Knowing how to choose sliding doors saves importers costly rework. This checklist covers frame wall thickness, tracks, hardware, glass, wind load and noise — the spec decisions that separate a lift-and-slide glass wall from a stiff, leaky slider.
Knowing how to choose sliding doors saves importers costly rework: underspecified tracks that bind in summer, thin profiles that deflect in a gale, or glass packs that never addressed the street noise the client actually cares about. The checklist below is what we ask our buyers to pin down before we quote — the same six-point spec we use on our own panoramic sliding doors and interior sliding partitions.
Wall thickness is worth spelling out, because it is the easiest line item to downgrade without anyone noticing on a rendered image. Outer frame skins, sash extrusions and meeting stiles are different parts with different gauges; a credible supplier will quote them separately rather than quoting one averaged "profile thickness". When you compare factory responses, ask for the part-by-part schedule — the difference between a container-load quote that survives a long service life and one that does not usually lives in that sheet.
One more importer tip: ask whether the price includes hardware in the box. Some quotes price the frame and glass alone, leaving handles, rollers, locks and gaskets as add-ons that arrive late and in the wrong batch. Our sliding systems ship hardware-inclusive, so the numbered kit on site matches the installation drawings without a second order.
The door frame is only half the envelope. Double or triple glazing, laminated where security or acoustic is required, sets the thermal and acoustic outcome: our sliding systems ship thermally broken to Uf 1.4 W/(m²·K), and laminated glass packs reach Rw 42 dB. Match the glass to the site — coastal and high-rise facades should also carry the envelope numbers: our doors are tested to 600 Pa static pressure, rated Class 4 air permeability and Class E900 watertightness. If your destination is Australia, ask for the AS 2047 documentation up front (see our certifications page).
Acoustic targets follow the same climate logic. An interior divider between a living room and a home office can ship with ordinary tempered glass; an exterior sliding wall facing a main road or an airport approach should specify laminated glass packs, where our systems reach Rw 42 dB. In a cold climate, push the glazing spec toward triple glazing and argon fill — our panoramic doors are already engineered to Uf 1.4 W/(m²·K) on the thermally broken configuration, so the frame will not become the weak point once you specify a better glass pack.
The third decision is application, and it dictates everything above. Panoramic (exterior) sliding doors are lift-and-slide glass walls for villas, showrooms and lobby facades — floor-to-ceiling openings, weather seals, wind-load testing. Interior sliding doors are slim aluminium glass partitions for offices, hotels and apartments — 20 mm frames, concealed floor tracks, 8/10 mm tempered glass, and frosted or reeded privacy where needed. Mixing the two spec sheets is the most common sourcing mistake; quote them separately.
For the importer, the practical step is to treat the two families as separate line items in your request for quotation. List the exterior lift-and-slide walls with their wind-load and watertightness requirements, and the interior partitions separately with their glass type (clear, frosted or reeded) and track finish. Send both schedules with your drawings; we return one consolidated quote covering both, because the same Foshan plant extrudes, assembles and packs them, and ships every order as a numbered kit with installation drawings in English, Russian, Spanish or Arabic.
The verdict: before you ask a factory for a price, lock the six points above — wall thickness, track type, hardware rating, glass pack, climate ratings, and exterior vs interior use. Send us your drawings and we will quote within 48 hours from a real bill of materials. For window operation choice alongside your doors, see tilt and turn vs casement windows; for the material debate, read aluminium vs uPVC windows.