Door panelsA sliding door has two, which slide past each other. It is also called a bypass door.
Header (top track)The rollers run inside it. It locks onto the two wall jambs.
RollersThe panel hangs from them; adjusting them makes it hang straight.
Wall jambsThe header sits on top of them. The bottom track runs between them.
Bottom trackIt is held down with sealant.
Guide (bottom guide)Makers call it the bottom guide, panel guide or just the guide.
Towel barIt is fitted to the outside panel.
BumpersThere is one on each jamb.
Hinged door 5
HingesA frameless door hangs on two of them.
HandleA small one is a pull or a knob.
Stationary glassThe door closes against its edge. It is also called a fixed panel.
ClampsThey fix it to the wall and to the base.
SealThere is one down the closing edge and one along the bottom.
How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30 and kept only where two makers use it, in installation guides read as archive.org full text: three makers' framed sliding (bypass) door guides (https://archive.org/details/manualzz-id-4007976, https://archive.org/details/manualzz-id-4006067 and https://archive.org/details/manualzz-id-4012085: door panels, header or top track, rollers, wall jambs, bottom track, guide, towel bar, bumpers, handle or pull) and three makers' hinged and pivot door guides (https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-6970469, https://archive.org/details/manualzz-id-4011554 and https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-5672543: hinge, handle, stationary glass, clamp, seal). That the plastic strips keep water from leaking: Wikipedia, Shower (text only). Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no maker's door, nothing traced. Licence: own work
How it works
Two common shower doors, seen from outside the shower. The first slides: two panels hang from rollers in a frame. The second swings on hinges and has no frame round the glass.
Read the full guide
Sliding first, then hinged
Numbers 1 to 8 are the sliding door: the two door panels, the header they hang from, the rollers inside it, the wall jambs, the bottom track and its guide, the towel bar and the bumpers. Numbers 9 to 13 are the hinged door: the hinges and handle, the stationary glass beside the door, the clamps that hold that glass, and the seals.
If a sliding panel hangs crooked, adjust its rollers: the panel hangs from them.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a sliding shower door called?
Two door panels hang from rollers that run in the header. A wall jamb at each side and the bottom track on the tub's rim complete the frame. A guide sits mid-track, and soft bumpers on the jambs meet the panels.
What is the top of a shower door called?
On a sliding door it is the header, which some makers call the top track. The rollers at the top of each panel run inside it, and it locks onto the two wall jambs.
What is the strip at the bottom of a shower door called?
On a hinged glass door it is the bottom seal: a plastic strip along the bottom edge of the glass that keeps water from leaking out. A sliding door has a bottom track there instead.
What holds a frameless shower door in place?
Hinges fixed to the wall carry the door. The stationary glass beside it is held by clamps at the wall and at the base. Plastic seals along the edges of the door keep the water in.