Window Glossary

A strengthened or reinforced glass that is less subject to breakage or splintering and less likely to cause injury if broken.

Rope or chain in double-hung windows that attached the sash to the counter balance.

Protruding or recessed handle on the inside bottom rail of the lower sash on a double- or single-hung window.

A reinforcement, usually inserted into a sash profile prior to assembly, designed to increase the strength of the unit.

Concealed cast-iron weights used to counterbalance the sash of older double-hung windows.

An assembly of stiles and rails (vertical and horizontal members) made into a frame for holding glass. 

A product placed under a window or door during the installation process that is designed for water drainage.

The main horizontal member forming the bottom of the frame of a window or door.

A type of grille or grid design that created the appearance of a number of smaller panes of glass separated by muntins, but actually uses larger lites of glass with the muntins placed between and/or on the surfaces of the glass layers.

Use of a single lite of glass in a window. Not as energy efficient as insulating glass or other forms of double glazing.

A window resembling a double-hung, or vertically sliding window, with a fixed top sash.

A glass product that is coated in a secondary process known as sputter-coating, usually to offer low-emissivity or solar-control benefits. Hard-coat or pyrolytic glass is coated during the manufacturing process at the molten glass stage.

Glass produced with a coating or tint that absorbs or reflects solar energy, thereby reducing solar gain.

The main vertical frame members of a sash or door.

Interior trim piece sometimes used to extend a window sill and act as a narrow shelf.

A moulding used to hold, position or separate window or door parts. Also, the moulding or component on the inside of a window frame against which the window sash rests or closes. Also called a bead, side stop, window stop and parting stop.