FINAL DRAFT UGANDA 
STANDARD  
  FDUS 1874  
First Edition  
2018-mm-dd  
 
 
 Reference number 
FDUS 1874: 2018 
© UNBS 2018  
   
Codes of Practices for Selection, Installation and Maintenance 
of Wooden Door Shutters  
 FDUS  1874:2018 
2 © UNBS 2018 – All rights reserved
 Compliance with this standard does not, of itself c onfer immunity from legal obligations 
A Uganda Standard does not purport to include all n ecessary provisions of a contract. Users are 
responsible for its correct application  
© UNBS 2018   
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no  part of this publication may be reproduced or util ised in any 
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, inc luding photocopying and microfilm, without prior wr itten 
permission from UNBS. 
Requests for permission to reproduce this document should be addressed to 
The Executive Director 
Uganda National Bureau of Standards 
P.O. Box 6329 
Kampala 
Uganda 
Tel: +256 417 333 250/1/2 
Fax: +256 414 286 123 
E-mail: info@unbs.go.ug  
Web: www.unbs.go.ug  
 FDUS  1874:2018 
© UNBS 2018 – All rights reserved  3
 Foreword 
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a par astatal under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and 
Cooperatives established under Cap 327, of the Laws  of Uganda, as amended.  UNBS is mandated to co-
ordinate the elaboration of standards and is  
(a) a member of International Organisation for Stan dardisation (ISO) and  
(b) a contact point for the WHO/FAO Codex Alimentar ius Commission on Food Standards, and  
(c) the National Enquiry Point on TBT Agreement of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). 
The work of preparing Uganda Standards is carried o ut through Technical Committees. A Technical 
Committee is established to deliberate on standards  in a given field or area and consists of key stake holders 
including government, academia, consumer groups, pr ivate sector and other interested parties.  
Draft Uganda Standards adopted by the Technical Com mittee are widely circulated to stakeholders and th e 
general public for comments. The committee reviews the comments before recommending the draft standard s 
for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by  the National Standards Council. 
The committee responsible for this document is Tech nical Committee UNBS/TC12 Furniture . 
 FINAL DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD FDUS 1874:2018 
 
1 © UNBS 2018  – All rights reserved
 Code of practice for selection installation and mai ntenance of 
wooden door shutters and windows  
1 Scope   
This code covers the selection, installation and ma intenance of wooden doors, windows and ventilator f rames 
and shutters for residential buildings, schools, ho spitals and other non-industrial buildings. This co de does not 
cover industrial doors and windows.and fire-resista nt doors and windows. 
2 Normative reference 
The following referenced documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their  content 
constitute requirements of this document. For dated  references, only the edition cited applies. For un dated 
references, the latest edition of the referenced do cument (including any amendments) applies. 
DUS 1602, Timber door, window and ventilation frame s — Specification 
US 1622, Glossary of terms in timber technology and utilizat ion of wood, bamboo and cane    
US 1652 (all parts), Wooden flush door shutters (solid core type)  
US 1657 (all parts), Wooden flush door shutters (cellular and hollow cor e type)  
 3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this document, the terms and de finitions given in US 1622 apply.  
4 Materials and guidance for selection   
4.1 General 
For permanent door frames, Grade I wooden or presse d steel door frames shall be used. For temporary an d 
portable type of doorframes, the wooden may be of g rades I or II 
4.2 Wooden frames  
Wooden door, window and ventilator frames for resid ential buildings shall conform to US 1602 . 
4.3 Wooden panelled and glazed shutters  
4.3.1 Wooden paneled and glazed door and window shutters shall meet the required quality  
4.3.2 The thickness selected for door shutters shall be n ot less than 40 mm for permanent installations. The  
thickness may be reduced for temporary installation s. These, however, would require additional care in  
maintenance. FDUS  1874:2018 
2 © UNBS 2018 – All rights reserved
 4.3.3 For aesthetic and decorative purposes in high class  buildings, decorative type of door shutters may be  
used. The most commonly used decorative surface woo den is teak (Tectona grandis).  These require polishing 
and waxing as against painting required for commerc ial door shutters . 
4.3.4 The user may specify one face decorative and one fa ce commercial (non-decorative) panel door as 
required for the colour scheme in the room and base d on other aesthetic considerations . 
4. Wooden flush door shutters  
4.4.1  These shall comply with  US 1652 (all parts) and US  1652 . 
4.4.2  For permanent buildings wooden flush doors of the s olid core or cellular or hollow core type are 
recommended. For temporary buildings, cellular or h ollow core type of flush door shutters may be used.  
4.4.3  For aesthetic and decorative reasons in high class buildings, decorative type of door shutters may be 
used. The user shall specify the wooden for the fac e of the shutter . 
4.4.4  The user may also specify one face decorative and o ne face commercial for the flush door depending 
on his need for colour scheme in the room . 
4.5 Door and window hardware  
4.5.1 Door and window hardware shall meet the requirement s of relevant Uganda Standards. 
4.5.2  Each  wooden door shutter shall have a minimum of three d oor hinges and two fastenings like tower 
bolt, hasp and staple, mortice lock, etc. Floor doo r stoppers and handles are optional. Swing-damping type of 
arrangements like hydraulic door closers may be fix ed as an optional item. Push plate, name plate, kic k plate, 
etc, mare also optional fittings depending on the c hoice and requirement of the user. 
4.5.3  Each window shutter shall have a minimum of three hinges, and one fastening like tower bolt and one 
handle for opening and closing. Additional fastenin gs or tower bolts may be provided as optional items . 
4.5.4  Selection of door and window hardware shall depend  on the economy desired and the climatic 
conditions. In coastal towns the hardware should be  selected keeping in view the resistance of hardwar e to 
salty sea winds. For especially heavy doors, additi onal hinges specially made shall be provided. 
4.5.5  The material for hardware may be mild steel, brass , oxidized iron, anodized aluminum, etc, and the 
user has to carefully choose the material to suit h is requirements. 
4.6 Paints and varnishes 
White lead primer paint, aluminum or other primer, wood filling putty, ready mixed paints, varnishes a nd 
polishes and all other materials used for painting and finishing of door and window shutters shall con form to 
the relevant Uganda standards. 
4.7 Glass 
The type of sheet glass used for glazing shall be s pecified by the user, such as frosted glass, wired- glass and 
coloured glass and the requirements for them in the  place of use; 
5 Required information  
5.1 When placing order for door, window and ventilator frames and shutters, the purchaser (or user) shall 
give full information to the manufacturer as specif ied in the various specifications for the materials . This also 
applies to hardware and paint and finishing materia ls . FDUS  1874:2018 
© UNBS 2018 – All rights reserved  3
 5.2  The following points will determine the type of ma terial for doors and windows to be ordered: 
a) the type and nature of buildings whether permane nt, temporary or portable; 
b) climatic conditions of the place of use; 
c) architectural consideration and other special re quirements like louvers and vision panels; 
d) the need for standard sizes and modular consider ation; and 
e) availability of materials. 
5.3 Where special louvres, vision panels, or other spec ial fixtures are required on the shutters, full det ails 
shall be given of the same in the order and prefera bly the drawings should also be provided. 
6 Selection 
6.1 General  
For permanent buildings, wooden door, window and ve ntilator frames of Grade I, wooden or pressed steel  
door frames shall be used. The shutters for these t ype of buildings shall also be of Grade I wooden. F or 
temporary buildings, frames of Grade I or Grade II wooden and paneled shutters of Grade I or Grade II 
wooden or flush door shutters of cellular or hollow  core type may be used . 
6.2  All windows shall be of Grade I wooden for permanen t buildings and Grade II wooden for temporary 
buildings. 
6.2.1 For high class buildings and when required for arch itectural and aesthetic reasons Grade I type of 
frames and decorative type of paneled doors or flus h doors may be used. for all general purpose buildi ngs 
non decorative type door shutters are recommended . 
6.3 Choice of type of shutter 
The choice between paneled doors, glazed doors and flush doors is primarily based on considerations of  
aesthetic and functional requirements and economy. Where glazing is desired, the shutters may be fully  
glazed or partly paneled and partly glazed . 
6.4 Choice of type of fittings 
The choice of fittings may be determined by conside rations of economy, durability, aesthetic and archi tectural 
consideration as well as serviceability. 
6.5 Selection of sizes 
The sizes of frames and shutters selected shall con form to the standard sizes covered in the relevant Indian 
Standards. 
6.6 Choice of wooden-door 
The choice of wooden for door frames and doors may be according to the taste of the purchaser from any  of 
the species specified in the relevant Indian Standa rds. For termite and insect affected areas and perm anent 
type of buildings, durable wooden like teak shall p referably be used for door frames and paneled doors .   FDUS  1874:2018 
4 © UNBS 2018 – All rights reserved
 7 Handling and storage  
7.1 General 
While unloading, shifting, handling and stacking of  wooden door, window frames and shutters, care shal l be 
taken that the material is not dragged one over the  other as it may cause damage to the surface of the  
material particularly in the case of decorative shu tters. The material should be lifted and carried pr eferably flat 
and avoiding damage of corners of sides .  
7.2 Storage  
7.2.1  All wooden frames and shutters shall be stored in a dry and clean covered space away from any 
infestation and dampness. The storage shall prefera bly be in well ventilated dry rooms. The frames sha ll be 
stacked one over the other in vertical stacks with cross battens at regular distances to keep the stac k vertical 
and straight. These cross battens should be of unif orm thickness and placed vertically one over the ot her. The 
door shutters shall be stacked in the form of clean  vertical stacks one over the other and at least 8 cm above 
ground on pallets or suitable beams or rafters. The  top of the stack shall be covered by a protecting cover and 
weighed down by means of scantlings or other suitab le weights. The shutter stack shall rest on hard an d level.   
7.2.2  Separate stacks shall be built up for each size, e ach grade and each type of material. When materials  
of different sizes, grades and types are to be stac ked in one stack due to shortage of space, the bigg er size 
shall be stacked in the lower portion of the stacks . Suitable pallets or separating battens shall be k ept in 
between the two types of material. 
7.2.3  If any material becomes wet during transit, it sha ll be kept separate from the undamaged material. 
The wet material may be dried by stacking in shade with battens in between adjacent boards with free a ccess 
of dry air.   
7.2.4  Metal hardware, glass panels, glazing bars and oth er material shall be stored as recommended by the 
supplier to avoid any damage to the same by moistur e or any other adverse weather conditions. 
8 Installation of wooden door shutters and window f rames 
8.1 General 
Wooden door and window frames shall be installed ei ther by ‘Built-in method’ or ‘Prepared opening meth od’ 
as described in 8.2 and 8.3. Installation into prep ared openings shall be preferable, the advantage be ing that 
the frame is less liable to distortion and moisture  changes. 
8.2 Built-in method 
8.2.1 Door frames 
Frames shall be installed at the required place and  each door frame shall be provided with three holdf asts on 
either side, one at the top, one at the bottom (30 cm away from the top and bottom edge) and one in th e 
middle. Masonry or concrete in the wall shall be bu ilt after installation of the doors so that holdfas ts and pins at 
the bottom are well anchored into them. Before cons truction of masonry, the outside of the frames comi ng in 
contact with masonry shall be given a thick coat of  coal tar or other water proofing paint. Suitable 
arrangements shall 
8.2.2 Window frames 
Window frames shall also be installed in the same m anner as door frames except that at least two holdf asts 
shall be provided on either side to anchor them in position. The size of the opening shall first be ch ecked and 
cleaned including the place of the holdfasts of all  obstructions. The position of the unit in the reve al shall be 
taken off the drawings and a vertical chalk line sh all be marked on the reveal at the jambs, using a p lumb line FDUS  1874:2018 
© UNBS 2018 – All rights reserved  5
 at the correct distance from the face of the wall. The chalk line shall also be run along the head and  sill of the 
opening. 
8.2.3 Fixing datum 
To ensure that all units are set at the appropriate  heights in their openings, the datum line for the sill of the 
door, window or ventilator shall be taken from a fi xed point on the wall or from finishes floor or cei ling with the 
help of a level. This datum level shall be given by  the builder to the fixer . 
8.3 Prepared opening method 
8.3.1 In this method the fixing in the opening may be flu sh or rebated as given in the drawings. The 
clearance between the frame and opening shall be ke pt depending on whether the opening is externally 
rendered or fair faced. The frame shall be checked before fixing in the positions that the same is squ are and in 
the proper position. The holdfast opening and the b ottom pin shall then be grouted. Plastering of the sides 
shall be done and allowed to dry before the door, w indow or ventilator shutters are fixed. 
8.3.2 When cleaning the surroundings , after the plaster and grouting have dried, all spla tter and marks of 
cement shall be removed and the frames cleaned.  
8.4 Other precautions  
Precaution shall be taken to fix the door frame so as to take care of the final floor level and also t he following 
points:  
a) whether the shutters are inside the opening or o utside the opening; and 
b) whether the frames are for exterior use or inter ior use and in the case of latter direction and pos ition of 
water carriers, slopes, etc. 
9 Installation of door and window shutters 
9.1 Before installation it shall be ascertained that al l materials, that is, the shutters, hard wares, etc , are at 
site and of the correct size and quality. The size of openings and the door frames shall be checked an d also 
the verticality of the side frames and the level po sition of the floor and the wall. Any adjustment ne cessary 
shall be made before installation of the shutters. The shutters shall be installed only after the wall s on either 
side have dried. Good ventilation at the time of in stallation is necessary. 
9.2 The size of the shutters shall be checked before i nstallation. Usually adjustments will be possible b y 
planning the sides, top and bottom to the extent of  6 mm. It is not necessary to cut any door shutter by more 
than 9 mm unless agreed to by the supplier of the s hutters. The door shutters shall be adjusted and fi xed with 
two screws on each hinge (blank fittings) before th e polishing of the terrazzo and similar type of flo orings is 
taken up. Such shutters shall then be removed the t errazzo flooring polished and the shutters re-fixed  in 
position with all screws. 
9.3 During installation the shutters shall be carefull y lifted, carried and fixed. Dragging of shutters 
particularly decorative shutters one over the other  or on ground is likely to scratch and damage the s urfaces. 
9.4 Any special instruction by the door and window man ufacturers regarding the-position of hinges, all 
drops and locks shall be noted and complied with du ring installation. 
9.5 Any transit defects or storage defects in a shutte r should be rectified. Any crack should be filled u p with 
a good putty. Any damaged surface veneer particular ly in decorative shutter may be rectified by insert ing a 
matching veneer and use of suitable glue and pressi ng by use  of ‘C’ clamps or other suitable device. Any 
corner-opening may be rectified by the use of glue and pressing by ‘C’ clamps. Any damage to moulding or 
glazing bars or other fixtures shall be done at sit e by use of similar material. FDUS  1874:2018 
6 © UNBS 2018 – All rights reserved
 9.6 Unless otherwise specified, door shutters shall be  fixed to the frames with 100-mm long hinges and 
width to suit the thickness of the door and using s uitable wood-screws. The hinges shall be fixed one at the 
centre and the other two at 25 cm each from the top  and bottom of the shutter. In the case of window s hutters 
each shutter shall be fixed to its frame. With 80-m m hinges at suitable places preferably at quarter h eight from 
up and down. When driving the screws it is advisabl e that in case of hard wooden pilot holes are drill ed before 
fixing the screw. The screw shall be driven tight f it and straight. The ventilator shutters shall be f ixed with two 
hinges per shutter on sides or at top as required a nd with the same precautions as for fixing window s hutters. 
9.7 The door and window shutters shall be checked agai n after fixing for proper location, alignment and 
swinging. Any rectification necessary shall be done . 
9.8  The shutters shall then be fixed with locks, tower  bolts, handles and other fixtures like floor stopp ers 
and aldrops as required. The manufacturer’s instruc tions for fixing these hardware shall be followed. The 
shutters may also, if required, shall be fixed with  name plates, vision panels, louvres, etc. After al l the fixtures 
have been fitted the shutter shall be tried for pro per closure, handling and movement and shall then b e 
prepared for painting or finishing. 
9.9  Glass panels, where desired should be fixed taking  precautions that correct type and correct size of 
glass panels and glass fixtures are used. The openi ng at the edges shall be filled up with glass fixin g putty or 
beading. 
9.10  Where combination of doors, windows and ventilator s is desired, care shall be taken that the symmetry  
of the combination both as to the dimension, colour  and fixture is preserved.  
9.11  Flush doors for bath room shall preferably be avoi ded. However, when flush doors are used in such 
situations, suitable water protection at bottom of the door shall be provided with a 15-cm high plate of 
aluminum or plastic. 
9.12 Special fixtures for doors where provided shall be according to the drawing or specifications of the 
builder. 
10 Painting, polishing, waxing or other finishing  
10.1 The site finishing of wooden doors, windows and ve ntilators shall ensure protection from weather as 
well as of decoration. 
10.2 Site finishing of the frames and shutters shall co nsist of preparation of the surface by sanding or 
otherwise smoothening, filling with putty in depres sion and application of an undercoat. Add a finishi ng coat of 
paint or varnish or wax or lacquer as required. Any  touching up necessary shall be done finally.  
Wooden surface shall be well sanded to smoothness a nd any patch requiring filling shall be so done wit h 
wood putty. The surface shall then be prepared by u se of a suitable filler or primer paint of white le ad or a 
suitable aluminum primer or varnish filler and allo wed to dry and again sanded smooth. The door frame shall 
also be similarly prepared for final painting or va rnishing.   
The two surfaces of a door shutter shall be prepare d and given the primer coat and paint or varnish 
simultaneously. 
10.3 Two coats of suitable desired paint or varnish shal l be given as a finishing coat on either side of th e 
shutters. Such a finish shall be given to the frame  and all other exposed wood work. The colour and th e type 
of paint and finish shall be as desired by the user . In case the doors are required to be varnished or  polished 
this will be carried out with the material and to a  finish as desired by the user. 
10.4  Usually all commercial door and window shutters ar e painted and all decorative panels are either 
varnished or polished with French polish or wax pol ish. Further finish shall be done, only in consulta tion and 
as per the instructions of the supplier of doors, w indows, etc. FDUS  1874:2018 
© UNBS 2018 – All rights reserved  7
 10.5 The edges of shutters shall be given either a prote ctive paint or protective varnish in the same way a s 
the surface. This particularly applies to bottom ed ge which is likely to come in contact with moisture  from the 
floor. 
10.6 Precautions shall be taken to protect the glass su rface when painting by the use of a suitable protec tor 
and the glass surface, cleaned thereafter. Care sha ll be taken of fixtures like name plates and hardwa re 
during finishing and these shall be finished to the  colour and smoothness suitably rectified and well finished. 
11 Inspection 
After installation, the doors, windows and ventilat ors shall be inspected with regard to proper and co rrect 
installation, accessories, clearances and smooth wo rking . 
12 Sequence of building operations in relation to f ixing of doors, windows, ventilator 
 frames and shutters 
Before starting door fixing operations, it should b e examined whether the frames have been correctly i nstalled 
and the margin of adjustment of sizes for frame and  shutters would be possible. The clearance with reg ard to 
openings and frames and also the tolerances in the sizes of door shutters are already covered in the r elevant 
Indian Standards and it will be advantageous to sti ck to these sizes. The shutter shall open freely wh en a 
clearance not exceeding 3 mm is provided and the fi ttings shall fit easily and smoothly. Painting and finishing 
work, glazing work, etc, shall be done wherever nec essary. When finishing is done at site, the door sh ould be 
left clean and free from dirt, putty and other adhe ring material after the work is over. 
13 Maintenance 
13.1 The wooden door, windows and ventilators shall be inspected periodically and re-painted or re-
varnished at least once in two years and any damage  noted shall be rectified suitably. 
13.2 Any damage by insects should be promptly taken not e of and suitable heat or chemical sterilization an d 
other protective methods shall be adopted to rectif y them.  
 FDUS 1874:2018 
9 © UNBS 2018  – All rights reserved
 Certification marking 
Products that conform to Uganda standards may be ma rked with Uganda National Bureau of Standards 
(UNBS) Certification Mark shown in the figure below .  
The use of the UNBS Certification Mark is governed by the Standards Act, and the Regulations made 
thereunder. This mark can be used only by those lic ensed under the certification mark scheme operated by 
the Uganda National Bureau of Standards and in conj unction with the relevant Uganda Standard. The 
presence of this mark on a product or in relation t o a product is an assurance that the goods comply w ith the 
requirements of that standard under a system of sup ervision, control and testing in accordance with th e 
certification mark scheme of the Uganda National Bu reau of Standards. UNBS marked products are 
continually checked by UNBS for conformity to that standard.  
Further particulars of the terms and conditions of licensing may be obtained from the Director, Uganda  
National Bureau of Standards.  
 
 FDUS 1874:2018  
 
ICS nn.nnn.nn 
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