ANSI/DASMA 102 - Specifications for Sectional Overhead-Type Doors

When a manufacturer says a garage door is built to standard, ANSI/DASMA 102 is usually the standard they mean. It sets minimum specifications for every major element of a sectional overhead door: sections, track, hardware, springs, cables, and the way everything attaches together.

What this standard says

ANSI/DASMA 102-2018 is the base product specification for sectional overhead-type doors. The standard defines:

"This standard specifies requirements for construction, performance, and testing of sectional overhead doors for residential and commercial applications, including materials, hardware, and design loads."

The standard covers section construction, including steel gauge and wood thickness. It sets track profiles and radii, hinge and roller specifications, and spring attachment requirements. Cable drum specs and minimum design load ratings are also included. Hardware attachment points are defined so that components from compliant manufacturers fit together at the key connection locations.

ANSI/DASMA 102-2018 is the 2018 revision. Earlier editions governed older installations. When a home inspector references "DASMA 102 compliance," they mean the edition current at the time of manufacture.

When it applies

ANSI/DASMA 102 applies when:

Selecting a door. Most major manufacturers design their residential and commercial sectional doors to meet ANSI/DASMA 102 minimums. A door that meets the standard has been built to a defined set of specifications for materials and attachment.

Specifying hardware. Track dimensions and hinge bolt patterns in ANSI/DASMA 102 allow components from different DASMA-member manufacturers to work together. A track from one brand may fit a door from another if both are 102-compliant. This matters for replacement hardware sourcing.

Verifying a door after the fact. A home inspector or buyer's engineer checking whether an existing door meets current industry specifications starts with ANSI/DASMA 102. For example, a 2005-vintage door would be evaluated against the edition of 102 in effect at time of manufacture.

Commercial specifications. Architects and specifiers writing project manuals for commercial buildings commonly reference ANSI/DASMA 102 as the required standard for sectional doors.

What this means for you

For a replacement door in Denver: ask your contractor to confirm the new door is manufactured to ANSI/DASMA 102. Most doors from major brands meet this automatically, but it is worth confirming on custom orders or lower-cost imports.

For a permit submittal: if Denver CPD asks for structural documentation, a door spec sheet that references ANSI/DASMA 102 covers the product-specification question. Add the wind load rating from ANSI/DASMA 108 testing to complete the submittal.

For hardware replacement: use parts from a DASMA-member manufacturer that specifies ANSI/DASMA 102 compliance. This ensures the parts fit and perform to the same standard as the original hardware.

G Brothers stocks hardware from manufacturers that build to ANSI/DASMA 102 and can match replacement parts to your existing door.

Full text and source

ANSI/DASMA 102-2018 is published by the Door and Access Systems Manufacturers Association. The standard document is available at https://www.dasma.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/ANSIDASMA102.pdf.

ANSI/DASMA 102 covers product specifications for the door assembly. Structural wind-load performance testing is a separate standard: ANSI/DASMA 108. Counterbalance system requirements are covered in ANSI/DASMA 103.