See through the door — without compromise on style.
Circular, racetrack, square and rectangular vision panels. Eight finishes. Fire-rated glass options. Made to order in Nottingham.
A glazed window through the door — where visibility matters most.
Door vision panels are glazed sections fitted into commercial doors to give visibility, daylight and supervision without opening the door. They prevent corridor collisions in schools, allow staff to monitor wards and classrooms in hospitals and care settings, bring borrowed light into windowless offices, and meet the supervision requirements of fire-rated doorsets.
Every Ash vision panel is made to order in our Nottingham workshop. Frames are formed in 304 stainless steel or solid brass, machined for your exact door depth, and supplied with the glass and intumescent seals appropriate to the door specification.
Four shapes, one workshop.
Choose the geometry that suits the door, the space and the building. Each shape is available across the finish library and made to your door depth.
Six metal finishes, infinitely specifiable.
The same panel, six characters. Match the frame to your handles, hinges and plates for a coherent ironmongery schedule across the doorset.
Satin Stainless
Antique Brass
Polished Brass
Bronze Patina
Polished Copper
Antique Copper
Manufactured with materials specified to resist fire.
Ash supplies the frame, glass and seal combination appropriate to the door rating. Final fire performance depends on installation and door certification; specify the fire rating with your enquiry.
30-minute fire resistance
Pyroguard fire-rated glass, 40-min intumescent gasket and 304 stainless steel frame for FD30-rated doorsets.
60-minute fire resistance
Upgraded Pyroguard glazing and 60-min intumescent gasket for FD60 applications in escape and protected routes.
Fire-resistant materials
Built with fire-resistant materials suited to door and shutter assemblies. Fire performance of the completed doorset depends on the door, frame and installation.
500–1500mm viewing zone
Approved Document M recommends an unobstructed viewing zone between 500mm and 1500mm above finished floor level.
Specified, installed, in use.
From bold front doors to back-of-house double swings, vision panels deliver supervision and daylight wherever a door divides two spaces.
Entrance door, brick facade
Circular · Retail
Statement entrance
Circular · Public Building
Back-of-house double swing
Circular · Commercial
Twin-porthole detail
Circular · Hospitality
Cut, formed and finished in Nottingham.
Every vision panel frame is fabricated by hand in our Colwick workshop. We cut and form 304 stainless steel and solid brass, machine to your exact door depth, and pair frame with glass and seal to suit the doorset specification.
Because we make each unit to order, there is no minimum quantity and no standard inventory to compromise around. If your door is 44mm or 78mm, we'll machine to it.
Detail-level answers for specifiers.
What sizes of vision panel do you offer? +
Our standard circular vision panel is supplied in three sight sizes covering most school, healthcare and commercial door applications. Racetrack, rectangular and square panels are available in commonly specified architectural sizes. Because every panel is machined to order, we also produce bespoke sight sizes — share your drawing or door schedule with your enquiry and we'll quote a frame to match.
Are Ash vision panels fire-rated? +
We do not test our vision panel assemblies — fire performance depends on the door, frame and installation, which is the responsibility of the door specifier and installer. We do manufacture from materials specified to resist fire: 304 stainless steel (melting point 1375–1530 °C), C2720 brass (melting point 930 °C), Pyroguard FD30 / FD60 fire-rated glass and 40-min or 60-min intumescent gasket putty. Data sheets are available on request.
What's the recommended viewing height? +
Approved Document M of the Building Regulations recommends an unobstructed viewing zone between 500mm and 1500mm above finished floor level on doors located on accessible routes. This accommodates wheelchair users and children alongside standing adults. For schools and healthcare environments, larger panels or paired panels (porthole over rectangle) are often used to span this full zone.
Can vision panels be retrofit to existing doors? +
Yes — vision panels are commonly installed into existing timber doors. A clean rebate is cut to the panel's sight size, the frame is offered up either side, and the assembly is fixed through the door leaf. For fire-rated doors, retrofit must follow the door manufacturer's certified procedure to preserve the fire rating; check the doorset certification before cutting. We can supply CAD details and recommended cut-out dimensions with your order.
What glass do you supply with vision panels? +
Standard panels ship with 6mm toughened safety glass (BS EN 12150). For fire-rated applications we supply Pyroguard fire-resistant glazing — FD30 or FD60 versions to suit the door rating. Optional upgrades include obscured or sandblasted glass for privacy in WCs and consulting rooms, georgian wired glass on heritage replacements, and acoustic-laminated glass on doors between meeting rooms and corridors. Specify glass type with your enquiry.
Specifying a complete doorset?
Pair vision panels with the rest of the schedule.
Send us your door schedule. We'll quote the panels.
Share door depth, shape, finish, fire rating and quantity. We'll come back with a quote and a lead time — typically 2–3 weeks from approval.