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Commercial Door Terminology

ACTIVE LEAF
‍that leaf or both leaves of a pair of doors for which the locking or latching mechanism or other operating hardware are intended

ADJUSTABLE BASE ANCHOR
a device used to anchor frames to a depressed slab or below finished floor line

‍ADJUSTABLE FRAME
frame with profile in two or more pieces that will adjust to accommodate several wall thickness—also known as expandable frame

‍AIR CONDITIONING GRILLE
see grille or inserted grille

ANCHOR
a device for attaching frame to the surrounding structure

‍APPLIED STOP
surface mounted stop attached to a cased opening

‍APPLIED TRIM
decorative piece applied onto the face of a frame

‍ASTRAGAL (OVERLAPPING OR WRAP-AROUND)
a vertical moulding attached to the meeting edge of one leaf of a pair of doors for protection against weather conditions, to minimize the passage of light between the doors and/or to retard the passage of smoke, flame or gases during a fire—may be prepared for mortised hardware in lieu of door preparation

‍BACKBEND RETURN
turned in edge of backbend

‍BACKBEND
return leg member at back of frame profile

‍BASE ANCHOR (CLIP)
metal member attached to base of frame to secure frame to the floor, either fixed or adjustable

‍BASE ANCHOR EXTENSION
metal angle attached to the base of frame with the horizontal leg extending beyond the frame backbend—used to facilitate the use of power tools in attachment of frame to floorBASE -see sill

‍BEVELED EDGE
the edge of a door which is not at a 90 degree angle to the face of the door (standard bevel is 1/8 inch in 2 inches)—narrow side of door is side in contact with stop of frame when door is closed

‍BEVELED SQUARE EDGE
the edge of a door which is at a 90 degree angle to the face across that portion required for lock mortising—the corners are beveled for clearance in swinging

‍BLANK JAMB
vertical member of frame without hardware preparation—used when doors are furnished with push and pull hardware or surface mounted strikes and single or double acting floor hinges

‍BORROWED LITE
four-sided frame installed in an interior partition prepared for field installation of stationary (fixed) glazing

‍BOTTOM RAIL
horizontal member at the bottom of door connecting lock stile with the hinge stile—may be integral with face

‍BUCK
an archaic term for a door frame

‍BUTTED FRAME
frame which fits against wall structure rather than around it—frame depth is normally equal to or less than the wall thickness

‍CABINET JAMB
frame in three or more pieces applied as the finished frame over rough buck—see rough buck

‍CASED OPENING
frame section without stops

‍CEILING STRUT
adjustable vertical supporting member that extends from jamb or header to structure above normally used in wet plaster walls or as intermediate support for smoke barriers

‍CENTER PANEL
portion of door between hinge and lock stile


CENTER RAIL (MID-RAIL)
horizontal member in door usually located at lock height used to separate upper and lower lites or panels—may be integral with face

‍CLOSER REINFORCING (CORNER BRACKET)
reinforcing in soffit of frame header and jambs to provide additional strength for attachment of corner brackets

‍CLOSER REINFORCING (PARALLEL ARM)
reinforcing in soffit of frame header to provide additional strength for attachment of closer brackets

‍CLOSER REINFORCING (REGULAR ARM) (TOP JAMB)
reinforcing in face of frame header to provide additional strength for the attachment of door closer

‍CLOSER REINFORCING SLEEVE
formed plate inside frame header conforming to soffit, rabbet, and face profile to provide additional strength for door closer attachment

‍CLOSER REINFORCING
reinforcing in door to provide additional strength for attachment of door closers—does not include drilling and tapping of mounting holes

‍COMMUNICATING FRAME
double rabbeted frame with both rabbets prepared for single-swing doors—doors swing in opposite directions—both doors may be of the same or opposite hand

‍COMPLETED OPENING ANCHOR – see existing wall anchor

‍COMPOSITE DOOR
a door consisting of a solid core bonded to a metal facing

‍CONTINUOUS WELD/CONTINUOUS WELDED DOOR
weld along vertical door edge seam which is unbroken along its entire length except at hardware cutouts or mortises

‍CONTINUOUS WELD
weld which is unbroken, no unwelded gaps or spaces, over its entire length

‍CORE
internal construction in a steel door

‍CORNER POST
vertical closed profile used at corner intersection of multiple elevation frames

‍CORNER REINFORCEMENT (GUSSET)
reinforcing at junction of head and jambs used in interlocking of knock-down (K.D.) frames—may be used as alinement feature on welded frames

‍CUTOFF STOP
‍ see terminated stop

‍CUTOUT (FRAME)
a piercing in frame to accommodate a hardware item, mortised hardware or for other items

‍CUTOUT (DOOR)
a piercing for hardware, lite, louvers, and/or accessories

‍CYLINDRICAL LOCK PREPARATION
see ANSI/DHI A 115.2 and A115.18 for data. Available from the Door and Hardware Institute, 14170 Newbrook Drive, Chantilly, VA 22021

‍DEPTH
see jamb depth

‍DOOR CLEARANCE
the space between door and frame rabbet, between door and finished floor, or between meeting edges of pairs of doors

‍DOUBLE ACTING DOOR
type of door prepared for pivot or spring type hinge permitting the door to swing 90 degrees in either direction

‍DOUBLE ACTING FRAME
frame prepared for one or two double acting doors—cased opening frame is normally used

‍DOUBLE EGRESS FRAME
a double door frame prepared to receive two single-acting doors swinging in opposite directions—both doors to be of the same hand

‍DOUBLE EGRESS MULLION
mullion used to divide pairs of doors in some types of double egress frames

‍DOUBLE RABBET FRAME
frame having recesses capable of receiving doors on both sides of stop. Normally only one recess is prepared for a door.

‍DOUBLE RETURN see backbend return

‍DOUBLE SWING FRAME (PAIR SWING FRAME)
frame prepared for a pair of single-acting doors, both of which swing in the same direction

‍DRYWALL FRAME (BUILT-IN)
a frame with steel or wood studs anchors designed to be used in a steel stud or wood stud partition which is installed after the frame is set

‍DRYWALL FRAME (SLIP-ON)
frame designed to be installed on a wall composed of steel or wood studs with ypsumboard or other facing material not requiring wet plaster or masonry finishing—it is installed after the wall is erected

‍DUST COVER BOX
‍ -see plaster guard

‍DUTCH DOOR (DESIGN D)
a door having two separate leaves, hung one over the other, usually equipped so that both leaves can be operated independently— lower leaf frequently has a service shelf

‍DUTCH DOOR FRAME
frame prepared for dutch door

‍EMBOSSED PANEL DOOR
a door design incorporating decorative panels formed or embossed into door faces

End Cap
a piece used to provide flush condition for doors with recessed top and bottom

‍END CHANNEL (CLOSURE)
horizontal channel welded into top and bottom of doors for strength and rigidity

‍EXISTING WALL ANCHOR
metal piece inside throat of frame which provides necessary reinforcing when frame is secured in an existing wall using screws and expansion shields

‍EXTENSION BELOW FLOOR
distance jamb pieces extend below finish floor to attach to sub floor

‍FACE (FRAME)
exposed part of frame when viewed perpendicular to face of the door also referred to as trim

‍FACE (DOOR)
surface of door exposed to view when closed

‍FILLER PLATE
blank plate used to fill mortised cutouts

‍FILLER SECTION
‍ – see throat filler

‍FIXED TRANSOM
inoperable panel or glass lite above door opening

‍FLOOR ANCHOR (CLIP) see base anchor extension

‍FLOOR CLEARANCE (1) (UNDERCUT)
clearance between bottom of frame and bottom of door—The floor clearance may not be the same as the clearance between the bottom of the door and the finished floor—the floor clearance can only be determined after the finished floor material is in place

‍FLOOR STRUT
an archaic term—see adjustable base anchor

‍FLOOR TO CEILING UNIT
an assembly with door and fixed panel above—no transom bar between—design of panel makes it appear to be extension of door

‍FLUSH DOOR
a door without glass lite and/or louvers

‍FLUSH PANEL TYPE DOOR (STILE & PANEL CONST.)
a model of door consisting of one center panel and one lock stile and one hinge stile—stiles are butted to and interlock with panels— an archaic construction method

‍FLUSH PANEL TYPE DOOR (STILE & RAIL CONST.)
a model of door using stiles and rails either mitered or butted, the corner joints being welded and ground smooth—panels interlock with the stiles and rails and are stiffened by internal reinforcing— joint lines between the panels, stiles and rails may be left visible— surface of panels and stiles lie in a parallel plane—the panels may be recessed an amount equal to the thickness of the stile metal

‍FRAME CLEARANCE
space between door and stop of frame—normally designed to accommodate rubber silencer

‍FRAME GASKET
strips (felt, sponge, rubber, etc.) used at frame stops or soffit for smoke, light, or weather protection

‍FREE AIR AREA
expressed as a percent ratio of actual air passage area to louver or grille total area—higher percentage indicates greater air transfer capacity

‍FULL FLUSH DOOR
a design of door formed from two sheets of metal—top and bottom of the door may be either flush, or closed with recessed channel end closures—seams are visible on door edge only

‍FULL GLASS DOOR (DESIGN FG)
a design of door having glass the entire height and width of the area surrounded by rails and stiles—door may have horizontal muntins dividing up the glass area—stiles and rails may be integral with faces

‍FULL LOUVERED DOOR
a design of door having louvers the entire height and width of the area surrounded by rails and stiles—stiles and rails may be integral with faces

‍GASKETTED FRAME
a frame having gasket materials applied either directly to the stop, into a kerf, or part of an applied stop

‍GLASS STOP
fixed trim on a glass lite door against which glass is set

‍GLAZING BEAD (FRAME)
removable trim at a glazed opening to hold glass securely in place

‍GLAZING BEAD (DOOR)
removable trim on a glass lite door that holds glass firmly in place

‍GLAZING MOULDING see glass stop

‍GRILLE
an inserted unit made up of a series of fins or a perforated plate to allow the passage of air through the door—usually greater free air area than a louver

‍GROUTED FRAME
frame completely filled with mortar or plaster used in wall construction

‍HALF GLASS DOOR
a design of door having glass in upper portion only

‍HAND
term used to designate direction in which door swings

‍HANDING
the swing of the door, e.g., right hand or left hand. To determine the hand of a door, view the door from the outside—the side that the hinges are on is the hand of the door—if the door swings away from the viewer, the hand is a regular hand, i.e., right or left hand— if the door swings to the viewer, the door is reverse swing, i.e., right hand reverse swing or left hand reverse swing

‍HARDWARE PROFILE
portion of adjustable frame or mullion onto which the door is normally attached

‍HEAD STIFFENER
a heavy gage angle or channel section placed inside of, and attached to, the head of a wide door frame to maintain its alignment — not to be used as a load-carrying member

‍HEADER (HEAD)
horizontal frame member at top of opening or top member of transom frame

‍HINGE BACKSET
distance from leading edge of hinge to stop on frame

‍HINGE BACKSET
distance from edge of hinge to stop side of door

‍HINGE FILLER PLATE
plate installed in hinge cutout when hinge is not required

‍HINGE FILLER
small removable trim part located between hinge leaf and hinge reinforcements—its position can be reversed to accommodate change of door handing

‍HINGE JAMB
vertical member of frame prepared for installation of hinges

‍HINGE REINFORCEMENT
structure to which hinge is attached—used to provide adequate strength at preparation for hinge in frame

‍HINGE SIDE (FACE)
that face of a door viewed when observing the hinge knuckles on the door and frame—an aid in handing door or noting security side of glass bead or inserted louvers—see “wide side”

‍HINGE STILE (HINGE EDGE)
vertical member of a door prepared for installation of hinge

‍HORIZONTAL MUNTIN
member used to divide glass panels horizontally—see muntin

‍HOSPITAL STOP
see terminated stop

‍IMPOST see mullion

‍INACTIVE LEAF
the door leaf in a pair of doors which is normally held closed by top and bottom bolts

‍INSERTED GRILLE
grille that is fabricated separately and inserted into a preparation in the door

‍INSERTED LOUVER
louver that is fabricated separately and inserted into a preparation in the door

‍INTERCONNECTING FRAME see communicating frame

‍JAMB DEPTH
overall width of frame profile—face to face dimension

‍JAMB EXTENSION see extension below floor

‍JAMB
a vertical member of the frame assembly, adjacent to wall

‍KERFED FRAME
frame that is formed with an integral pocket or recess in the area of the stop to receive gasket or seals

‍KEY SIDE
reference point used to determine outside of door—sometimes required for handing or determination of secure side of glass bead or louvers

‍KEYED-IN-FRAME
frame erected with plaster or mortar forced behind frame backbend— wall thickness is equal to or greater than frame throat, but no wider than frame depth

‍KNOCKED DOWN (KD) FRAME
door frame furnished by manufacturer in three or more basic parts for assembly in the field

‍LABELED DOORS (CLASSIFIED DOORS)
door that conforms to all applicable requirements and procedures of governing labeling authority and bears their identification label or mark

‍LABELED FRAME
frame that conforms to all applicable requirements and procedures of governing labeling authority and bears their identification label or mark

‍LEAD LINED FRAME
frame internally covered with lead sheet to prevent radiation penetration

‍LEAF
an individual door, used either singly or in multiples

‍LITE
preparation in a door for view window, vision and/or glazing including glass stop and glazing bead

‍LOCK BACKSET
distance from centerline of lock front to centerline of function holes measured at mid-point of door thickness

‍LOCK EDGE
that vertical edge of a swing door which is opposite the hinge edge; same as leading edge or strike edge

‍LOCK JAMB 
see strike jamb

‍LOCK REINFORCEMENT
structure to which lock is attached—used to provide additional strength at preparation for lock in door

‍LOCK STILE (LOCK EDGE)
vertical member of a door prepared for installation of lock

‍LOUVER (AUTOMATIC)
an opening in the door with a series of slats or blades to allow passage of air, designed to close automatically in the event of fire

‍LOUVER (FUSIBLE LINK) 
see louver (automatic)

‍LOUVER
an opening in the door with a series of slats or blades to allow passage of air—see SDI 111-C

‍LOUVERED DOOR
door design with one or more louvers

‍MASONRY ANCHOR (CLIP)
metal piece inside throat of frame which secures frame to masonry wall

‍MASONRY BOX (GUARD) see plaster guard

‍MEETING STILE
vertical lock or strike edge of a double door adjacent to the opposite door

‍MODULAR FRAME
frame designed to fit a 4″ module or unit of measurement

‍MORTISE LOCK PREPARATION
see ANSI/DHI A115.1 for detailed data

‍MORTISE PREPARATION
cutout, reinforcing, drilling and tapping for hardware which is to be mortised into frame

‍MORTISE (FRAME)
a recess on a minimum of 3 sides of the hardware item closely surrounding the contour of the item allowing its faceplate to finish flush with the frame surface

‍MORTISE (DOOR)
a recess in the door on a minimum of 3 sides of the hardware item closely surrounding the contour of the item allowing its faceplate to finish flush with the door surface

‍MULLION
tubular member set in a double door opening which will allow both door leaves to be active—may be fixed or removable—a mullion may also occur between a door and a sidelite or as a vertical and/ or horizontal member separating lites or panels

‍MUNTIN
formed member used to subdivide glass area in door

‍MUTE
‍ see rubber silencer

‍NAIL ANCHORS (CLIPS) 
see wood stud anchor

‍NARROW LITE DOOR (DESIGN N)
design of door with narrow rectangular lite at lock stile of door

‍NARROW SIDE (OF DOOR)
that face of the beveled edge door which contacts the frame stops—see stop side

‍OPENING SIZE
size of frame opening measured between rabbets horizontally and between top rabbet and bottom of frame vertically

‍OPERABLE TRANSOM
panel or glass lite above door opening which may be opened for ventilation purposes

‍PANEL INSERT
a metal panel usually used to convert a stile and rail type door to a flush or half glass type door

‍PIERCED LOUVER (DESIGN LP)
louver that is formed into the face sheets or panels of the door

‍PLASTER GUARD
the shield attached behind hinge and strike reinforcement to prevent mortar or plaster from entering mounting holes

‍POCKET DOOR FRAME
frame designed to allow door to slide inside pocket in wall

‍POCKET DOOR
a door that is prepared to slide into a pocket built in the wall

‍PREPARED OPENING ANCHOR 
see existing wall anchor

‍PUNCHED LOUVER (DESIGN LP)
‍ see pierced louver

‍RABBET
the recess or offset formed in the frame to receive a door, panel, or glazing

‍RECESS PANEL TYPE DOOR (STILES & RAILS)
a model of door using stiles and rails either mitered or butted— mitered joints are welded and ground smooth at the corners and butted joints are horizontally stiffened with U-shaped end closures— unmitered joints may be left visible—the recessed panels interlock with the stiles and consist of a metal face with a resilient separator— panels are nominally 3/8 inch thick

‍REINFORCING CHANNEL 
– see end channel

‍REMOVABLE MULLION
a mullion which can be temporarily taken out of opening to allow the passage of large objects through the opening—it may be a frame or hardware member

‍REMOVABLE STOP
stop which is removable to allow installation of glass, fixed panel, or door

‍RETURN 
see backbend

‍REVEAL (DOOR)
the distance from the face of the door to the face of the frame on the hinge or wide side

‍REVEAL (FRAME)
the distance from the face of the frame to the face of the finished wall

‍REVERSE BEVEL
refers to hand of door or lock on outswing doors

‍ROUGH BUCK
a sub-frame, usually channel shaped, attached to an existing wall to which the finished frame is attached—see cabinet jamb

‍RUBBER SILENCER (MUTE) (BUMPER)
part attached to the stop on a frame to cushion the closing of a door

‍SEAMLESS DOOR
a model of door formed from two sheets of steel. No exposed seams shall occur on the door face or vertical edge—the top and/or bottom of the door shall either be closed with a recessed channel end closure or shall receive a flush end closure treatment.

‍SIDELITE
same as borrowed lite except that it is attached to door frame

‍SILENCERSILL (FRAME)
bottom horizontal member of borrowed lite or sidelite

‍SILL ANCHOR (CLIP)
part used to fasten sill section to floor

‍ROUGH OPENING
size of wall opening into which frame is to be installed

‍SINGLE ACTING DOOR
type of door prepared for a pivot type or spring type single-acting hinge permitting the door to swing in one direction only

‍SINGLE RABBET FRAME
frame having only one rabbet—usually used with narrow jamb depths

‍SINGLE SWING FRAME
frame prepared for one swing door

‍SLEEVE REINFORCEMENT
see closer reinforcing sleeve

‍SLIP-ON FRAME
see drywall frame

‍SMOKE BARRIER
a door frame combined with sidelites on either or, both sides of door openings, including transom openings when and if required

‍SOFFIT
the portion of the frame between stops on a double rabbeted frame and the stop and the largest face on a single rabbeted frame

‍SOLID PLASTER ANCHOR (CLIP)
metal piece attached to inside throat of frame which secures frame to core section of a solid plaster wall—an archaic construction method

‍SOUND RATED DOOR
door with a published performance rating used for the reduction of sound through an opening—normally includes frame and gasketting supplied as a unit

‍SPACER
rigid plastic member added to returns of drywall frame to provide additional wall thickness flexibility

‍SPAT
protective covering (usually stainless steel) wrapped around bottom of frames to prevent or minimize damage in this area

‍SPLIT ASTRAGALSPLIT FRAME
a multi-piece frame which generally requires that a portion of the frame be installed from each side of the opening—see adjustable frame

‍SPREADER BAR
stiffening member placed at base of welded frame to keep frame in alignment during assembly, transportation and handling—not to be used for installation—reference SDI-105 and ANSI/DHI A115IG

‍SQUARE EDGE DOOR
unit with edges 90 degrees to its face

‍STAMPED LOUVER (DESIGN LP)
see pierced louver

‍STAMPED LOUVER PLATE
Formed sheets, surface applied over a prepared opening in door panels

STEEL STUD ANCHOR (CLIP)
metal piece inside throat of frame used to secure frame to steel stud

‍STICKS
linear lengths of frame sections used for fabrication of transom/ sidelite frames

‍STILE & RAIL
a model of door using stiles and rails either mitered or butted— corner joints welded and ground smooth—panel interlocks with stiles and rails and is provided with core or stiffeners—panel may be flush with (flush panel door) or recessed (recessed panel door) from faces of stiles and rails

‍STILT BASE ANCHOR
a device used to hold the bottom of frames above finished floorline— commonly used with terrazzo base—bottom of frame is above finished floor line

‍STOP
part of frame against which door closes

‍STRIKE JAMB
vertical member of frame prepared for installation of lock strike

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