How to Measure Pile Weatherstrip: The A–G Dimension Guide
Pile weatherstrip is specified by dimension, not by photograph. If your RFQ says "door brush seal, standard size," you will get a strip that does not seat in the groove, and both sides may need extra sample rounds. This guide covers how to measure pile weatherstrip on a sample you already have, and how to write the numbers so a supplier can quote without a round of questions. It follows the A–G fields we use on XINHAI spec sheets: A base width, B pile height, C base thickness, D pile width code, E fin height, F length, G base margin. Jiaxing Xinhai Doors And Windows Accessaries Co., Ltd. manufactures PP polypropylene pile weatherstrip; the method below applies to any pile strip you are trying to replace.
Tools for How to Measure Pile Weatherstrip
You need less than you think, but the caliper matters.
- Digital caliper, 0.01 mm resolution, 150 mm jaws. Vernier works; a tape measure does not.
- A steel rule or straight bar, 150–300 mm.
- A flat surface — glass or a machined plate. Not a door frame.
- Soft brush or low-pressure air to clear dust and loose fiber.
- Magnifier or phone camera, for the fin measurement in E.
- A sample of at least 300 mm, cut from a section that has not been crushed or rubbed.
Log every number in millimetres and write the unit down. Most rework starts with an inch/mm mix-up, not a bad strip.
Reading the A–G Dimensions
A — base width. The flat backing the pile is set into, excluding the fiber fan. Our range is 4–25 mm. Measure across the base at three points along the sample and average. If the three readings disagree widely, you are probably across a deformed section; cut a fresh piece and repeat.
B — pile height, uncompressed. This is the field most often misreported. Pile height is measured with the fibers relaxed, out of the groove, touching nothing. Lay the strip flat, rest the straight bar across the pile tips, and use the caliper depth rod from the underside of the bar down to the base surface. Read to the tallest fibers. Our range is 5–20 mm. Never measure pile height through an assembled door gap — the compression there makes the number meaningless.
C — base thickness. Our base is made at 0.8 ±0.15 mm. If the strip has adhesive backing, take the release liner off before measuring, and say in your RFQ that the liner was off. With the liner on you will read higher and the number will not match the drawing.
D — pile width code. D is a pile-width code. Spec sheets identify a profile by the pile-width code, not by a full drawing. Quote the code exactly as the supplier lists it. Examples from our range include 6.9 (4P): 2.9±0.3mm; 4.8 (4P): 1.9±1.5mm; 2P2L 1.45mm; 3P1L 1.45mm; 3P2L 2.1mm; 3P3L 2.68mm; 4P2L 2.3-2.5mm; 4P3L 3.4mm; 4P4L 4.2mm; 5P5L 4.7mm; 5P4L 4.4mm. Use the code as written with its tolerance; do not turn it into a base-width measurement. If you have no data sheet, measure A and compare it against the fit of your existing sample.
E — fin height. We supply plain pile, or pile with a plastic fin; fin material is plastic or fabric. Fin height may be the same as the pile, higher, or lower. Measure two numbers: base to fin edge, and base to pile tip. Then state which is higher and by how much. If your strip has no fin, write "no fin" rather than leaving the field blank.
F — length. Length is customized. Give total meters, and say whether you want continuous coil or cut lengths; if cut, give the cut length. Measure a cut piece with the strip lying flat and not pulled — PP pile stretches under tension and reads long.
G — base margin. The flat base between the base edge and the root of the pile. It varies by spec. On some strips the pile is centred; on others it is offset, so the margin differs on the two sides. Measure from each edge to the pile root and report both numbers. If your groove has a shoulder the base sits against, the margin decides whether the strip sits square or lifts at one edge.
How to Measure Pile Weatherstrip: Common Mistakes
Measuring compressed pile. Squeezing the jaws onto the fibers, or measuring the strip while it is still seated in a closed door, gives a reading several millimetres low. Take the strip out and let it relax.
Confusing base width with groove opening. These are two different measurements. Groove opening is measured with the strip removed, across the slot. Base width A is measured on the strip. Report both numbers separately in your RFQ; a single "width" figure will be read as one or the other, and guessed wrong.
Misstating the D pile width code. Covered in D, and worth repeating, because the code must be quoted verbatim.
Measuring over the release liner and reporting it as base thickness C.
Using a worn sample. Measure the groove directly with a caliper instead of relying on a worn strip for dimensions.
Pulling the strip when measuring F, or running a soft tape along a curve.
Worked Example: A Complete Spec Line for Your RFQ
Below is a hypothetical spec line for illustration only. It is not a real order and not based on a buyer's sample. The bracketed placeholders show how to write each field; replace them with your own measurements and the supplier's exact code.
"Pile weatherstrip for a balcony sliding door. PP polypropylene yarn, silicone-treated, adhesive backing, plastic fin.
A: base width [value] mm
B: pile height [value] mm, uncompressed
C: base thickness [value] mm, measured with release liner removed
D: [pile width code exactly as listed by the supplier, e.g., 4P2L]
E: fin height [value] mm — [higher/lower/same as pile tips]; plastic fin
F: [value] m total, continuous coil or cut lengths
G: base margin [value] mm one side, [value] mm the other
Reference: [sample length] sample sent by courier
Quantity: [quantity] m
Application: balcony sliding door"
Two notes on the order details. Quantity: our Alibaba listings show a 20,000 m MOQ and a $0.01/m listing price; treat those as listing figures and confirm both on your quotation. Capacity: our supplier-stated figure is 300,000 m/day across 20+ production lines and 2,000 sqm, so meterage is usually the simple part of the order.
One field deserves a caveat. We publish a tolerance on base thickness (±0.15 mm). For A, B, D, E and G, state your own tolerance in the RFQ and we will confirm what we can hold — better to agree that in writing than to discover it at incoming inspection.
If you are not sure which profile suits your groove, the Pile Weatherstrip Selector walks through the options: silicone or non-silicone, adhesive backing or none, fin or plain pile. If you already have measurements, skip the selector and send the A–G line above to [email protected] or +86-573-86779825 — with a sample if one is available — and we will quote against it.