Here are few of the nuts and bolts words used with shutters and hardware to help you gain a better understanding of the in’s and outs of Brandywine Forge USA Made Functional Shutter Hardware.

Shutter/Window Terminology

Battens – the horizontal elements on “board and batten” shutters. Strap hinges usually mount centered on the battens. This is the standard construction approach for most barn doors.

Casement – the wood surrounding the window upon which the pintle is typically mounted.

Rails – Again, with louvered or raised panel shutters, the rails are the horizontal elements of wood that frame the shutter. The width of the rails is an important consideration when choosing surface mounted hardware.

Stiles – when a shutter is louvered or of the raised panel style, the stiles are the vertical elements of the frame. We like to know the width of the stiles so we can position the first fastener on strap hinges on their mid-line.

Shutter Hinge Terminology

Butt Mounted – hinges that mortise into the sides of the shutters – only the barrel of the hinges is visible when the shutter is in the closed position. Commonly known as Lift-Off Hinges and Parliament Hinges

Hinges – Mate with the Pintles and are mounted on the shutter.

Pintles – the “pins” on which hinges swing. The pintles are, by definition, mounted to the structure. We offer pintles in various configuration to match different installation situations.

Show Hinges – Hinges arranged to mount so as to be visible when the shutter is in the open position.

Surface Mounted – hinges that mount to the face of the shutter – strap hinges and the “New York Style” hinges are examples. The hinges are visible when the shutter is in the closed position.

Shutter Installation Terminology

Offset – the total dimension that the shutter will travel outwards when moved from the closed to the open position. The offset is typically the distance from the face of the casement to the outermost surface of the structure.

The offset is developed in shutter hardware by selection a pintle made to “stand off” the casement a given distance – the shutter hinge has a sharp bend which moves the hinge barrel away from the face of the shutter at a distance to match the pintle standoff.

When measuring offset, it is critical to allow for irregularities in construction. Brick and stone openings are rarely plumb and never perfectly flat – look for the greatest dimension and allow about ½” cushion. If the offset is too small the shutters will not open fully – if the offset is too great, the shutter will function well and sit off of the wall a bit. I feel it’s good practice to set the shutters at least 1″ off the face of the structure to allow air circulation across the back of the shutter.

Standoff – The pintle standoff is the distance from the face of the casement to the mid-line of the pintle pin. The hinge standoff is the distance from the face of the shutter to the center-line of the hinge barrel. Adding the pintle standoff to the hinge standoff results in the total offset.

Standoff is very important. Virtually all commercially available shutter hardware is provided with matching standoff on the hinge and pintle. This assumes that the face of the shutter will lie on the same plane as the casement with the shutter in the closed position. This seldom happens in contemporary construction – incorrect hardware is installed – the homeowner hears “well, you’ll never close them anyway”.

Throw – This is the measurement of the horizontal movement of the edge of the shutter as it swings from the open to the closed position. Varies greatly between hinge style. If too little throw, the open shutter will cover the window molding. Too much throw and a lot of brick or siding shows between the open shutter edge and the window frame. Proper throw insures that the shutter will comfortably “frame” the window – not obstruct or detract from window detail.