How it works
A French door is a hinged door that is mostly glass, usually hung as a pair with no post between the two. This drawing names eleven parts from the front, then the two panels from above.
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Two panels and one astragal
Each door is a frame of two stiles, a top rail and a tall bottom rail. The glass inside is divided into lites by muntins. The doors hang on hinges in a frame of a head jamb, two side jambs and a sill. One door is the active panel, which opens first. The other is the inactive panel, which opens only after it. Where they meet, the astragal on the inactive panel covers the gap, and the active panel closes against it. A handle sits beside it.
- Astragal or muntin? The astragal runs the full height between the two doors. Muntins are the thin bars in the glass.
- Stiles stand upright. Rails lie across.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a French door called?
Two panels, one active and one inactive, each made of stiles and rails round glass lites divided by muntins. An astragal covers the gap between them. The frame is a head jamb, two side jambs and a sill.
What is the strip between French doors called?
An astragal. It is a molding fixed to the meeting stile of the inactive door. The active door closes against it, which covers the gap between the two.
Which French door is the active door?
The one that opens first and carries the working handle. The inactive, or passive, door opens only after the active one has been opened.
What are the bars in the glass of a French door called?
Muntins, or grille bars. They divide the glass into separate panes, which are called lites. In Britain they are called glazing bars.