Glossary
Composite gate glossary
The terms you'll meet in a composite gate quote, explained.
See it first
See a composite gate on your own opening
Upload a photo of the side passage, garden entrance or driveway, pick the gate, the boards and the frame, and see it in about a minute. Your request goes to one gate installer who covers your county.
Step 1 of 3
No photo handy?
Step 2 of 3
Drawing your gate. This takes 20 to 50 seconds.
Your request is already through, so you can close this page if you need to.
That's an AI preview, not a drawing to build from. The installer measures the opening before pricing it.
We couldn't do this one. Some photos don't work: a clearer, wider shot in daylight usually does.
Your request is in: you'll still get a call with a price.
Composite (WPC)
Wood-plastic composite: boards made from wood fibre and plastic, coloured to look like timber, that aren't painted and don't rot.
Frame
The aluminium or steel surround that holds the composite boards and carries the hinges.
Leaf
One moving part of a gate. A driveway pair has two leaves.
Side gate
A pedestrian gate in the passage beside a house.
Pier
The column, in block, brick, stone or steel, that carries a gate's hinges or takes its latch.
Drop bolt
A bolt on a pair of gates that drops into the ground to hold one leaf shut.
Sliding gate
A gate that slides along the boundary to open, on a ground track or as a cantilever.
Photo beam
An infrared beam across the opening; if something breaks it, an electric gate stops or reverses.
Force limitation
The motor setting that stops and reverses an electric gate when it meets something.
Manual release
A key or lever that frees the motor so an electric gate can be opened by hand.
Class 5
The class of exempted development that covers gates, walls and fences at a house.
Section 5 declaration
A council's written answer on whether a job needs planning permission.
Get a free composite gate price
The installer for your county rings you back. Nothing is booked until you say yes.