The same plantation shutters article, quoted by two mills, can differ by 18 % on louver width alone — and both quotes are honest.
Shutters: why the headline number is the least useful one
Every quotation leads with louver width. But it tells you almost nothing on its own: louver width sets the frame, and the parameters below set whether the product survives its first year in service.
For shutters, the practical rule is to fix the headline figure at the level your product needs and then spend your negotiating attention on material and panel configuration.
The shutters numbers that decide performance
| Parameter | Typical range | What it changes | Louver width | 63 / 89 / 114 mm | 89 mm is the residential standard; 114 mm reads as premium and needs a deeper frame. | Frame type | L-frame / Z-frame / deco frame | L for inside recess, Z for outside recess with trim coverage. | Material | basswood / PVC / MDF / hybrid | Wood is premium; PVC suits wet rooms; MDF is mid-market. | Panel configuration | 1-4 panels per opening | Panel count drives hinge count and light-gap performance. | Hinge | hidden / aluminium / stainless | Hidden hinges cost more and eliminate the visible line. | Light gap | <= 3 mm between panels | The number buyers inspect first, and the one that reveals poor machining. | Tilt rod | front / hidden / gear-driven | Hidden tilt is cleaner and more expensive. | Finish | painted / stained / primed | Paint hides grain; stain shows it and shows defects too. |
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Louver width
Typical range: 63 / 89 / 114 mm. 89 mm is the residential standard; 114 mm reads as premium and needs a deeper frame.
Frame type
Typical range: L-frame / Z-frame / deco frame. L for inside recess, Z for outside recess with trim coverage.
Material
Typical range: basswood / PVC / MDF / hybrid. Wood is premium; PVC suits wet rooms; MDF is mid-market.
Panel configuration
Typical range: 1-4 panels per opening. Panel count drives hinge count and light-gap performance.
Hinge
Typical range: hidden / aluminium / stainless. Hidden hinges cost more and eliminate the visible line.
Hinge: range, tolerance and the clause
It also explains why hinge is the first line a buyer loosens and the last line a claim refers to.
For Plantation shutters, the working range is hidden / aluminium / stainless.
How to choose a hinge option
| Option | What it changes in shutters | When it is the right choice | hidden | Visible light gaps is where it usually ends up. | Cost-led programmes with a short service life; measured on louver width, 63, 89 or 114 mm | aluminium | The volume middle: enough margin for process variation without paying for headroom the end product cannot use; held at louver width, 63, 89 or 114 mm | Most repeat programmes, and the safest default; read against louver width, 63, 89 or 114 mm | stainless | The top of the family, where the process is controlled tightly enough to guarantee it; written as louver width 63, 89 or 114 mm | A warranty, a tender, or a specification that cannot be renegotiated; measured on louver width, 63, 89 or 114 mm |
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Hinge is chosen by the application rather than by price, and a supplier who quotes one option as if it were interchangeable with another is quoting a different product.
The figure that decides the outcome is not hinge itself but the tolerance around it. A supplier who quotes hidden / aluminium / stainless without a tolerance has not quoted a specification, and the first lot will define the tolerance for you.
How to measure hinge
The reference method here is Moisture content (wood), run to meter, with an acceptance of 8-12 %.
A marginal pass on hinge tells you the process is running at the edge, which is the information you need before the next lot rather than after it.
The clause to write for hinge
Hinge appears with a tolerance and a test, not as a standalone number.
Panel configuration: range, tolerance and the clause
For Plantation shutters, the working range is 1-4 panels per opening.
What 1-4 panels per opening does not tell you
| Position | Value | Effect on shutters | Where it shows up | Floor | 1 | Lowest cost, least margin for process variation; held at louver width, 63, 89 or 114 mm | Paint bridging within a season | Working middle | 1-4 panels per opening | Predictable performance at a normal price; read against louver width, 63, 89 or 114 mm | Nothing to negotiate, nothing to explain; written as louver width 63, 89 or 114 mm | Ceiling | 4 panels per opening | Best performance, highest cost; measured on louver width, 63, 89 or 114 mm | Cost the end product may not recover; held at louver width, 63, 89 or 114 mm |
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The figure that decides the outcome is not panel configuration itself but the tolerance around it. A supplier who quotes 1-4 panels per opening without a tolerance has not quoted a specification, and the first lot will define the tolerance for you.
How to measure panel configuration
The reference method here is Finish adhesion, run to cross-hatch, with an acceptance of no lift.
A marginal pass on panel configuration tells you the process is running at the edge, which is the information you need before the next lot rather than after it.
The clause to write for panel configuration
Panel configuration appears with a tolerance and a test, not as a standalone number.
Louver width: range, tolerance and the clause
For Plantation shutters, the working range is 63 / 89 / 114 mm.
How to choose a louver width option
| Option | What it changes in shutters | When it is the right choice |
|---|---|---|
| 63 mm | 63 mm is the entry point in shutters: MDF in place of timber and surface-mounted hinges. That is where light leaking through a panel gap starts. | Cost-led shutters programmes with a short service life. |
| 89 mm | 89 mm is the volume middle for shutters: enough margin for process variation without paying for headroom the end product cannot use. | Most repeat shutters programmes, and the safest default. |
| 114 mm | 114 mm is the top of the shutters family, where the process is controlled tightly enough to guarantee it. | A warranty, a tender, or a shutters specification that cannot be renegotiated. |
Louver width is chosen by the application rather than by price, and a supplier who quotes one option as if it were interchangeable with another is quoting a different product.
The figure that decides the outcome is not louver width itself but the tolerance around it. A supplier who quotes 63 / 89 / 114 mm without a tolerance has not quoted a specification, and the first lot will define the tolerance for you.
How to measure louver width
The reference method here is Light gap, run to assembly measurement, with an acceptance of <= 3 mm.
A marginal pass on louver width tells you the process is running at the edge, which is the information you need before the next lot rather than after it.
The clause to write for louver width
Louver width appears with a tolerance and a test, not as a standalone number.
Plantation shutter, basswood, 89 mm louver, L-frame, 3 panels, hidden hinge, light gap <= 3 mm, painted to RAL 9010, moisture content 8-12 %
Frame type: range, tolerance and the clause
For Plantation shutters, the working range is L-frame / Z-frame / deco frame.
How to choose a frame type option
| Option | What it changes in shutters | When it is the right choice | L-frame | Louver sag is where it usually ends up. | Cost-led programmes with a short service life; written as louver width 63, 89 or 114 mm | Z-frame | The volume middle: enough margin for process variation without paying for headroom the end product cannot use; measured on louver width, 63, 89 or 114 mm | Most repeat programmes, and the safest default; held at louver width, 63, 89 or 114 mm | deco frame | The top of the family, where the process is controlled tightly enough to guarantee it; read against louver width, 63, 89 or 114 mm | A warranty, a tender, or a specification that cannot be renegotiated; written as louver width 63, 89 or 114 mm |
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Frame type is chosen by the application rather than by price, and a supplier who quotes one option as if it were interchangeable with another is quoting a different product.
The figure that decides the outcome is not frame type itself but the tolerance around it. A supplier who quotes L-frame / Z-frame / deco frame without a tolerance has not quoted a specification, and the first lot will define the tolerance for you.
How to measure frame type
The reference method here is Hinge cycles, run to 10 000 open/close, with an acceptance of no torque loss.
A single sample from the top of a roll tells you about the top of that roll, and frame type varies more across a run than most buyers expect.
A marginal pass on frame type tells you the process is running at the edge, which is the information you need before the next lot rather than after it.
The clause to write for frame type
Frame type appears with a tolerance and a test, not as a standalone number.
Material: range, tolerance and the clause
For Plantation shutters, the working range is basswood / PVC / MDF / hybrid.
How to choose a material option
| Option | What it changes in shutters | When it is the right choice | basswood | Hinge pull-out is where it usually ends up. | Cost-led programmes with a short service life; measured on louver width, 63, 89 or 114 mm | MDF | The volume middle: enough margin for process variation without paying for headroom the end product cannot use; held at louver width, 63, 89 or 114 mm | Most repeat programmes, and the safest default; read against louver width, 63, 89 or 114 mm | hybrid | The top of the family, where the process is controlled tightly enough to guarantee it; written as louver width 63, 89 or 114 mm | A warranty, a tender, or a specification that cannot be renegotiated; measured on louver width, 63, 89 or 114 mm |
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Material is chosen by the application rather than by price, and a supplier who quotes one option as if it were interchangeable with another is quoting a different product.
The figure that decides the outcome is not material itself but the tolerance around it. A supplier who quotes basswood / PVC / MDF / hybrid without a tolerance has not quoted a specification, and the first lot will define the tolerance for you.
How to measure material
The reference method here is Louver deflection, run to centre load, with an acceptance of <= 2 mm.
For material, two instruments that both claim the same standard can differ by enough to move a marginal lot from pass to fail.
A marginal pass on material tells you the process is running at the edge, which is the information you need before the next lot rather than after it.
The clause to write for material
Material appears with a tolerance and a test, not as a standalone number.
How to write a shutters specification that protects you
For shutters, the clause has to pin material and panel configuration, because those two separate a compliant lot from an adequate one:
Plantation shutter, basswood, 89 mm louver, L-frame, 3 panels, hidden hinge, light gap <= 3 mm, painted to RAL 9010, moisture content 8-12 %
Shutters: where the specification usually breaks down
The first failure is visible light gaps. Daylight shows through between panels and frame. The cause is usually frame out of square, or panels machined without a jig. The test that exposes it before you order: Assemble on a flat table, measure gaps at three heights.
The second is louver sag. Wide louvers droop in the middle. It comes from louver width beyond the material’s stiffness, or too few tilt pins. Test with Load test at the louver centre; measure deflection.
What to put in a shutters enquiry
- End use and the conditions, which together decide where material has to sit inside basswood / PVC / MDF / hybrid.
- The one figure that must hold, with light gap named as the proof.
- Quantity per colour and per delivery, against a typical MOQ of 100-300 panels per finish.
- Destination market, because compliance changes the construction, not just the paperwork On shutters that is louver width at 63, 89 or 114 mm.
- A physical standard viewed under a stated light source, not a screen proof For plantation shutters it is frame type at L-frame, Z-frame or deco frame that settles it.
Full ranges sit on the shutters page, and the manufacturing side of the same question is on our quality control page.
Questions buyers ask before ordering
Is 89/114 mm a limit or a typical value for specification explained?
On specification explained, the answer is 89/114 mm, and the reason is the slat machining.
What is the actual tolerance behind specification explained?
On specification explained, our standard is 89/114 mm, verified by lab certificate.
Can you hold tolerance at 89/114 mm for specification explained on a repeat order?
On specification explained, the number to quote is 89/114 mm.
Shutters: failure modes worth a clause in the purchase order
| Failure | What triggers it | Test to demand on the production lot | Visible light gaps | Frame out of square, or panels machined without a jig; held at louver width, 63, 89 or 114 mm | Light gap — assembly measurement; acceptance <= 3 mm | Louver sag | Louver width beyond the material’s stiffness, or too few tilt pins. | Hinge cycles — 10 000 open/close; acceptance no torque loss |
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The other two, with acceptance numbers attached, are in the full failure analysis for shutters.
Need shutters quoted against your specification?
Send the louver width and the destination market. The reply states the range we hold, the price at that volume, and which test report travels with the goods.
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