A folding door looks simple on a drawing. Two leaves, a hinge line, a swing arc. In practice it is one of the most coordination-sensitive items in a joinery package, because the opening has to work for the frame, the hardware, the floor finish and the traffic that passes through it every day. When buyers send us a line that says simply "classic folding doors", we usually have to write three emails before anyone can price it properly. This guide sets out the specification fields we need for Classic Folding Doors and the other folding-door types we make, so that your enquiry comes back as a firm quotation rather than a list of open questions.

Why folding doors need a fuller specification than hinged doors

A hinged door carries itself on two or three points and clears a predictable arc. A folding door distributes its weight along a track and a stack of panels, so several variables move together: the height-to-width ratio of each leaf, where the stack parks when the door is open, how much floor space that stack takes, and whether the track sits proud of the finished floor. Change one of those late in a project and you usually change the wall build-up or the floor level as well.

That is why we ask for a specification rather than a style reference. A photograph tells us what you want the door to look like; it does not tell us the opening width, the reveal depth, the leaf count or the finish system. The rest of this article walks through each field, in the order we normally fill them in.

1. Opening dimensions, and which dimensions matter

Send us the structural opening first — width and height from finished face to finished face — and then the clear opening you want once the frame and any architrave are installed. If the floor levels on either side differ, say so at this stage; a level threshold and a threshold that steps down lead to different track details.

• Structural opening width and height, with the tolerance you can hold on site.
• Finished floor level on each side, and the thickness of the floor build-up.
• Reveal or wall thickness, so we know how the frame sits in the wall.
• Head-room above the opening, which governs the track and any valance.
• Obstructions near the opening: skirting, radiators, downlights, curtain boxes, switch plates.

Our folding doors are made to measure, so we build to the dimensions you confirm rather than to a standard size. That flexibility is useful, but it also means nobody can correct a wrong number for you later — the panel sizes, hinge positions and track lengths all follow from what is signed off on the drawing.

2. Layout: leaf count, stacking direction and where the door parks

Once the opening is fixed, the next decision is geometry. Tell us how many leaves you want, which side the stack folds to, and whether the door needs to fold fully clear of the opening or only part of the way.

• Leaf count and leaf width. More leaves means a narrower stack but more hinges and a longer track. Wide single leaves look clean but demand stronger hardware and more clearance.
• Folding direction. Which way the door opens into the room, and whether it folds to one side or splits from the centre.
• Stack position when open. Where the folded panels sit against the wall, and what else occupies that wall — furniture, a mirror, a wardrobe return.
• Passing width when open. The clear gap you actually need for circulation, trolleys or moving equipment.
• Track arrangement. Tell us whether your drawing calls for a top-hung or floor-guided system. This is a coordination decision between the structural header, the threshold detail and the cleaning regime, not a preference. We confirm which track arrangement suits each opening at quotation stage.

For a wardrobe or pantry application we normally work from the internal layout of the cabinetry first, because the folding door has to clear the shelves, rails and any drawer bank inside. For a room divider or a balcony link, the traffic line in front of the opening drives the decision instead.

3. Material and finish: state it as a system, not a colour name

"Classic" describes a language — panel mouldings, proportions, a more traditional profile — but it does not describe a material build-up. Within our folding-door range you can specify different constructions and finishes for the same layout: Santerson Wood Veneer Folding Doors for a veneered, warm-toned joinery look that matches surrounding cabinetry, or Santerson Glass Folding Doors where light transmission and visibility through the door matter. The same principle applies across our wardrobe and interior-door ranges.

When you write the finish field, give us four things rather than one:

• The substrate or core you expect, if your design has already fixed it.
• The surface material — veneer species and cut, laminate decorative, paint grade or glass type.
• The sheen and texture, plus whether the surface needs to resist fingerprints or cleaning chemicals.
• The matching reference: an existing joinery item, a sample number, or a drawing note tying the door to a wall panel or wardrobe in the same room.

Where the door has to match something already on site, send a physical sample or a dated photograph of the reference piece under neutral light. A colour name alone is not reproducible across batches, and it is the single largest source of finish disputes on joinery packages.

4. Hardware and performance requirements

Hardware is where a specification either holds up or quietly fails. List the operating expectations before we quote, so the correct set is engineered into the price rather than substituted on site:

If a performance requirement comes from a local code or a client standard, attach the clause reference instead of paraphrasing it. We build to the requirement you give us; we do not assume which regional rules apply to your project.

5. Quantities, schedule and site sequence

Give us a door schedule rather than a total count: opening number, room, size, layout, material code and quantity in one row per opening. A schedule lets us group production sensibly and flags the openings that need special attention.

• The required delivery date for each batch, and whether the order can ship in phases.
• The installation sequence — which rooms are ready first, and what trades must finish before doors go in.
• Storage conditions on site, since joinery needs a dry, level place to wait.
• Who installs: our team under on-site guidance, or your own fitters working from our drawings.

Our service covers design consultation and space planning, material selection and product specification, manufacturing with quality control, project management and site coordination, then installation and handover. For enquiries that start as a drawing rather than a finished schedule, our Custom & OEM Service covers custom design and prototyping, bespoke finishes and textures, and OEM production with flexible minimum order quantities.

6. Logistics and delivery details to settle early

Folding doors arrive as frames, panels and hardware, and they are easily damaged in transit if the packing is wrong for the delivery route. Tell us the delivery address, the access conditions at the site — lift size, stair width, gate height, distance from the kerb — and the Incoterms you intend to trade on. Our Logistics & Door-to-Door Delivery service covers freight forwarding by sea, air and rail, export paperwork, packaging and container loading, shipment tracking and delivery to site, so we can plan the packing to suit the route rather than defaulting to a generic crate.

Confirm import terms, duties and insurance for your country with us in writing before production starts. Transit arrangements vary by destination and by order size, and we would rather settle them at quotation stage than during a shipping week.

A specification checklist you can paste into your enquiry

• Project name, delivery address, required date.
• Door schedule: opening number, room, structural and clear dimensions, wall thickness, floor levels.
• Layout per opening: leaf count, folding direction, stack position, passing width.
• Material and finish build-up, with sample or reference for any matching item.
• Hardware list: handles, locking, soft close, glass specification.
• Performance or code requirements, quoted from the source document.
• Quantities, phasing, installation responsibility and on-site storage conditions.
• Drawings in PDF plus a dimensioned DWG if your detailer can provide one.

Send that much information and we can usually come back with a workable quotation, a set of production drawings for your approval, and a clear note on what still needs confirming on site. If you are specifying Classic Folding Doors for a villa or apartment package, share your door schedule with us and we will review the openings, flag anything that will not work as drawn, and propose the leaf layout and finish build-up that suits each room.