Sliding door configurations describe how the panels of a sliding door are arranged: how many panels there are, which ones are fixed and which ones slide. Installers, architects and suppliers write them as a short code of O and X letters. O is a fixed panel and X is a sliding panel, so an OXXO sliding door has a fixed panel at each end and two sliding panels in the middle. Learn to read sliding door configurations once and every quote, drawing and product page makes sense.
This guide explains the common sliding door configurations, the opening widths each one suits, how multi-slide doors differ, and what the same opening costs across the six Coetz™ aluminium sliding door ranges. Every price is a real shop price, excluding VAT, in White with 6.38 mm clear laminated safety glass.
Contents
How to read sliding door configurations
The letters are read from left to right as you look at the door. On Coetz™ drawings that view is always from inside the room, so the left of the code is the left of the opening as you stand indoors.
- O = fixed panel. It is glazed and sealed into the frame and never moves.
- X = sliding panel. It runs on rollers along the bottom track and slides past its neighbour.
- The number of letters is the panel count. OX is a 2 panel sliding door, OXXO is a 4 panel sliding door, and OXXXXO is a 6 panel sliding door.
A sliding panel always parks behind or in front of another panel, so it never swings into the room or out onto the patio. That is why sliding doors suit spaces where a hinged door would hit furniture, a braai area or a walkway.
The four standard sliding door configurations
OX – the 2 panel sliding door
One fixed panel and one sliding panel. It is the simplest layout and the most affordable, suited to openings from 1 500 to 3 000 mm wide. Check the product drawing to see which side slides, and think about where you walk out and where the furniture goes before you order. Half of the opening is usable when the door is open.
OXX – the 3 panel sliding door
One fixed panel and two sliding panels, for openings from about 1 800 to 4 500 mm wide. The two sliding panels stack behind the fixed panel, so about two thirds of the opening clears. A 3 panel sliding door is a good choice where one side of the opening is close to a wall and you want both sliding panels to park on that side.
OXXO – the 4 panel sliding door
Two fixed outer panels and two sliding panels in the centre. This is the most popular of the sliding door configurations for living-room openings from 3 000 to 6 000 mm wide. An OXXO sliding door opens from the middle: each centre panel slides outwards behind the fixed panel on its side, so you walk out through the centre of the opening.
OXXXXO – the 6 panel sliding door
Two fixed outer panels and four sliding panels that part from the centre, for wide openings from 4 500 to 7 500 mm. An OXXXXO sliding door gives a large, symmetrical opening without one enormous, heavy panel: each pair of sliding panels stacks towards the fixed panel on its side.
Multi-slide sliding door configurations: XX, XXX and XXXX
Multi-slide sliding door configurations have no fixed pane in the opening. Every panel slides, so the panels can all be stacked to one side and open far more of the wall than a conventional slider that has to park behind a fixed pane. The code has no O at all: a 2 panel multi-slide door is XX and a 4 panel one is XXXX.
At Coetz™ the Premier Multi and Horizon ranges are multi-slide systems, in 2, 3, 4 and 6 panel layouts. They cost more than an OXXO door of the same size because every panel is a moving panel. For a deeper look at stacking layouts and threshold planning, see aluminium stacking doors.
Choosing between sliding door configurations
Start with the opening width, then decide how much of it you want open.
- Measure the opening. Use the finished opening, not the brickwork estimate – see how to measure aluminium doors.
- Match the width to a panel count. Under 3 000 mm usually means 2 or 3 panels; 3 000 to 6 000 mm suits a 4 panel sliding door; 4 500 mm and wider suits 6 panels.
- Decide where you walk through. OX and OXX open to one side; OXXO and OXXXXO open from the centre.
- Decide how much opening you need. A conventional slider opens about half of the wall. If you want almost the whole wall open, choose a multi-slide configuration, or compare sliding doors vs folding doors.
- Check the drawing on the product. Every Coetz™ product shows the panels as viewed from inside, so you can confirm which panels slide before you pay.
When you compare sliding door configurations, more panels are not automatically better. Each extra panel adds a meeting stile (the vertical frame where two panels overlap), which narrows the view slightly and adds rollers to maintain.
Sliding door sizes in South Africa
Sliding door configurations are tied to the width of the opening. Coetz™ aluminium sliding doors are made to order in standard catalogue widths from 1 500 to 7 500 mm and heights of 2 100, 2 400 or 2 700 mm (2 700 mm on the Premier, Premier Multi, Horizon and Elite ranges). The actual frame is 10 mm smaller than the catalogue size in each direction, which leaves room to fit it into the opening.
| Configuration | Code | Opening width | Panels that slide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 panel sliding door | OX | 1 500 – 3 000 mm | 1 |
| 3 panel sliding door | OXX | 1 800 – 4 500 mm | 2 |
| 4 panel sliding door | OXXO | 3 000 – 6 000 mm | 2 |
| 6 panel sliding door | OXXXXO | 4 500 – 7 500 mm | 4 |
| Multi-slide | XX to XXXXXX | 1 500 – 7 500 mm | All |
What sliding door configurations cost
Sliding door configurations change the price far less than the range does. Here is the same 3 600 × 2 100 mm opening, as a 4 panel sliding door, across all six ranges:
| Range | Configuration | Price (excl. VAT, White) |
|---|---|---|
| Patio | OXXO | R11 878 |
| StormSeal | OXXO | R20 119 |
| Elite | OXXO | R23 355 |
| Premier | OXXO | R26 117 |
| Horizon | XXXX (multi-slide) | R29 161 |
| Premier Multi | XXXX (multi-slide) | R34 040 |
Prices are as at 19 October 2026; the shop and the online estimator always show the current price. Bronze and Charcoal cost the same as White, Black costs about 10% more, and Natural Anodised about 20% more where the range offers it (it is not offered on Horizon, Elite or StormSeal).
Glass, colours and supply
Every Coetz™ sliding door, in all sliding door configurations, is glazed with 6.38 mm clear laminated safety glass. The exceptions are our Patio sliding doors and a few large Elite sliding door sizes, which use toughened safety glass. Large glass doors fall under the safety-glazing rules in SANS 10400-N, and laminated glass meets that requirement because the interlayer holds the glass together if it breaks. The South African Bureau of Standards publishes the standard.
Coetz™ supplies aluminium sliding doors nationwide, made to order in 1–2 days. We supply only, so your builder or installer fits the door. Browse every range on the aluminium sliding doors page, and keep the rollers running smoothly with our guide to aluminium sliding door rollers.
Automatic sliding doors use the same idea
Commercial automatic doors use sliding door configurations too: fixed side screens with sliding leaves between them, usually two leaves that part from the centre like an OXXO layout. The difference is that a motor and sensors open the leaves for you. MC Automations, our parent company, supplies and installs automatic sliding doors – see automatic sliding doors in South Africa.
Sliding door configurations: frequently asked questions
What are the most common sliding door configurations?
The most common sliding door configurations are OX (2 panel), OXX (3 panel), OXXO (4 panel) and OXXXXO (6 panel), plus multi-slide layouts such as XXXX where every panel slides.
What does OXXO mean on a sliding door?
OXXO means a 4 panel sliding door with a fixed panel at each end (O) and two sliding panels in the centre (X). The two centre panels slide outwards, so the door opens from the middle.
What is an OXXXXO sliding door?
An OXXXXO sliding door is a 6 panel sliding door with two fixed outer panels and four sliding panels that part from the centre. It suits wide openings from 4 500 to 7 500 mm.
Is a 3 panel or 4 panel sliding door better?
Neither is better in general. A 3 panel sliding door (OXX) opens to one side and suits openings up to about 4 500 mm; a 4 panel sliding door (OXXO) opens from the centre and suits 3 000 to 6 000 mm. Choose by width and by where you want to walk through.
How do I know which side my sliding door opens?
Read the code as viewed from inside: the X panels slide and the O panels stay put. Every Coetz™ product drawing is viewed from inside too, so check it against your opening, and ask us before you order if you need the sliding panel on the other side.
Do multi-slide doors have a fixed panel?
No. In a multi-slide configuration such as XXXX every panel slides, so all of them can be stacked to one side. Coetz™ offers this in the Premier Multi and Horizon ranges.
Can I get tinted glass in my sliding door?
No. Every Coetz™ aluminium sliding door is supplied with 6.38 mm clear laminated safety glass, whatever the configuration or range.
Related: aluminium sliding door sizes and aluminium sliding door installation.
