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Shutter Terms and Definitions
The words we use for the parts and styles of an exterior shutter, in plain English. Pair it with the labeled anatomy drawing.
Arched topBattenBeaded stileBoard and battenCenter railExtiraFaux tilt rodFixed louvered shutterFlat panel shutterLeafLouversMouseholeMullionRabbetRailsRaised panel shutterShutter capStilesTilt rodZ-bar
- Arched top
- A shutter with a curved top, also called a radius top. To order one, enter the tallest side as the length and tell us the shortest side in Special Instructions (see the FAQ).
- Batten (cross-cleat)
- The horizontal cross-piece on the back of a board and batten shutter that holds the vertical boards together.
- Beaded stile
- A decorative bead molded into the inside edge of the face of each stile.
- Board and batten
- Vertical boards held together by horizontal battens. Traditionally used on barns and now a favorite for farmhouse and cottage homes. Front and back show the same beveled, board-by-board look. See board and batten shutters.
- Center rail
- A horizontal rail partway up the shutter that divides it into two sections, such as louvers below and a raised panel above. See the anatomy drawing.
- Extira
- A moisture-resistant engineered exterior panel that resists rot and termites. Our composite shutters are made from it.
- Faux tilt rod
- A decorative vertical rod on the face of a louvered shutter. It gives the look of operable louvers; our louvers are fixed.
- Fixed louvered shutter
- A louvered shutter whose louvers do not move. Positioned the historically accurate way, the louvers tilt in toward the wall when the shutter is open.
- Flat panel shutter
- A solid shutter whose center panel is flat and recessed from the stiles (for example, a Memphis-style shutter).
- Leaf
- A single shutter, or half of a pair.
- Louvers
- The horizontal slats in a louvered or Bahama shutter.
- Mousehole
- A notch in the rail that once held the end of the tilt rod when the louvers were closed. Today it adds authentic detail.
- Mullion
- A vertical divider between the stiles. Found on Bahama shutters.
- Rabbet (shiplap)
- A notch half the thickness of the shutter, milled along the side stile opposite the hinges. When a pair is closed, the rabbeted edges overlap to block light and air between the two shutters.
- Rails
- The horizontal pieces of the shutter frame: top rail, bottom rail and any center rails.
- Raised panel shutter
- A solid shutter whose center panel stands out from a routed bevel around its edge. See raised panel shutters.
- Shutter cap
- A metal cap, most often copper, over the top edge of the shutter. It keeps water off the top rail and overlaps the front and back by about 1/2".
- Stiles
- The left and right vertical pieces of the shutter frame. Most are flat; some have a bead.
- Tilt rod
- On shutters with working louvers, the vertical rod that opens and closes them. On our shutters it is decorative (see Faux tilt rod).
- Z-bar
- A diagonal brace between two battens that forms a "Z" on a board and batten shutter. The mirrored shutter of the pair gets a backward Z.