Doors

The parts of a door and its frame, from the panels to the hinges. Take the quiz

All terms

• Active leafThe leaf of a pair of doors that opens first and carries the lock.
• AstragalThe strip on the meeting edge of a pair of doors that closes the gap between them.
• CasingThe molding that frames the door opening on the finished wall.
• DeadboltA lock bolt that is turned by a key or thumb-turn and cannot be pushed back.
• DoorThe panel that swings to open and close the doorway.
• Dutch doorA door split in two horizontally so the top half opens on its own.
• Fixed panelThe panel of a sliding door that does not move.
• French doorA pair of glazed doors that swing from the sides and meet in the middle.
• HeadThe horizontal top member of the door frame.
• HingeThe pivot that lets the door swing from the jamb.
• Inactive leafThe leaf of a pair of doors that is held shut with bolts until it is needed.
• JambThe vertical side members of the door frame.
• KnobThe rotating handle that retracts the latch so the door can open.
• LatchThe spring-loaded bolt in the door edge that holds the door shut.
• LiteA single pane of glass in a door.
• Lock railThe middle rail of a panel door, at the height of the lockset.
• Lower leafThe bottom half of a Dutch door.
• MuntinA narrow bar that divides a glazed door into lites.
• PanelA thinner board set into the frame of a door.
• PullThe grip on the edge of a sliding panel used to slide it open.
• RailA horizontal member of a panel door that runs between the stiles.
• ShelfThe flat ledge on the top of the lower leaf of a Dutch door.
• Sliding doorA door in which one glazed panel slides sideways past another.
• Sliding panelThe panel of a sliding door that moves along the track.
• StileA vertical edge member of a panel door.
• StopThe strip on the jamb that the closed door rests against.
• Strike plateThe metal plate on the jamb that the latch and deadbolt fit into.
• ThresholdThe strip across the floor at the bottom of the doorway.
• TrackThe channel along the bottom of a sliding door that the panel runs in.
• Upper leafThe top half of a Dutch door.
• WallThe framed wall the door frame is fixed into.