Frequently asked Questions (FAQ's)

• Opening Size
• Material
• Gear Type
• Framed
• Condition – Key to Abbreviations

Up and Over Doors - The dimensions quoted as the opening size of an up and over garage door are always expressed as WIDTH x HEIGHT and refer to the opening within a suitable timber frame or within the factory fitted steel frame and not to the actual size of the door. The manufacturer allows the required tolerance when making the door, therefore a door to suit a 7’ x 7’ (2135 x2135mm) opening will actually measure approximately 83¼” x83¼” (2115 x 2115mm).

Roller Doors (Steel) - Manufactured in ‘Plastisol’ vinyl coated steel, which is maintenance free and comes in a choice of colours. Designed to be fitted behind the brickwork opening therefore no timber frame required thus ensuring maximum drive through width.
Need to be ordered by curtain size which is opening size plus a minimum of 50mm. On openings of 12 feet (3658mm) and over, the curtain needs to be 100mm greater than the opening.
Can be automated with a roller door operator, which may be installed to either side of the door. When the door is in the open position the drive through height will be 80mm less than the opening height.


Roller Doors (Insulated) - Manufactured from powder coated, corrosion resistant aluminium slats with an insulating core, the doors are supplied with electric operation as standard, fitted behind brickwork opening without the need of a timber frame to ensure maximum drive through width. Ordered as ‘over guide width’ (which is a minimum of 150mm greater than the opening) by guide height (which is the same as the opening height). The door retracts in a roll above the lintel requiring a minimum of 300mm headroom. When the door is in the open position the drive through height will be 50mm less than the opening height.


Sectional Doors - Come in a variety of materials and a choice of designs, steel which can be single skin uninsulated or double skin with 20mm or 40mm thick insulation. Also available in GRP, Nordic Pine or Hemlock Timber, available in a variety of sizes as standard from 7’ to 16’ wide in heights of 6’6” & 7’0”. Non standard sizes are available at a premium. Normally fitted behind the brickwork opening and without the need of a timber frame to allow maximum drive through width. Steel doors come in a galvanised material with high grade polyester primer coating on both sides but can be fully finished in RAL paint at a premium. Can be fitted with an electric operator for added luxury.

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Steel – Steel garage doors are mostly manufactured from treated steel, (usually galvanised or ionised zinc coated), further protected by a powder coat paint finish on top of various anti-corrosion treatments and primers. Each manufacturer has a slightly different process so consult the relevant listing or the manufacturer’s website for more information.

Plastisol – Plastisol steel garage doors are all manufactured from Plastisol® coated steel, a Corus Steel product. Plastisol is a leathergrain finish vinyl coating which forms a durable maintenance free top surface on the steel sheet. Used almost exclusively by Cardale and Henderson.

Timber – Timber garage doors are generally manufactured either from tongued and grooved cedar or are made from marine ply faced with solid cedar face mouldings. Less common doors may be manufactured from softwood, normally Pine or hardwood, generally Oak. Each manufacturer’s products are different see the relevant listing or the manufacturer’s website for more information.

GRP – GRP (glass reinforced polyester) is an extremely durable product making it ideal for maintenance free garage doors. Available in popular gloss white and a range of grained wood finishes. All GRP doors are made on a steel chassis to give the door rigidity and strength. The lower priced doors tend to have a GRP skin mounted on an exposed steel chassis, whereas the premium ranges feature a fully encapsulated chassis making the rear of the door more attractive. Some premium grade models feature a flow coated back providing a smooth semi-gloss finish.

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Canopy - Canopy lifting gear leaves around one third of the door protruding from the front of the garage when the door is open (forming a canopy). This is the most common type of door as it is the quickest to fit and is lower in price than other types of operating gear. If your existing garage door has canopy lifting gear, it is likely that the spring will run across the top of the door. Not suitable for electric operation without special conversion.

C150 - This unique type of canopy mechanism has significant advantages over traditional "Top Spring" canopy gear. It is robustly constructed and operates on side springs and scissor arms which are located behind the jambs thereby maximising the opening width.
Principle Features:
Door panel intrudes into garage only 42 3/4" (1055mm) compared to around 52 1/2" (1334mm) on normal "Top Spring" canopy gears.
Maximises opening Width - unlike most retractable gears.
No cones and cables or wires liable to failure.
Can be automated without special conversion.

Retractable – Also known as Tracked lifting gear, uses horizontal tracks to support the door in the garage in the open position. The tracks are supported against the garage ceiling or side walls. This gear is ideal for electric operation and is the standard lifting gear for double width doors. The door tension springs are typically located on the frame legs, on either side of the door.

R140/160 “The Original Maximiser Gear” - This unique type of retractable gear overcomes the width-restricting problems encountered with traditional retractable mechanisms. This is achieved by mounting the arms at a higher level and locating the springs between arm and door as opposed to between the arm and the base of the jamb. Consequently, when the door is open the springs and arms are pointing upwards out of the way of the incoming car.

Principle features:

Provides an 82½" (2095mm) clear opening between standard weatherstrips on 84" (2134mm) openings.
Clear opening of 82½" (2095mm) available 44" (1118mm) above floor on 7' x 7' (2134mm x 2134mm) openings. Reducing to 80 3/4" (2051mm) between the pivot arm plates.
Superb smooth assisted action when opening or closing, ideal for automation.
Maximiser - Maximizer Retractable Gear is unique to Cardale Garage Doors. This gear is ideal if you require added drive-through width at wing mirror height. The increase in drive-through width is achieved by the gear having cranked arms which are located higher than on traditional retractable gears. Only available on single garage doors.

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Optimiser – Optimizer lifting gear is unique to Henderson Garage Doors. It is installed quickly, like a canopy door, but has tracks (for support) built into the side of the door panel. This helps to 'Optimize' the opening (so there's less worry about scraping car wing mirrors). With similar opening dynamics to a door with tracked gear, it's also ideal for using with a remote control electric operator. In addition, protective gear and spring covers give extra peace of mind.

DC – This gear, exclusive to older Garador models, is essentially a short tracked door gear that forms a canopy when fully open. It is, like normal canopy door gear, ideal for use where obstructions within the garage prevent the use of retractable gear. Suitable for electric operation without the special conversion needed on traditional canopy doors

DR – Traditional retractable door gear made exclusively by Garador.

SA200 – Traditional retractable door gear capable of lifting up to a 200lb door panel.

SA250 – Traditional retractable door gear capable of lifting up to a 250lb door panel.

SA350 – Traditional retractable door gear capable of lifting up to a 350lb door panel.

SA500 – Traditional retractable door gear capable of lifting up to a 500lb door panel.

SH – Side Hung doors with equal sized leaves.

SH 1/3-2/3 – Side Hung doors with unequal sized leaves, one leaf being a third and the other leaf two thirds of the overall door opening width. Be sure to check if the split is LH/RH or RH/LH before placing your order.

Roller – Upward lifting roller door mechanism used on slatted roller doors and shutters. The key benefits of this mechanism are:

• The door rolls up overhead behind the lintel.
• No tracks protrude into the garage.
• Vertical action increases the amount of driveway that can be used for parking because the door does not swing out.
• Maximises on drive through width when fitted behind the opening as no frame is required.


Sectional – Upward lifting overhead mechanism used on vertical lifting sectional doors. The key benefits of this mechanism are:

• Vertical action increases the amount of driveway that can be used for parking because the door does not swing out.
• The door rests safely overhead supported by horizontal tracks.
• Designs available are more attractive than slatted roller doors.
• Maximises on drive through width when fitted behind the opening as no frame is required.

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Framed indicates that the door is supplied with a factory fitted steel frame or in the case of some GRP doors a GRP frame. Care must be taken, when measuring for a door that incorporates its own steel frame, to ensure that there is room to accommodate the sum of the frame and the door opening size. When a 7’ x 7’ (2135 x2135mm) framed garage door is specified, the size quoted refers to the opening between the factory fitted frame and not the overall width of frame and door. Each manufacturer has a different frame size as you will see below and this extra width and height has to be allowed for when measuring.
All Garador and Cardale side hung garage doors are supplied with a factory fitted steel frame as standard.

Garador		Canopy	Retractable	Side Hung
Single Doors	Leg	60mm	75mm	60mm
	Head	60mm	60mm	60mm
Double Door	Leg	N/A	75mm	N/A
	Head	N/A	60mm	N/A
Henderson	All Ranges(Excluding up to 8ft wide Castle range)
Single Doors	Leg	75mm	75mm	N/A
	Head	75mm	75mm	N/A
Double Doors	Leg	75mm	75mm	N/A
	Head	75mm	75mm	N/A
Henderson	Castle Range Only up to 8ft wide
Single Doors	Leg	60mm	60mm	N/A
	Head	75mm	75mm	N/A
Cardale
Single Doors	Leg	54mm	68mm	65mm
	Head	68mm	68mm	68mm
Double Doors	Leg	N/A	68mm	N/A
	Head	N/A	68mm	N/A
Hormann
Single Doors	Leg	75mm	75mm	N/A
	Head	65mm	65mm	N/A
Double Doors	Leg	75mm	75mm	N/A
	Head	65mm	65mm	N/A

(Some Hormann Canopy Doors are available with 60mm legs and 60mm head)

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NEW = New
IMP = Imperfect
DAM = Damaged
ED = Ex Display
SH = Secondhand

Grade – Key to Abbreviations:

1 = As New
2 = Near Perfect
3 = Good Condition
4 = Poor Condition

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