How to read a sliding door's label and find its maker

The short answer

Of the four door makers whose pages we opened, three (Andersen, Marvin, and Milgard) say where to look on the door itself, and each place they name can be checked by looking. Look in two places:

• The frame. Andersen puts a Product ID label on most of its doors; on its A-Series, it is on the inside of the top of the frame. Open the sliding panel and look up.
• The glass. Look in each corner of each panel for a small etched logo or a number between the panes.

What you find, and what it means, depends on the maker. JELD-WEN's patio door guides do not describe a label, and send you to the purchase paperwork instead. If you find nothing, that is useful too: write down where you looked.

This page is drawn only from the makers' own support pages and product guides, linked at the bottom. It is not affiliated with any of them.

Andersen: a Product ID label, and a logo in the glass

Andersen says a Product ID label is found on all of its windows and patio doors made from 2007 to the present, that most of its products carry one, and that some have the Product ID etched in the glass near the Andersen logo instead.

Where the label is. It varies. Andersen states it plainly:

"The location of the Product ID label varies by the type and Series of the window or patio door."

For its A-Series, Andersen gives the head jamb, which it describes as the inside of the top of the frame that is visible when the door is open. For other Series, the article shows example labels by Series and refers owners to Andersen's Product Identification Label Guide to help locate the label, so check the article for your Series.

What the label tells you. Andersen says the label gives the Series, size, color, glass type, and more, and carries an identification number used for limited warranty registration or when seeking service or parts. That is the number worth copying exactly. If the label shows the 400 Series and the door is a Frenchwood gliding door, the Andersen 400 Series Frenchwood gliding door guide covers how to tell it from Perma-Shield and 100 Series doors, which of its parts are handed, and what an owner can adjust. If the label shows the 200 Series on a gliding door, the Andersen 200 Series gliding door guide covers how to tell a Perma-Shield door from a Narroline and which of its parts are handed.

The glass logo. Andersen says most of its windows and patio doors have an etching on the glass that identifies key features of the unit. The logo is typically in one of the lower corners, but can be in one of the top corners. It can be hard to see. Andersen's tips:

1. Use a magnifying glass.
2. Take a digital photo and zoom in.
3. Shine a flashlight across the glass.
4. Hold a dark piece of paper behind the glass to cut the glare.

The etching includes a manufacturing date. Andersen says that date tells you when the door was made, or when a door panel was replaced, so a replaced panel can carry a newer date than the rest of the door.

Do not mistake the safety mark for the maker's mark. Andersen says a tempered safety code, where there is one, is etched into a corner of the glass, but never the same corner as the Andersen logo.

If you cannot find it. Andersen says you can still use its Identify My Product tool or contact Andersen to identify the door by its features.

Marvin: an etching in the corner of the glass

Marvin says its products made after November 2003 have a laser-etched logo and product identifiers on the interior of the glass, in the corner of the window sash or door panel. Marvin's sample etching lists:

• a glass maker, plant, and year code;
• a glass certification;
• a serial number;
• an NFRC number;
• the company name, Marvin Windows and Doors.

For window products made before November 2003, Marvin says to look at the silver-colored spacer bar between the panes, where an engraving shows the Marvin name and the last two digits give the year of manufacture. It adds that some plants between 2000 and 2003 used a clear label at the bottom of the glass. That section of Marvin's page is written for windows, and it does not say whether the same applies to its doors.

Milgard: a number between the panes

Milgard identifies each product by a Sales Order number, which it calls the unique identification number for your product. Milgard says the number is needed on its service request form.

"The number is located in the upper right or left-hand corner between the panes of glass."

The number is 5 to 8 digits, followed by a decimal point and a three-digit line number.

Milgard says some windows made before 1995 might not have the number. In that case it asks owners to contact its customer service for help identifying the product. Once you know the door is a Milgard, the Milgard sliding patio door guide covers its series, care, parts and warranty.

JELD-WEN: the purchase paperwork

JELD-WEN's patio door guides do not describe a label to look for. Both its vinyl and its wood patio door guides send owners to the paperwork:

"For help identifying your patio door model, refer to your product purchase paperwork or call us for additional assistance."

That is the wording of the wood door guide. The vinyl guide says the same, ending with additional help.

The same guides list older names that JELD-WEN calls its historical products. The vinyl guide covers doors sold as Seasonshield, Windowmaster, Wenco, and Summit. The wood guide covers Pozzi, Caradco, Norco, Wenco, Siteline EX, and Tradition Plus. If your paperwork or an old label carries one of those names, the JELD-WEN guide that lists it covers that door.

Other makers

This page does not cover Pella doors. If your door is a Pella, the Pella sliding patio door guide covers where Pella says to look for its Unit ID Number, and what Pella's own owner's manual says about each series. If your door is another make not listed here, the maker's own support site is the place to start. The checks below still apply.

What you can check safely

Everything here is done by looking. Nothing needs a tool.

1. Open the sliding panel and look up at the inside of the top of the frame.
2. Check every corner of the glass on both panels, from inside and from outside if you can reach it safely.
3. Photograph anything you find, close enough to read. A photo you can zoom often reads better than the glass itself.
4. Find the paperwork: the purchase invoice, the installer's paperwork, or the closing or lease file.
5. Write it down exactly, or write "not found" and where you looked.

Do not remove a panel, a stop, or any trim to look for a label. JELD-WEN warns that patio door panels are very heavy and that removal and installation take two or more people. It labels removal of the operating panel for professionals only.

Why it helps to know

• Parts and service. Andersen says its ID number is used when seeking service or parts, and Milgard says its service request form needs the Sales Order number. The maker and series are the first things to know before ordering a replacement lock, as the mortise lock replacement guide explains.
• The maker's own instructions. Door makers publish care and adjustment guides for their own doors, so knowing the maker tells you which guide to read.
• Warranty. Andersen says its Product ID number is used for limited warranty registration.

Write it down

Copy what you find onto the printable door record card, which has fields for the maker, the ID number, and where the label is. While you are there, note whether the door is XO or OX; the configuration guide shows how to tell.

Where to go next

• A door that has become hard to open, without a clear cause yet, is covered by the hard-to-open guide, which sorts the symptom into obstruction, rollers, track, or alignment by what you can see with the door in place.
• A door that drags or rolls roughly is covered on the roller repair page. If it opens onto an apartment or condo balcony, the balcony door roller repair guide covers who arranges the repair and how to describe it to a property manager.
• A handle or lock that does not work is covered on the locks and handles page.

To ask about a repair in Plano, Allen, McKinney, or Frisco, include the maker and any number you found on the contact page. The photo guide lists what else to photograph, including a close-up of the label. If you could not find a label, say so; it is not needed to ask. The operator reviews every inquiry and replies with the next step. Sending the form is not a booking.