Who makes the slimmest sliding doors? If you are in the market for one of the latest generation aluminium sliding patio doors, there has never been more choice. Bigger glass, better views, light and smooth sliding even automatic opening and closing are just some of the features you will find in modern aluminium slimline sliding doors.
First of all, one of the many features found in the current generation of aluminium sliding patio doors is a choice of aesthetics. For these products options such as standard or slim mullions and even the new breed of minimalist or ultra-thin slimline sliding doors.
Secondly, aluminium patio doors have many facets in their design, and some come more complex than a bifolding door. For instance, their overall specification, fabrication, glazing and installation too. Moreover, many sliding patio doors achieve panel sizes of up to 9m2 with some systems also exceeding this area by a long margin. However, one consistent message with the latest breed of sliding doors is how slim you can have them. This trend for ultra-thin doors is all to do with the sliding door interlock.
What is a sliding door interlock?
The interlock is the central mullion where the front edge of one sliding panel interlocks or overlaps with the back edge of the other. Additionally, the interlocking design must allow for rigidity as well as protection from wind loadings and deflection. Furthermore, with many modern ultra-slim sliding systems, the interlock also acts as a door handle.
Consequently, whether you choose an inline, lift and slide, automatic or tilt and slide aluminium sliding door, all doors from two panel up to six or more have an interlock. With the interlocks also being the most prominent feature of a current sliding door, we can, therefore, help you navigate the many different doors on the market and help you find out who makes the slimmest sliding doors too.
Do remember that many of the sightlines you’ll see marketed, slim or otherwise relate to the interlock only. We are frequently contacted by homeowners disappointed to find the outer frame and door rails and stiles not as slim as the interlock.
List of the slimmest sliding doors
Through extensive research, product knowledge and detailed study of the fabrication and technical manuals, we have compiled a list of the majority of sliding door systems sold in the UK today. Included are all the top brands you may have heard of as well as many other products less well known. As well as the standard mullion is an option for a slimline version. As a result, you can see in one place, who makes the slimmest sliding doors.
| SLIDING DOOR SYSTEM | Standard Interlock SightLine | Optional Slim Interlock SightLine |
|---|---|---|
| SL18 Hyline Sliding Door | 18mm | |
| Sunvista Sliding Door | 19mm | |
| Air 20 SL Sliding Door | 20mm | |
| Sunflex SVG20 Slimline Door | 20mm | |
| Edge 2.0 by ID Systems | 20mm | |
| Fenster Fabrications Uni-Slide Door | 20mm | |
| Origin OS-20 Artisan | 20mm | |
| PanoramaH! Sliding Door | 20mm | |
| Greenways Architectural Ultraline Sliding Door | 20mm | |
| Sightline Aluminium Glazing Systems | 20mm | |
| Infiniglide 3 Sliding Door | 20mm | |
| AluK Infinium Sliding Door | 21mm | |
| Minimal Windows Sliding Glass Door | 21mm | |
| Maxlight Doors | 21mm | |
| System 22 Fineline Aluminium Sliding Door | 22mm | |
| Infiniglide 6 Sliding Door | 24mm | |
| YES Glazing Vision Sliding Door | 24mm | |
| Alumen Cor-Vision Plus | 25mm | |
| Europa ESS47 Inline or Lift and Slide | 25mm | |
| Minimal Windows 4+ Sliding Glass Door | 26mm | |
| Origin OS-29 Sliding Door | 29mm | |
| Sunflex SVG30 Sliding Door | 30mm | |
| Schuco ASS70 PD Panorama Design Sliding Door | 30mm | |
| Sieger 30 Sliding Door | 30mm | |
| Metra NC-S 120 STH Slim Sliding Door | 30mm | |
| Exlabesa Xlaslide | 32mm | |
| Solarlux Cero Sliding Door | 34mm | |
| Reynaers Concept Patio 68 (CP 68) | 34mm | |
| Reynaers Hi-Finity Sliding Door | 35mm | |
| Technal Systems Lumeal Sliding Door | 38mm | |
| Artline by SAPA Sliding Door | 38mm | 26mm |
| Reynaers CP68 Sliding Door | 41.5mm | |
| Schuco ASE60 Sliding Door with slim interlock | 40mm | |
| Hueck Volato S Sliding Door | 40mm | |
| Arkay Edgeglide/Cortizo 4200 Sliding Door | 42mm | |
| Dutemänn Glide-S | 47mm | |
| Cortizo 4700 Sliding Door | 47mm | |
| Sliders UK Ultimate Evoslide (rebranded Cortizo 4700) | 47mm | |
| Air 500LS Sliding Door | 48mm | |
| Air 600LS Sliding Door | 48mm | |
| Schuco ASS70.HI DE Sliding Door | 48mm | |
| AluK Infinium SC156 Sliding Door | 50mm | |
| Reynaers MasterPatio | 50mm | |
| SAPA Confort C125 Sliding Door | 50mm | |
| Panoglide Sliding Door | 50mm | |
| Stellar Aluminium Lift and Slide Door | 50mm | |
| Sunparadise ISO 41 Sliding Door | 51mm | |
| SAPA Crown 98 Sliding Door | 51mm | 45mm |
| SAPA Crown 120mm Sliding Door | 51mm | 45mm |
| Deceuninck Decalu163 Slide | 73.3mm | |
| Kawneer AA3572 Lift and Slide Doors | 74mm | |
| Origin OS-77 and OS-44 Inline Sliding Doors | 77mm | 44mm |
| Technal Tigal Pull and Slide | 78mm outside 69mm inside | |
| Senior Architectural Ali Slide Door | 79mm | 50mm |
| Smart Systems Visoglide Plus | 83mm | 35mm |
| Sunflex SVG83 Sliding Door | 83mm | 30mm |
| ID Systems Grand Slider II Sliding Door | 83mm | |
| Warmcore Inline Patio Sliding Door | 84.5mm | |
| AluK BSC94 Sliding Door | 85mm | 45mm |
| Schuco ASS48 Sliding Door | 85mm | |
| Sieger 85 Sliding Door | 85mm | |
| Comar 7P.i LS+ | 88.9mm | 51mm |
| SAPA C160S Lift Slide Door | 92mm | 36mm |
| Alumil S-700 | 94mm | 47mm |
| Dutemann Glide-S | 94mm | 47mm |
| Metal Technology System 25 HI/HI+ Sliding Door | 94mm | 50mm |
| Sunparadise Thermoslide 80 Sliding Door | 96mm | |
| Senior Architectural Systems PURe® SLIDE and SL. | 96.5mm | 50mm |
| Reynaers CP130 Sliding Door | 98mm | 69mm |
| Kloeber Kustomslide Mono Sliding Door | 98mm | 69mm |
| Reynaers CP155 Sliding Door | 102mm | 76mm |
| Hueck Volato M Sliding Door | 103mm | |
| Stayfix S3 Lift & Slide Door | 104mm | 52mm |
| Exlabesa KLS Sliding Door | 105mm | |
| Schuco ASS 70 HI | 108mm | 48mm |
| Alutech Systems SL160 | 115mm | |
| Comar 7P.1 Sliding Door | 123mm | |
| Smart Systems Ultraglide Sliding Door | 125mm | |
| SAPA Confort C160 Sliding Door | 126mm | |
| Metal Technology 5-20 Tilt & Slide Door | 149mm |
Importantly the mullion sightlines exclude four panel patio doors where the two central doors meet together, having a thicker sightline) and slide in opposite directions.
If you are wondering why some well-known big retail brands are missing, this is because many use the above systems or variations of them. This includes well-known retail companies such as:
- Express Bifolding Doors using the Italian Metra NC-S 120 STH Slim Sliding Door as their XP Slide Panoramic as well as the Reynaers CP130 for the XP Glide-R
- Bifold Direct
- Everest Home Improvements
- Anglian Home Improvements
- Kloeber
- Duration Windows
Some choose to re-engineer, rebrand, or implement modifications and improvements. We have included some of these existing systems in our table. Several of the above brands are based on the Cortizo Cor-Vision and Cor-Vision Plus, another popular slimline sliding door.
Are the slimmest sliding doors better than the regular sliding door?
Not at all. The construction of the ultra-slim sliding doors is quite different from the systems on our listing with standard-size interlocks. In most cases, the ultra-slim sliding doors are inline versions only. Regular size doors offer inline, lift and slide or tilt and slide opening options. Glass choices tend to be greater with the thicker set doors as well as having more handle style options.
Slimline sliding doors come with caveats and restrictions.
Despite the trend towards thinner sliding doors, it remains their overall size, especially the height, that determines whether the slimline section is available. For instance, many of the sliding doors at the top of our chart with interlocks less than 35mm rely on the glass providing the structural integrity, not the aluminium sections, which are secondary.
Subject to the size, exposure and location, a professional installer will carry out wind load and deflection calculations to determine whether the slim interlock can be used or whether it needs additional reinforcement. The other area that differs from all types of other doors is the factors that affect the installation of sliding doors. To fit a large sliding door can involve specialist skills, equipment and extra costs.
What to consider when buying slimline patio doors.
The interlock sightline is just one consideration when purchasing a new sliding door. Here is what else is more important.
- A slimmer door may not be the best for your property. Talk to a professional installer for the best advice.
- Not all systems offer this facility if you are looking for doors that slide into a wall or open corner doors.
- The overall product appearance should also be considered. Look at the perimeter frame sightlines too.
- Always view a full-size sample of the product in a showroom or at an actual installation.
- Examine the quality of the sliding action and the door handles.
- Ensure you are happy and comfortable purchasing from the company in question.
Please contact us if you would like more information about the sliding door systems mentioned or have any questions about who makes the slimmest sliding doors.
Product list updates
This article was written in 2017 and is regularly updated as products change, and new ones come on the market. The last update is in March 2023.
