Retail Glass Doors for Project Buyers

Framed glass entrance with a single door, sidelights and a transom — Entrance illustration from DERCHI’s storefront range: a door, sidelights and a transom are separate parts of the frontage.

01 / DRAW THE BOUNDARY

Keep the display. Protect the passage.

Retail glass doors connect a visible shopfront with a usable entrance. Mark fixed glazing, moving leaves and the customer route on the same plan.

INSIDE THE SHOP

Fixed
display glass

↕
Entrance

Leaf / stack
parking

← Public route / common mall corridor →

Mark lease line, swing or stack footprint, and finished floor levels.

General planning diagram · not to scale. The project team sets the required clearances.

Street-facing store

Deciding condition: weather exposure plus the sidewalk approach. A canopy alone does not define the sill or water-management detail.

Plan consequence: show the door movement, external levels and drainage. Architect and contractor coordinate jamb, head and sill interfaces.

Mall shopfront

Deciding condition: the agreed lease line and common route. The open leaf or folded stack occupies real floor space.

Plan consequence: reserve parking within the agreed boundary. Mall engineering reviews the frontage, threshold and after-hours arrangement.

Interior retail zone

Deciding condition: display fixtures, staff use and the route through the store. The overall glazed width is not the usable passage.

Plan consequence: dimension the active opening separately from fixed glass. The designer and facilities team coordinate handles, locks and nearby merchandise.

02 / THE TRADING DAY

One frontage. Different operating states.

Choose around the passage people actually use; opening the whole frontage is a separate task.

Swing

Reserve the leaf arc and approach space.

Manual sliding

Reserve side travel; overlapping panels reduce the opening.

Folding

Reserve a parking zone for the folded stack.

Movement principles only · not to scale or model drawings

Compare the operating state, not just the total frontage width.
Retail task	Selection direction	Put this on the plan
Daily customer passage	Start with an active swing leaf where approach space allows. Compare manual sliding when a swing arc conflicts with the layout.	Dimension the usable opening in the normal operating position. Include closing and latch operation.
An open trading frontage	Compare folding when opening the frontage is part of the store’s operating plan.	Draw the parked stack and the passage available when the frontage is closed.
Replenishment & carts	Use the cart route to check the clear opening, turns and threshold transition.	State cart dimensions and replenishment times. Keep merchandise and parked leaves out of that route.
After-hours closing	Specify who locks from which side, and how the store is opened the next day.	Separate the locking request from any egress or access-control requirements set by the project team.

Need an automatic primary entrance? Put the complete powered entrance, sensors, controls and required documents in a separate system scope. The manual arrangements above do not establish an automatic entrance specification.

03 / DERCHI CONFIGURATION REFERENCES

Two starting points for a focused shortlist.

Use the folding reference for an opening frontage and the swing reference for a defined passage. Both source pages specify 6063-T5 aluminum-alloy frames.

Black-framed folding doors opened across a showroom display

OPEN-FRONT DISCUSSION

80 Series folding arrangement

Start here when the store is intended to trade with a broad opening and the plan has room to park folded panels.

Parking: Left, right or split stacking; inward or outward folding.
Sill choice: Published high, low and waterproof-low track options.
Appearance: Glass and frame finish form part of the requested configuration.

Resolve before shortlisting: the parked stack must fit the plan. If daily passage is needed while the frontage is closed, identify that passage arrangement separately.

Explore the 80 Series folding configuration ↗

Product illustration of single and paired black-framed swing glass doors

DEFINED-PASSAGE DISCUSSION

P103 swing layouts

Start here when an active leaf can serve the intended passage without conflicting with the approach or store fixtures.

Leaf layout: Single, double and unequal paired leaves are published options.
Display edge: Sidelight arrangements allow fixed glazing beside the door.
Appearance: Glass and frame finish can be specified for the proposed layout.

Resolve before shortlisting: check the active leaf’s clear opening, swing arc and closing hardware. A paired-door frontage does not define the everyday usable opening.

Explore the P103 swing layouts ↗

Side travel is essential? Include a manual sliding arrangement in the enquiry, with panel travel, remaining clear opening and sill requirements. Request a matching system proposal for that scope.

Discuss the Candidate Configuration

04 / TURN THE PLAN INTO INPUTS

One opening ID. One coordinated specification.

Keep dimensions, glass, finish and hardware together so proposals can be compared against the same brief.

A blank schedule structure: use one row per opening in your project document. Supply actual project values.
Schedule field	What to enter	Why it changes the proposal
Opening ID & location	Door ID, store/phase, street / mall / interior, quantity.	Keeps each configuration and later change tied to the correct opening.
Dimensions & basis	Finished opening W × H, units, floor levels; mark surveyed or design dimensions.	Separates the opening in the building from the frame size and usable passage.
Movement & passage	Active leaf, handing, clear-opening target, stack/slide parking and cart route.	Shows which layouts fit in normal use and during replenishment.
Sill & surrounding work	Threshold preference, adjoining floor build-up, head/jamb support, drainage where exposed.	Reveals interfaces that must be agreed before a sill detail is selected.
Glass & performance	Required glass build-up or targets, relevant project standards and requested reports.	Defines what the proposed glazing and complete door documents must address.
Finish & operation	Color reference, gloss/texture, sample request; handles, locking, closer/access-control needs.	Turns appearance and daily operating requirements into items that can be quoted.

Two silver-colored door handle designs on a light background — **Describe the action at the handle.** Who opens from each side? Who locks at closing? Specify the function and operating requirements alongside the preferred appearance.

Two groups of door roller hardware on a light background — **Ask how moving parts are accessed.** Include track cleaning, adjustment access and requested replacement-part information in the maintenance discussion.

DERCHI range component illustrations. Select the actual handle, roller and track with the proposed system; appearance alone does not establish compatibility.

05 / REVIEW THE SAME ASSEMBLY

A glass report is only one part of the door.

The proposed assembly, its documents and the project interfaces need to describe the same configuration.

01 / REQUIREMENT What must this opening do?

Identify the project target and applicable standard.

02 / PROPOSAL Which assembly is offered?

Record system, drawing revision and opening ID.

03 / DOCUMENT What was actually assessed?

Read the specimen description and report scope.

04 / DIFFERENCES What changed?

Resolve size, glass, hardware, sill or installation differences.

Use the requirement to choose the document, then compare its scope with the proposed door.
Project requirement	Document & matching fields	Review responsibility
Glass requirement	Glass specification and relevant glass report Build-up, thickness, treatment, coating and the product identified by the report.	Designer defines requirement; supplier identifies the proposed glass.
Door performance or access requirement	Applicable whole-door report, drawing and hardware data System, specimen size, leaf arrangement, glass, frame, seals, hardware and sill; standard and report ID.	Architect/specifier assesses applicability to the project.
Building interface	Coordinated plan and head/jamb/sill sections Support, anchorage, finished levels, drainage, adjacent glazing and installation conditions.	Contractor and design team agree interfaces with the product supplier.

A useful review rule: a glass-only document cannot establish the performance of the frame, locks, sill or installed entrance. A “low track” description does not establish an accessible threshold. Have the project team assess the complete proposed arrangement.

Worker beside upright framed door assemblies in a factory — Framed assemblies in DERCHI production. Keep the system and opening IDs consistent with the reviewed drawing.

Workers handling a framed assembly on a factory worktable — Assembly work at a DERCHI worktable. Glass, hardware and sill changes belong in the same revision record.

Open the 2026 DERCHI product catalogue ↗ for system references. Ask for documents relevant to the proposed configuration alongside it.

06 / BEFORE YOU SPECIFY

Resolve the details that can change the order.

Only if the proposed layout provides the passage needed when the frontage is closed. Ask for a drawing showing that operating state and its active leaf, clear opening and hardware. If it does not provide that route, plan a separate entrance instead of opening the whole frontage for each customer.

Begin with the complete automatic entrance scope: door system, operator, sensors, controls, power and the required operating behavior. Give that requirement to the entrance specialist and project designer. A manual door comparison is not enough to select that assembly.

Survey the existing frame sections, condition, anchorage, drainage, floor levels and hinge/lock locations. Compare these with the proposed leaf and glazing details. Matching width and height alone does not establish that a new door can use the old frame.

Compare the same drawing revision, opening schedule, glass, finish and hardware. Ask each offer to identify inclusions and exclusions for fabrication, glazing, packing, freight, unloading and installation. List quantities and required release dates by store or phase, then obtain current written commercial terms for that scope.

07 / YOUR PROJECT ENQUIRY

Send the opening plan.
Make the next discussion specific.

Tell DERCHI which operating state matters most. Ask for the proposed system, opening arrangement, sill and hardware configuration, relevant documents, and an itemized quotation scope.

Request a Retail Project Review

Prepare one coordinated project package

Project & location: Country/city, store or project type, new build or retrofit, project contact.
Openings & quantities: Plans or opening schedule; opening IDs; finished dimensions and units; quantity by store or phase.
Operation & appearance: Daily passage, open-front use, handing/parking, lock operation, glass and performance targets, finish.
Documents & decisions: Required reports or samples, delivery destination/trade terms, target decision date and phased release needs.

Include the drawing revision and unresolved interfaces in the same enquiry. Contact DERCHI ↗

Retail glass doors.
Designed around
the trading day.