Door Types and Names: A Practical Classification
Doors are named by material, by how they open and by where they are used. A clear map of steel, composite, panel, villa, pivot, entrance and fire door terminology.
Building Entrance Doors
A building entrance door is opened and shut hundreds of times a day, so the first criterion is endurance rather than looks. Hinge load, the setting of the door closer, the material of the strike plate and the way the frame is tied into the wall decide whether the door still closes properly five years on. Entrances are often double-leaf, and on a wide opening the way the second leaf is held shut is a decision of its own. For villa and building entrances a 145×215 cm frame opening and a 165×223 cm finished size are taken as standard, with frame depth set to 20 or 24 cm according to the wall. On a multi-unit project, standardising those figures cuts both production and installation cost noticeably. The guides here set out the order of decisions for entrance doors: leaf arrangement, hardware and the vocabulary itself.
Bulk Entrance Door Purchasing for Contractors and Committees
Buying one entrance door is not the same job as buying thirty across ten blocks. From survey to delivery sequencing, dimensional tolerance to spare parts, here is what runs a bulk entrance door purchase.
Escape Direction and Which Way a Lobby Door Opens
Which way a lobby door swings is an escape route decision, not an aesthetic one. How the direction is determined, how locking changes with it, and what belongs on the order.
Electric Strikes, Intercoms and Maglocks on a Building Entrance
Three different devices release a shared entrance remotely, and they are not interchangeable. Where an electric strike, a maglock or a motorised multipoint lock belongs, plus the cabling and frame preparation each needs.
Leaf Split and Fixed Glazing on an Apartment Entrance
Where the leaf divides and how much glass goes into an apartment entrance decides both daily use and how bright the lobby feels. Here is how clear passage, glazing ratio and fixed panels are laid out.
Double Leaf Entrance Doors
Double leaf sets are the answer when a wide clear opening is needed. Inactive leaf direction, bolt arrangement and hinge loading all have to be planned before production.
Building Entrance Doors
Standard sizes from stock, made to measure for other openings.