General Garage Doors
Quick Comparison Guide

General Garage Doors (General Doors Corporation) has been manufacturing sectional overhead doors since 1947. They are based just north of Philadelphia in Bristol, PA, and have eleven different manufacturing and distribution centers in several eastern and northeastern states. They offer both residential and commercial doors, but we will focus only on the residential models here.

General manufactures their own steel and wood doors, but they also distribute certain lines of doors made by other companies. They have approximately one thousand independent dealers that install and/or sell their products.

Here is a brief summary of the specs and features of each of their residential models:

General Garage Doors Regular Steel:

Hampshire: Colonial (short) raised panel, Ranch (long) raised panel, or flush design. 3 layer door with 26 gauge steel and 1-3/4" thick R16.0 polyurethane insulation. Shiplap section joints, 4 available colors, 8 window styles, and a limited lifetime warranty.

Advantage: Colonial raised panel, Ranch raised panel, or flush design. 3 layer, 26 gauge with 1-3/8" thick R6.6 polystyrene insulation. Double tongue in groove section joints, 4 colors, 8 window styles, limited lifetime warranty.

Berkshire: Colonial raised panel, Ranch raised panel, flush, V-ribbed or mixed (short and long) panels. 3 layer 26 gauge with 1-3/8" thick R12.0 polyurethane insulation. Finger-protected section joints. Three different wood finish colors are available (dark oak, golden oak, or cherry). Limited lifetime warranty. Similar to a door finish offered by Windsor Garage Doors and Haas Garage Doors.

SRP: Colonial raised panel, Ranch raised panel, or flush design. Single layer, 24 gauge steel, optional 1-1/2" thick plastic-backed R6.8 polystyrene insulation. 4 colors, 8 window styles, 10 year warranty.

General Garage Doors Carriage Style Steel:

Windemere: V-groove panels, 3 layer 26 gauge with 1-3/4" thick R16.0 polyurethane insulation, shiplap section joints, 3 colors, 8 window styles, limited lifetime warranty.

Advantage: Colonial, Ranch or beaded panel designs. 3 layer, 26 gauge steel with 1-3/8" thick R6.6 polystyrene insulation. Double tongue in groove section joints, 3 colors, 4 window styles, limited lifetime warranty.

Homestead: Beaded panel design. Single layer 24 gauge steel, optional 1-1/2" thick plastic-backed R6.8 polystyrene insulation. 3 colors, 8 window styles, 10 year warranty.

Lancaster: Flush panel design with PVC overlays. 4 layers including the overlay, 1-7/8" thick, 26 gauge steel, R6.6 polystyrene insulation. 3 colors, 8 different overlay designs.

General Garage Doors Regular Style Wood:

Flat Panel: Traditional stile and rail construction with recessed panels. 1-3/8" thick frame with panels made of 1/4" hardboard, 1/4" plywood, or 3/8" Breckenridge plywood. 1 year warranty.

Cladwood Panel: Traditional stile and rail construction, raised panels, 1-3/8" thick frame with particle board panels that are covered with a weatherproof wood fiber overlay. 1 year warranty.

Cedar Raised Panel: Traditional stile and rail construction with raised panels. 1-3/8" thick stain grade hemlock or fir frame with Western Red Cedar panels. 1 year warranty.

Flush Rough Sawn: Flush panel design. 3 layer, 1-3/8" thick with R6.8 polystyrene insulation sandwiched between two 1/8" thick hardboard skins.

Flush Plywood: Flush panel design. Available in a one sided single layer door (1-3/8" thick), or a 2 sided 3 layer door (1-5/8" thick) with plywood skins and a polystyrene core. Limited to 10’ wide.

Flush RS Plywood: Flush panel made with Breckenridge plywood. Available in a one sided single layer door (1-1/2" thick), or a 2 sided 3 layer (1-3/4" thick) with plywood skins and a polystyrene core. Also limited to 10' wide.

General Garage Doors Carriage Style Wood:

Avalon: Traditional stile and rail construction. 1-3/8" thick, with either luan mahogany plywood panels, beaded pine plywood panels, or V-groove cedar raised panels. 1 year warranty.

Cambridge: Flush panel design with a composite overlay. 4 layer construction (including the overlay), with hardboard panels and an R6.0 polystyrene core. 8 overlay designs, 8 window styles, factory primed and ready for paint.

Jeld-Wen Composite Doors: 3-layer doors with a polystyrene core between wood composite skins that resist moisture, cracking, rotting, sub-zero freezing, desert heat and the sun's ultraviolet rays. 7 designs, 8 window options, 5 year warranty.

Artisan Custom Doors: Custom carriage style wood doors in 2 layer or 4 layer construction. 6 different model lines of stain grade doors, and 4 different model lines of paint grade doors. Artisan uses Spanish Cedar for most of their doors. If you want a one-of-a-kind garage door, they can design and build one for you.

General has the capability to provide custom sizes to fit odd size openings, add windows, and add insulation to some models if required in order to meet the customer's needs. What many people don't realize is that a customized door will often require custom cables or springs, too. As a manufacturer, General has the knowledge and experience to be able to fabricate custom parts to support their distributors for non-standard installations.

For more information on other garage door companies, go to our Related Pages menu on the right near the top of this page.

* This information is offered for reference only, and is deemed to be reasonably accurate at the time of this writing. Garage Plans Etc. has no affiliation to or relationship with General Garage Doors. Not responsible for omissions or errors. Please refer to the General Doors website or contact the nearest dealer for current specs and information.

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