The scope of this technical date sheet is to provide industry-accepted definitions for common rolling door terms, with a rolling door being defined as a vertically operating, coiling door typically used in commercial or industrial applications. The terminology information encompasses many common terms used in the rolling door industry.
A
| Term | Description |
| Angle Mounted Track | A method of fastening vertical track to a doorjamb using a full height continuous angle. |
| Anodize | An electrolytic method of coating aluminum with a protective or decorative film, which is generally clear in color. |
| Astragal | A compressible or deform-able seal provided on the bottom edge of a door. |
B
| Term | Description |
| Back Hangs | The vertical supports for the horizontal track, cross-braced to prevent lateral movement and track spread. |
| Backroom | The required clearance from the face of the header to any obstruction to the rear of the horizontal track. |
| Bead | A metal, vinyl or rubber strip used to secure glass around the periphery of a pane. |
| Bottom Bracket | A structural support located on the bottom section of the door which provides for attachment of the lifting cables on the sectional doors. Also referred to as Bottom Corner Bracket. (Note: Track rollers may have a separate door attachment in some door designs.) |
| Bracket Mounted Track | A method of fastening vertical track to a doorjamb using angle brackets. Also referred to as Mounted or Track Bracket. |
| Break-Away Track | Vertical track assembly that steps back from the jamb used for high lift and vertical lift track to permit outside lock handle projection to clear the lintel. |
| Bumpers Spring | A leaf spring installed at the end of the horizontal track. Especially useful on lift clearance or full vertical manually operated doors, acting as a cushion and stop. |
| Base Plate | Optional plate mounted on the floor to distribute weight from a framing system supporting the door. |
| Bellmouth | Flared upper portion of guides to ease entry of curtain into the guides. |
| Between Jamb Mounted | Type of mounting where the guides are positioned between the mounting surfaces and not on the surface (interior or exterior) of the wall. |
| Bottom Bar | A reinforcing member at the bottom of a curtain or curtain panel. |
| Brackets | Plates bolted to the wall or to extensions of the guide wall angles that serve to support the barrel and form end closures for the hood. |
C
| Term | Description |
| Cable Sensor Edge | An edge that uses two cables inside a standard neoprene loop astragal. Upon connection with motor operator, a sensing field is established between the two cables. Any disturbance to this field causes the motor and door to stop and reverse (or stop). |
| Counter Shutter | A door which closes on a counter-type sill. |
| Counterbalancing | A method by which the hanging weight of the door curtain is balanced by the helical torsion springs or weights. |
| Crush Plates | Bearing plates provided where doors are mounted on wall units with hollow cells to accommodate through-wall bolts to prevent crushing of the hollow wall. |
| Curtain | Interlocked slats assembled together. |
| Curtain Slats | Formed or extruded members that comprise the curtain on a rolling door. |
| Cycle | An action on the door from the fully closed position, to the fully open position, and returned to the fully closed position. |
| Cylinder Lock | Key-operated locking device located on the bottom-bar. |
| Chain Hoist | A mechanical device used to raise and lower the doors by use of hand chain. |
| Clearances | The amount of side room, headroom, and backroom required to properly install a sectional door. |
D
| Term | Description |
| Door Frame | The frame into which the door fits, consisting of two upright members called doorjambs, and a door header. |
| Door Size | Always specify the width first and the height second: For instance 8’ 6" (2591 mm) wide by 7’ 3" (2210 mm) high. |
| Drums Circular | Stamped metal parts attached at various locations along the tubular shaft that allows the sheet door curtain to coil up when the door is opened. |
| Door/Grille Combo | Combined assembly of a rolling service door and a rolling grille sharing guides and common bracket plates. Allows full security when required and ventilation with door opened and grille closed. |
| Double Throw Lock | Center locking device that throws a locking bar into both guides, mounted on bottom bar. |
| Drive Gear | Large gear for chain- or crank- operated units. It is directly fastened to the door shaft on the drive side bracket plate. |
| Drive Shaft | The shaft in the barrel that is securely attached to the barrel, through welding or pinning. When this shaft rotates the barrel should also rotate. |
E
| Term | Description |
| "E" Guides | Common expression for the shape that guides form when they are mounted to steel jamb supports or frames. |
| Endlock | A component which is attached to slats to prevent lateral shifting. |
| Exterior Hood | A hood mounted on the exterior (weather exposed) surface of a wall. |
| Exterior Mounted | Condition where door is mounted on the exterior (weather exposed) surface of a wall. |
F
| Term | Description |
| Face of Wall | Door mounting condition where guides mount directly to the wall, and side clearance is allowed for tension wheel and drive mechanism. |
| Fascia | Metal closure for the back of door housing. |
| Fenestrated Slats | A curtain with slots in slats to allow air infiltration. |
G
| Term | Description |
| Guide | Vertical assembly in which the curtain travels and that is fastened to the jamb, retaining the edges of the door curtain and closing the space between the curtain edges and the jamb. |
| Guide Standout | The distance that face-mounted guide assembly extends from wall face. |
| Gusset | Metal reinforcement plate, angle or bracket which is fastened in corners to stiffen joints. |
H
| Term | Description |
| Hand of Operation | The side on which the door operator is placed, as viewed from the mounting-surface side of the door. It is either a right-hand (RH) or left-hand (LH) operation. |
| Header Seal | Weather-stripping mounted at opening header to seal the opening between header and curtain. |
| Headroom | Vertical clear space required above the door opening, and bellow the lowest ceiling obstruction, required for proper installation and operation of the door and its hardware. |
| Helical | A term referring to the type of torsion spring used in the spring counterbalance. |
| High Cycle Design | Door components and operator designed for a fixed number of cycles for a specific period of time. |
| Hood | A housing that mounts horizontally, serving as an enclosure for the counterbalance. |
| Hood Baffle | A flap of material with one end secured to the interior of the hood and the other end resting on the curtain, designed to retard air infiltration over the top of the curtain and through the hood. |
I
| Term | Description |
| Interlock, External | An electro-mechanical device that prevents motor operation when door lock is engaged. |
J
| Term | Description |
| Jamb | The vertical member that frames the side of an opening in the wall. |
| Jamb Load | Force exerted on jamb by guide assembly when curtain is subjected to wind load. |
L
| Term | Description |
| Lift-Handle | A handle attached to the inside or outside of a door section, to be grasped by hand when a door is to be operated manually. |
| Lintel | A horizontal member spanning and carrying the load above an opening. |
M
| Term | Description |
| Master Keying | Arrangement whereby cylinder locks, although fitted with different keyed cylinders can be opened or locked by means of one "master" key. |
| Mounting Plates | Flat steel or wood members placed on the wall to accommodate spring support, spring shaft bearings, chain hoists and mountings for operators. |
| Movable Center Post | A lightweight extruded aluminum post/track assembly, which substitutes for the jamb between two adjacent doors and can be released and carried from the opening. |
| Mullion | A slender dividing bar between two doors; usually designed to carry horizontal (wind) load but not vertical load. |
O
| Term | Description |
| Offset | Dimension between face of header or jamb and center-line of curtain. Required to reduce drag of curtain on bell-mouth of guides when curtain is in a lowered position. |
P
| Term | Description |
| Packout | Guide built-out to clear an obstruction or provide clearance for drive or tension mechanism when door is between-jamb mounted. |
| Pass Door | Hollow-metal pedestrian door integrated into the rolling door, the frame of which is hinged at the jamb so door-frame swings out of the opening. |
| Plug End | Drive end of barrel assembly driven by gear or sprocket for which the curtain is raised and lowered. Consists of assembly of short solid shaft and one or more sound plates welded to the shaft and pipe, which fit within the pipe. |
R
| Term | Description |
| Rolling Counter Fire Door | A fire rated door assembly with an automatic-releasing devised used in fire rated walls where the primary purpose of the opening is for non-pedestrian use, such as counter service for food, a pharmaceutical dispensary, package and baggage transfer. |
| Rolling Door | A vertically operating, coiling door typically used in commercial or industrial applications. |
| Rolling Fire Door | A fire rated vertically operating coiling door assembly with an automatic-releasing device typically used in commercial or industrial applications, providing protection in fire rated wall openings. |
| Rolling Grille | A vertically operating coiling door consisting of assembled interlinked rods of steel, stainless steel, or aluminum. |
| Rolling Service Door | A vertically operating, coiling door typically used in commercial or industrial applications, with a curtain consisting of formed metal slats interlocking together. |
S
| Term | Description |
| Security Chain Box | Metal enclosure that encloses hand chain in a steel pad-lockable assembly attached to door guide. |
| Sensing Edge | A device added to the underside of the bottom bar of a power operated rolling door, which stops or reverses the door curtain upon contact with an obstruction when closing under power. |
| Service Counter Door | An assembly consisting of a rolling counter door that incorporates a four sided framed used in walls where the primary purpose of the openings is for non-pedestrian use, such as counter service for food, a pharmaceutical dispensary, package and baggage transfer, or observation ports. |
| Setback | A standard space where the guide is recessed from edge of the jamb at both sides of opening on a face of wall-mounted door. |
| Sideroom | Required unobstructed space on either side of the opening. |
| Slide Grille | A side-sliding grille product that requires little headroom and no floor track. The grill is able to follow a curved lease line and stacks into a side pocket in the wall. |
| Sloped Bottom Bar | Bottom bar with a vertical dimension larger on one end than the other, to match sloped sill opening. Requires additional head room to keep clear opening when door is up. |
| Stand-out | The distance that guide assembly extends out from the wall on face-of-wall mounted doors. |
| Starter Slats | Partial slats used to connect curtain to barrel or barrel rings. |
| Stops | bars mounted at top of guides to prevent bottom bar from traveling out of the guides when the curtain is fully raised. |
T
| Term | Description |
| Tension Wheel | A component attached to the counterbalance tension shaft, which controls the spring tension as it is locked to the bracket. |
| Thru-Wall Operation | A door driven by means of a hand chain, crank or motor operator located on the opposite side of the wall. |
| Torsion Spring | A spring that works by turning one end about a longitudinal axis while the other end is held or turned in the opposite direction, developing torque. |
| Tubular Operator | A cylindrical operator that mounts directly into the pipe and electrically drives the barrel assembly. |
V
| Term | Description |
| Vehicular Access Door | A door, typically a garage door or a rolling door, used primarily for vehicular access into a building. |
| Vertically Acting Door | A door that is typically a garage door or a rolling door. |
| Vision Lite | Glazing that is mounted in a door. |
W
| Term | Description |
| Wall Angle | An angle of the guide assembly, which attaches to the face of the wall and supports the load of the door assembly. |
| Wind Bar | Channel or bar attached to the guide, which engage windlocks under wind load. |
| Windlock | A component attached at predetermined intervals to slat ends to prevent curtain from leaving the guides under wind load, and which is used in conjunction with wind bars inside the guides. |
| Working Turns | The additional winding of the springs as the barrel rotates and the curtain closes. |
Z
| Term | Description |
| "Z" Guides | Common expression for the shape that guides from when they are mounted to masonry jambs. |
