New Industry Glossary for Steel Doors and Frames

PDF Version

You may want to bookmark this new glossary. It is now the industry-wide nomenclature standard for steel doors and frames.

The Steel Door Institute partnered with the Hollow Metal Manufacturers Association (HMMA) to develop one set of terminology, definitions, and drawings for steel doors and frames. It is listed on our website as SDI 134-14 (Glossary of Terms for Hollow Metal Doors and Frames) and is available as a print-friendly PDF or webpage.

SDI Sets the Standard for Custom Products

SDI the ‘S’ is for steel.

If it’s made of steel and used as a door or frame, chances are you can find it in the portfolio of the Steel Door Institute’s members.

Often thought of as manufacturers of ‘standard’ steel doors and frames, the SDI portfolio includes a wide variety of specialty and custom products ranging from high-performance acoustic solutions, bullet resistant, blast rated and tornado shelter certified openings.

Ensure your custom products are built to last by specifying that they “shall be provided by an SDI member company.” After all, they are the only manufacturers that have been audited to ensure they meet or exceed SDI standards.

Looking for a custom door with the durability of steel? How about superior thermal performance for your next net-zero energy building project? Our members have you covered.

New Q&A from Architects

Design professionals often contact SDI with technical questions about steel doors and frames. That’s great – we’re here to help!

Once a question is answered, we add it to the FAQ section of our website. The questions are categorized by door and frame construction, fire rated products, installation, and more.

We’ve recently added more than 20 new Q&A that were asked by architects after attending SDI’s online educational courses.

View FAQ's

Educational Videos

The videos on the SDI website are viewed by architects and contractors more than 10,000 times per month.

Our most popular videos are:

Based on feedback from our recent survey, we are in the process of developing videos on door installation and troubleshooting.