Frameless Shower Door Hardware Explained: CRL Hinges, Glass Clamps, U-Channel, Headers and Seals

A title on our C.R. Laurence (CRL) pages such as Geneva 037 Wall Mount Full Back Plate Hinge combines a series, a number and a hinge type. This guide to frameless shower door hardware explains those names for hinges, glass clamps, U-channel, headers, seals and handles, and shows where CRL prints glass thickness, door weight and door width.

CRL shower door hinge types: wall mount, glass-to-glass, pivot

CRL's website lists three kinds of shower door hinge:

• Wall mount hinges - the Back Plate line on CRL's product page reads Full, 'H', Offset or Short. CRL describes the 'H' plate of the Geneva 037 as "allowing the installer to get the glass closer to the wall".
• Glass-to-glass hinges - the page has a Glass To Glass Angle line: 180, 135 or 90.
• Pivot hinges - on the page for the top or bottom mount Prima 01, CRL writes that pivot type hinges "carry the majority of the weight on the bottom".

CRL Geneva hinge numbers: 037, 044, 074, 180, 045, 092

On the Geneva, Pinnacle, Vienna and Cologne pages of CRL's SD21 Frameless Shower Door Hardware catalog the same numbers follow the series prefix (GEN, P1N, V1E, C0L; the last three contain a digit 1 or 0):

This is a selection: the catalog has no Cologne 074 or 580, no Vienna or Cologne 574, and a 545 only for Geneva. CRL's Geneva 537 page calls the pre-set model "Factory Set for 5 Degree Tighter Closure Into Shower Interior", and its website names the Geneva 337, 380 and 345 as adjustable versions. The Pinnacle 037 and Cologne 037 are a full back plate in the catalog and an 'H' back plate on CRL's website, which our titles follow.

Series names: Geneva, Pinnacle, Vienna, Cologne, Plymouth, Prima

What CRL's product pages print for six series named in our titles:

• Geneva - self-centering, solid brass; the Geneva 180 page lists a square edge profile.
• Pinnacle - similar to Geneva, "but with one design change: Pinnacle has radius corners and beveled edges".
• Vienna - "the solution for wider, heavier doors".
• Cologne - similar to Vienna, but with "radius corners and beveled edges".
• Plymouth - for wider, heavier doors "using only two hinges".
• Prima - pivot hinges.

Glass thickness, door weight and door width: CRL's figures

The figures below are CRL's, read from the Glazing Thickness, Maximum Door Weight and Maximum Door Width lines of its product pages on October 11, 2026. They belong to these item numbers only; as the two Vienna rows show, hinges of one series can differ.

All five pages specify "Tempered Safety Glass", and four of them (all but the Plymouth page) also print "Use Monolithic Tempered Glass". All five state that CRL shower door hinges "are designed for residential or hotel shower use".

Glass clamps and CRL shower door U-channel

CRL offers clamps and U-channel to secure a fixed panel; its Traditional U-Clamp page calls Traditional Glass Clamps "a clean looking alternative to U-Channel".

• Fixed panel clamps: the square SGC037 mounts "directly to the wall, ceiling or floor"; CRL lists it for 3/8 to 1/2 inch glass with a 3/4 inch hole.
• Glass-to-glass clamps: the BGC90 joins two fixed panels at 90 degrees, the SGC180 in line.
• No-drill clamps (NDC4): CRL warns "Do not hinge a door off a fixed panel using these Clamps."

This is a selection from catalog page 75. CRL's SDCR38 page says regular channel is "most commonly used on the bottom and side of fixed panels, while the Deep U-Channel is commonly used on top".

Shower door headers

CRL says its Deluxe Header Kit "will provide additional support and a level of safety while securing glass panels not reaching the ceiling". The 95 inch kit page lists a header extrusion, a snap-in filler, vinyl and two wall brackets. The Prima PPH06 hinge, CRL notes, can be used only with its separate EZ-Adjust Header System.

Sweeps, wipes and seals

In these CRL examples the item number changes with the glass thickness:

• Bottom wipe with drip rail: P990WS for 3/8 inch glass, P912WS for 1/2 inch; both pages suggest a 7/16 inch gap.
• Dual durometer PVC seal with wipe, in the catalog: P14WS (1/4 inch glass), P770WS (5/16), P880WS (3/8), P120WS (1/2).

Pull handles, knobs and towel bars

In CRL names, back-to-back and single-sided describe the mounting: on the page for the BPD8 pull, "The Back-to-Back Handle includes a pull for each side of the door". In a combination such as the BM8X24, 8 is the pull handle and 24 the towel bar, both in inches center to center. Knobs use the same words (SDK100: Back-to-Back Shower Door Knobs).

Before you order

1. Glass: compare your glass with the item's Glazing Thickness line. For 5/16 inch glass, CRL's Geneva 037 page requires its separate GEN13 Gasket Pack.
2. Hinges: read the door weight and width CRL prints for two or three hinges.
3. Glass fabrication: CRL's Geneva 037 page warns "Use only the template included with this hinge. Cut-out dimensions for CRL hinges may not match those of other brands."
4. Finish: other finishes of the Geneva 037 have their own item numbers and pages.

For installation follow CRL's instructions.

CRL frameless shower door hardware at The Builders Supply

• Hinges: Geneva 037 wall mount (full back plate), Cologne 180 glass-to-glass, Prima 01 pivot
• Fixed panels: SGC037 square clamp, SDCD38 deep U-channel, Deluxe header kit (95 inch)
• Seals and handles: P990WS bottom wipe with drip rail, BM8X24 pull handle and towel bar
• Shower door hardware and C.R. Laurence products in our catalog

Not sure which CRL item number is which? Our customer support team is available Monday - Friday, 8 AM - 4 PM Central Time, at 1-888-800-7789 or [email protected].