposure to light.  The action of dust and sand carried by winds and alternate shrinking and swelling of the surface fibers with continual variation in moisture content due to changes in the weather.  Also an inclined surface on a member such as a cornice or sill which directs away rain water

Variously shaped metal, vinyl, plastic or molded fiber strips that fit tightly against the window or door frame parts to prevent air infiltration through cracks.  Cold air entering the house in winter can account for up to 35% of the heating load, weatherstripping can reduce the load