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Glossary of Terms
Casement window: A window in which the operating vents move out (casement outswing) or in (casement inswing) from the master frame. Each vent is hinged on the vertical axis to permit easy operation.
Casing: The frame around a door or window.
Clapboard: A style of siding designed as a thin narrow board that is thicker at one edge than the other.
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 (aluminum and gaskets).
Continuous air spacer: An air spacer within an insulating glass unit (IGU) that does not use corner keys to hold the spacer together, thereby eliminating the corner joint, the largest cause of seal failure.
Desiccant: A porous crystalline substance used to absorb moisture and/or sealant solvents from within the sealed air space of an insulating glass unit (IGU).
Dutchlap: A style of siding similar to clapboard but with a beveled edge that creates a dimensional effect.
Eaves: The lower edge of a roof, usually projecting over the side of the house.
Egress window: A window with specific release hardware and minimum clear opening size to allow occupants to escape through the window in case of a fire.
Extrusion: The finished form after pushing aluminum or vinyl through the die.
Fascia: A flat, horizontal member of a building in the shape of a band, used as molding or joint covering.
Flashing: Sheet(s) of metal or other material used to weatherproof critical joints and edges; often used at the angle between a chimney and a roof.
Frieze: The horizontal piece connecting the top of siding with the soffit.
Gable: The vertical, triangular portion of a roof, extending from the eaves up the ridge of the roof.
Glazing: The process of installing glass or panels into the sash or frame of the window.
Heat Mirror™by Traco: A triple-ply insulating glass unit (IGU) utilizing a polyester internal film with a special coating to reflect heat, but allows light to pass through. Heat Mirror is a trademark of Southwall Technologies Inc.
Hung window: A window in which the operating sash move up and down within the master frame. The weight of each operating sash is counterbalanced with balances to permit easy operation.
Insulating glass unit (IGU): Two pieces of glass spaced apart and hermetically sealed to form a unit with an air space between. Heat transmission through this type of glass may be as low as half that without such an air space.
Interlock: A design feature which enables sash to engage one another when closed.
Jamb: The vertical member of a window frame.
Laminated glass: Two or more lites of glass bonded together with a plastic inner layer. A typical application is a car’s windshield.
Lite: A single or monolithic glass pane.
Low E glass: A transparent coating applied to a glass surface to separate long wave (heat) energy and short wave (light) energy. The long wave is reflected back to the heat source. The short wave is allowed to pass through the coating.
Obscure glass: Mainly used for decoration, diffusion, or privacy. The pattern is rolled into the hot glass during glass manufacturing.
Oriel window: A window with unequal sash.
Rake: Trim that runs parallel to the roof slope to form the finish between the wall and a gable roof extension.
R-Value:  The insulating properties of a material as measured by resistance to the flow of energy from inside a house to the outside. Higher numbers indicate better insulation. As a measurement of heat resistance, R value = the number 1 divided by the U value.
Sash: The operating portion of a hung or horizontal sliding window.
Shake: A shingle split from a log, usually three to four feet long.
Sill: The lower horizontal member of a window frame.
Soffit: The horizontal underside of a part of the house, such as a ceiling, eave or roof overhang. Soffits are used to decorate and protect these parts of the house; they should be designed with ventilation to prevent damage from moisture and condensation.
Solid Core Siding: A siding panel that is fused with a backing of contoured insulation to reduce energy loss and help straighten imperfect walls.
Tempered glass: Glass that has first been cut to size, then heated to a very high temperature and then rapidly brought back to room temperature. It will withstand severe punishment from a blunt object; however, any pointed object will break the glass instantly and the glass will crumble into many, very small pieces. Typical applications include a car’s side and back windows, sliding glass doors, and entrance doors.
Thermal break: An element of low conductivity (polyurethane) placed between elements of higher conductivity (aluminum) to reduce the flow of heat and cold.
Tilt window: A hung window in which the lower sash is removed by raising the sash 4", releasing the tilt releases while supporting the sash weight, and releasing the sash pivot bars to remove the sash from the master frame. The top sash removal is similar. A tilt window cannot be a side load window.
U value: A measurement of heat transmission. The U value of a window is measured by the number of BTU's that will pass through each square foot of area per degree of temperature difference from one side of the window to the other (the lower, the better). U value = the number 1 divided by the R value.
United inches (UI): The sum total of one window width and one window height expressed in inches.
Wainscoting: Vertical paneling with a bead detail; also commonly used on porch ceilings.
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