Reese Part Numbers Explained: Product ID, Finish and Insert Letters, F- Prefix and Lengths

Reese Enterprises, Inc. identifies its thresholds, weatherstrips and door bottoms by short codes such as S205A, S483DPR, 323C or DB595DF. This page shows how to read them as Reese prints them in its 2024 Door Hardware Catalog and on reeseusa.com, and how our product pages show them.

How a Reese part number is built

Reese's product pages show a PRODUCT ID, such as S483, and page 3 of the catalog, "Index by Product Number", lists the IDs with their pages. In Reese's ordering examples the finish letter follows the ID and the insert letter comes last. On page 16, under "Examples for ordering", S485DV is "S485, Dark bronze, grey, Vinyl insert" and S485DP is "S485, Dark bronze, Pile insert".

Neither the catalog nor the Reese pages we read explain the letters at the start of IDs such as S205, DB595, DS75, M35, E1 or TMR8, so read them as part of the ID. Check the whole ID in the index: S2058 is its own saddle on page 10 (5/8 inch high, where S205 is 1/2 inch), not S205 with an 8 added. Reese 628 and 629 are self-adhesive strips (page 29), not finish codes.

Finish and insert letters (catalog page 4)

Page 4 gives the key under MATERIAL DESIGNATIONS:

• Where the catalog prints a label next to a number, read that label: pages 24, 29 and 42 print "797B Black" and "797W White", so B there is black, not brass, although the footer of the same pages reads "B Architectural brass".
• Not every product comes in every finish: Reese's S483 page lists two colors, its 323 page seven. For the brass S205B, page 10 notes: "S205B does not have center legs".
• Not every number has an insert letter. Reese lists one insert for the 323 (Neoprene) and one for the 855 (Polyprene); the numbers 323C and 855A carry none.
• In S483AS the last S is the silicone insert; the first S belongs to the ID.

The key gives no BHMA finish numbers, and we add none; our finish codes chart explains BHMA numbers in general. Reese astragals such as 86AP and 86AV are covered in our astragal guide.

Which insert Reese ships when no insert letter is given

Reese prints this per page:

• Page 16, panic thresholds: "Vinyl insert shipped if no insert specified". The insert options listed for the S483 and S257 are U, V, PR and S, and Reese's S483 installation instructions list "V- Vinyl (standard)".
• Page 37, door shoes and extenders DB591 to DB600: suffix F gives a vinyl insert with fingers, P a pile insert and U a smooth polyurethane insert, and "ORDERS WITH NO SUFFIX WILL AUTOMATICALLY RECEIVE FINGERED VINYL INSERTS." So DB595DF is the DB595 in dark bronze with fingered vinyl.

For other products, check the Available Inserts line on Reese's page for the ID.

The F- prefix

Page 3 and the odd pages from 5 to 43 carry the line "To receive UL label on parts, add prefix 'F-' when ordering". Page 5, headed "Fire Rated Weatherstrips and Thresholds", lists products by type and says: "Materials are not shipped with the UL label unless specified by ordering with the prefix 'F-'."

Two other F's are different: the F at the end of DB595DF is the fingered vinyl insert, and FBR555, printed FBR-555 on page 11, is a fiberglass threshold. Our product pages list Reese numbers without the F- prefix; if your project calls for labeled parts, contact us before you order.

Lengths and sizes in a Reese number

4,176 of our 4,358 Reese pages are profiles offered in six lengths, one page per length: 36, 48, 60, 72, 84 and 96 inches. Some numbers on our pages carry a size or option after a hyphen:

• 797B-17: Reese lists the 797 in 17, 19, 21, 25 and 500 foot rolls (pages 24, 29 and 42). Our 797B-17 page gives a length of 204 inches, which is 17 feet.
• 320C-36: Reese's 320 page lists order lengths from 24 to 48 inches and a profile of 17/32 x 2-5/32 inches. Our 320C-36 page shows a length of 36 inches.
• 1032A-AN-36: page 43 adds -AN for alternating notches in the fins of the Dark-AN door bottoms, with the example 1032A (no notches) and 1032A-AN (alternating notches). Our page shows a length of 36 inches.

How our product pages show a Reese number

The Specifications table on our 96 inch S483DPR page reads:

The Finish field names the insert after the finish, and our own part number adds the length (RSE_S483DPR96IN). Reese's page for the same Product ID, such as S483, shows the profile size, Available Inserts and AVAILABLE COLORS. If a figure on our page differs from Reese's, follow Reese and contact us before you order.

Reese S205A, 323C, 797B and other numbers decoded

Reese products at The Builders Supply

The Products menu on reeseusa.com has five groups: Weatherstrips, Thresholds, Door Bottoms, Mats & Grates and Hospitality Line. Our Reese brand page lists 4,358 products. Counted by the product type in their names, about 1,910 are thresholds, 1,570 weatherstrips and 870 door bottoms, Hospitality Line items included; we list no Reese mats or grates.

• Thresholds (our Thresholds category): S205A saddle (36 inch), S483DPR panic threshold (96 inch)
• Weatherstrips (Gasketing, Sweeps & Weatherstripping): 855A hardware compatible (36 inch), 797B-17 self-adhesive
• Door bottoms (same category): 323C door sweep (36 inch), DB595DF door shoe (36 inch), 320C-36 automatic door bottom
• Hospitality Line: 1032A-AN-36 Dark-AN door bottom

Not sure how to read the number on an old Reese part? Our customer support team is available Monday - Friday, 8 AM - 4 PM Central Time, at 1-888-800-7789 or [email protected].