>> Window Types

Window: A framework of vinyl, metal or wood that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air

Awning Window: A window that has a single sash in which the bottom of the sash swings outward. Awnings are typically wider than they are tall.

Bay Window: A composite of three windows usually made up of a large center unit and two flanking units, typically they are 30 or 45 degree angles to the wall. A bay window refers to the angle of departure from the plane of a wall.

Bow Window: A composite of four or more window units in a radial formation, typically at a 12 or 14 degree angle to the wall.

Casement window: A window unit in which the single sash is either fixed or opens outward to the left or right. Casements are generally taller than they are wide.

Clerestory window: A vertical window set in a roof structure or high in a wall, used for daylighting

Dormer, dormer window: A gabled extension built out from a sloping roof to accommodate a vertical window

Double glazing: A window with two panes of glass and a space between them; reduces heat and noise transmission through the window

Double-hung window: A window unit having two operable sashes that slide up and down in the frame. A counterbalance mechanism usually holds the sash open or closed.

Emergency exit window / egress window: A window big enough and low enough so that occupants can escape through the opening in an emergency, such as a fire.

Fanlight: A semicircular window over a door or window; usually has sash bars like the ribs of a fan

Fixed window: A window that cannot be opened, whose function is limited to allowing light to enter or being aesthetically placed. Clerestory windows are often fixed. Transom windows may be fixed or operable.

French window: Also known as a French door is really a type of door, but one which has one or more panes of glass set into the whole length of the door, meaning it also functions as a window.

Hopper Window: A hinged window unit in which the top of the sash swings inward.

Jalousie window: Also known as a louvered window, this window is comprised of parallel slats of glass or acrylic that open and close like a Venetian blind, usually using a crank or a lever. A jalousie door is a door with a jalousie window.

Lancet window: A narrow window having a lancet arch and without tracery

Oeil de boeuf: A circular or oval window; 17th or 18th century French architecture

Oriel window: A window with many panels, usually a form of bay window most often seen in the typical Tudor-style house and monasteries. An oriel window projects from the wall and does not extend to the ground. Oriel windows originated as a form of porch. They are often supported by brackets or corbels. Buildings in the Gothic Revival style often have oriel windows.

Picture Window: A large, fixed window framed so that it is usually, but not always, longer horizontally than vertically to provide a panoramic view.

Pivoting window: A window that opens by pivoting either horizontally or vertically

Roof Lantern or Cupola: A roof lantern is a multi-paned glass structure, resembling a small building, built on a roof for day or moon light. Sometimes includes an additional clerestory.

Roof Window: A sloped window used for daylighting, built into a roof structure that is within reach. Rose window, rosette: Circular window filled with tracery

Sash window: A window with (usually two) sashes that slide vertically to let in air

Single-hung window: A double-hung type of window in which the top sash is fixed or inoperable.

Skylight: A flat or sloped window used for daylighting, built into a roof structure that is out of reach.

Sliding Window, slider: A window that opens by sliding horizontally.

Stained glass window: A window composed of pieces of colored glass, transparent or opaque, frequently portraying persons or scenes. Typically the glass in these windows is separated by lead glazing bars. Stained glass windows were popular in Victorian houses and some Wrightian houses, and are especially common in churches.

Storefront: The front side of a store facing the street; usually contains display windows to display merchandise for sale in the store. Storefront also refers to these display windows. Also called shop front, shop window, or show window

Storm sash, storm window: A window outside an ordinary window to protect against severe weather or winter

Thermal window: Thermal, or Diocletian, windows are large semicircular windows (or niches) which are usually divided into three lights (window compartments) by two vertical mullions. The central compartment is often wider than the two side lights on either side of it.

Tilt and slide: A window (more usually a door-sized window) where the sash tilts inwards at the top and then slides horizontally behind the fixed pane.

Tilt and turn: A window which can either tilt inwards at the top, or can open inwards hinged at the side.

Transom window: A window above a door; if an exterior door the transom window is often fixed, if an interior door it can often open either by hinges at top or bottom, or can rotate about hinges at the middle of its sides. It provided ventilation before forced air heating and cooling.

>> COMMON DOOR TYPES

Door: A swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle Doorway, Room access, threshold

Double door: Two vertical doors that meet in the middle of the door frame when closed

Exterior door, outside door: A doorway that allows entrance to or exit from a building

Fire door, fire-rated door: A fire-resistant door that can be closed to stop the spread of a fire

French door: A light door with transparent or glazed panels extending the full length

Interior door: A door that closes off rooms within a building

Movable barrier: A barrier that can be moved to allow passage

Revolver, revolving door: A door consisting of four orthogonal partitions that rotate about a central pivot; a door designed to equalize the air pressure in tall buildings

Screen door, screen: A door that consists of a frame holding metallic or plastic netting; used to allow ventilation and to keep insects from entering a building through the open door

Sliding door: A door that opens by sliding instead of swinging

Storm door: An extra outer door for protection against severe weather or winter

Swing door, swinging door: A door that swings on a double hinge; opens in either direction

Terrace door: A glass door which has one leaf fixed and the other leaf hinged to the fixed leaf.

Trap door: A hinged or sliding door in a floor or ceiling

>> COMPONENTS

Bracket: A structure, often in the shape of an inverted "L" or triangle, set flat against a wall to support objects above

Casing, case: The enclosing frame around a door or window opening

Corbel: A piece of architectural member (bracket) jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight

Doorcase, doorframe: The frame that supports a door

Doorsill, doorstep, threshold: The sill of a door; a horizontal piece of wood or stone that forms the bottom of a doorway and offers support when passing through a doorway

Frame: The combination of head, jambs and sill to form a precise opening in which a window sash or door panel fits.

Framework: A structure supporting or containing something

Glass: A framed sheet of glass within a window or door frame.

Grilles: Any bar that divides window or door glass. Also called a muntin, grid or windowpane divider.

Head: The main horizontal part forming the top of the window or door frame.

Jamb: The main vertical members forming the sides of a window or door frame.

Lintel: A 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.

Mullion: A nonstructural vertical strip between the casements or panes of a window (or the panels of a screen)

Pane, pane of glass, window glass: Sheet glass cut in shapes for windows or doors

Sash, window sash: A framework that holds the panes of a window in the window frame

Sill: The main horizontal part forming the bottom of the frame of a window or door.

Spacer: A bar or stripe of material positioning between two panes of glass to prevent them contact with each other and form an insulating space

Vinyl: A synthetic plastic material used for cladding or entire window units.

Window frame: The framework that supports a window

Windowpane, window: A pane of glass in a window; "the ball shattered the window"

>> HARDWARE

Closer: A door closer is a mechanical device that closes a door after it was opened automatically or by someone.

Handle: A grip attached to an object for using or moving the object

Hinge: A type of bearing that connects two solid objects by allowing a limited angle of rotation between them

Knob: A rounded handle one pulls or twists

Latch: A bar that can be lowered or slid into a groove to fasten a door or window

Lock: A fastener fitted to a door or window to keep it firmly closed

Pivot: A joint permitting only rotating movement

Sash fastener, sash lock, window lock: A lock attached to the sashes of a double hung window that can fix both in the shut position

Stop, stopper: A device used to hold a door or window open or closed, or to prevent a door from opening too widely

>> GLASS TYPES

Annealed glass: Glass without internal stresses caused by heat treatment

Clear glass: Common transparent glass

Double-glazing or Double-pane glass: Two panes of glass with a small airspace between to improve the insulating properties to help prevent heat or cold from escaping or entering your home

Float glass: A sheet of glass made by floating molten glass on a bed of molten tin.

Frosted glass: The matte finish on clear glass produced by acid-etching or sandblasting (see Obscure Glass) Glass block, Glass brick, an architectural element used in areas where privacy or visual obscuration is desired while admitting light, such as underground parking garages, washrooms, and municipal swimming baths.

IGU: Insulated Glazing Unit or Insulating Glass Unit, a set of two or more lites of glass spaced apart and hermetically sealed to form a single glazed unit with an air space between each lite.

Laminated Glass: Two or more layers of glass bonded together using heat and pressure, with inner layers of transparent plastic.

Lite: A piece of glass that is cut, prepared and used to create the window or door

Low-E Glass: A clear, low-emissivity coating applied to one side of the glass in our dual-pane windows. This microscopically thin coating filters the sun's energy in the summer and reduces heat loss in the winter, making even energy bills look better.

Obscure Glass: Any textured glass (frosted, etched, fluted, ground, etc.) used for privacy, light diffusion, or decorative effects.

One-way Mirror: A mirror that is reflective on one side and transparent on the other.

Tempered Glass: Glass manufactured through a process of extreme heating and rapid cooling, making and it harder than normal glass.

Tinted Glass: Glass tinting may be done either by adding a chemical to the glass during its creation, or by adding window film either on or between glass sheets after it has been made, to reduce the passage of light or a specific band of radiation. Tinted glass various colors.

Wired Glass: Sheet glass reinforced with wire netting. Also called safety glass

>> ENERGY MANAGEMENT

Air Leakage (AL): Indication by an air leakage rating expressed as the equivalent cubic feet of air passing through a square foot of window area (cfm/sq ft). Heat loss and gain occur by infiltration through cracks in the window assembly. The lower the AL, the less air will pass through cracks in the window assembly.

Argon gas: A colorless, odorless, inert gas that fills the otherwise empty space within an insulating glass unit. Condensation Resistance: Measurement of the ability of a product to resist the formation of condensation on the interior surface of that product. The higher the CR rating, the better that product is at resisting condensation formation. While this rating cannot predict condensation, it can provide a credible method of comparing the potential of various products for condensation formation. CR is expressed as a number between 0 and 100.

ENERGY STAR: A joint program of the E.P.A. and D.O.E. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy) helping businesses and individuals protect the environment through the use of high-efficiency products

Envirosealed Windows: Environmentally friendly, energy-efficient windows efficiently insulating homes, greatly reducing energy consumption and costs, and reducing harmful CO2 emissions to produce a greener future.

Green Building: Building that is aimed at energy conservation, saving natural resources, and preserving the environment. The 'Green Movement' brings up many concerns about energy efficiency, as well as company philosophy and practices.

LEED: The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design green building rating system is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings.

R-value: A measure of thermal resistance (ft²·°F·h/Btu, or K·m²/W in SI Unit System) used in the building and construction industry to express the insulation or a material's resistance to the passage of heat. The higher the R value, the more insulating "power" it has.

SHGC: Solar Heat Gain Coefficient. The fraction of incident solar radiation admitted through a window, both admitted through a window, both directly transmitted, and absorbed and subsequently released inward. SHGC is expressed as a number between 0 and 1. The lower a window's solar heat gain coefficient, the less solar heat it transmits.

U-value or U factor: Overall heat transfer coefficient, the air-to-air thermal transmittance of a fenestration system. A measure of the rate of heat loss from the warm side of the unit to the cold side, the reciprocal of R-value. Units are Btu/(hr·ft2·°F).The lower the U Factor, the greater the insulating value.

Visible Transmittance, VT: an optical property that indicates the amount of visible light transmitted. The NFRC's VT is a whole window rating and includes the impact of the frame which does not transmit any visible light. While VT theoretically varies between 0 and 1, most values are between 0.3 and 0.8. The higher the VT, the more light is transmitted. A high VT is desirable to maximize daylight.

>> MISCELLANEOUS

AAMA: Short form of American Architectural Manufacturers Association. AAMA is the source of performance standards, product certification and educational programs for the fenestration industry

Aluminum: A malleable and durable metallic element, bluish silver-white in color.

BBB: Better Business Bureau

Building, edifice: A structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place.

Clearstory, clerestory: part of an interior wall rising above the adjacent roof with windows admitting light

Condensation: When the air inside an enclosure is warmer than the air outside the enclosure, the moisture vapor in the interior air will condense, creating small water droplets at the intersection of dissimilar materials. Condensation occurs first around the window’s edge where the glass insulates least effectively and where surface temperatures are the coldest. If a standard “cold edge” spacer exists and outside temperatures fall to 0F, condensation will form on the glass edge – even in homes with as little as 15 percent relative humidity.

Doorway, room access, door, threshold: The entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close

Frost point: Temperature within an IG unit at which moisture condenses and/or freezes on the interior glazing surface(s).

NFRC: Short for of The National Fenestration Rating Council, a non-profit organization that administers the only uniform, independent rating and labeling system for the energy performance of windows, doors, skylights, and attachment products

IGCC: The Insulating Glass Certification Council, a non-profit organization jointly established in 1977 by manufacturers, consumers, specifiers, and others concerned with the quality and performance of insulating glass units.

United Inches, U.I.: The sum of width and height or half of the perimeter, in inch, of window opening

Volatile fog: The condensation of chemicals or other impurities within an interior glazing surface(s). Volatile formation is typically due to contaminates left when sealed. These materials become a vapor when exposed to heat and/or UV radiation and condense on the glazing surface to create a permanent haze or "fog."

Wall: An architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure

>> Product Types

AP: Awning, hopper, projected window

API: Hopper, projected-in window

APO: Awning, projected- out window

BAY: Bay window

BOW: Bow window

C: Casement window

DAW: Dual-action window, tilt and turn window

DH: Double Hung window

FW: Fixed window, picture window

GH: Greenhouse window, garden window

HS: Horizontal sliding window, slider

SD: Sliding door

SH: Single Hung window

SHD: Side hinged door

SHW: Side-hinged (In-swinging) window

SP: Specialty product

>> Performance Grade

R: Residential

LC: Light Commercial

C: Commercial

HC: Heavy Commercial

AW: Architectural