Louver Applications

Architectural Wall Louvers are used to allow air into a building, while keeping out undesirable elements from mother nature like rain, water, dirt, and debris. They also add the extra element of aesthetic design to a building exterior. Use your air intake or ventilation requirements to improve the look of any building.

Use the following methods to select the right louver for your application:

Common Criteria :	Ask Yourself :
Select by Application	What will the louvers need to do?
Select by Free Area	How much air needs to go through the louvers?
Select by Price Range	How do the louver prices compare?
Other Considerations	What about appearance, wall depth and type, special shapes, mounting options, and finishes?

louver house louver round

Use the Following table to select the correct louver type for your application:

Louver Application	Louver Type	Model
Decorative, Air Exhaust, Ventilation	Standard Blade Louvers	E2JS E4JS
Highest Free Area (69%)	Narrow Blade Louvers	E6JN
Lower Pressure Drop, High Air Exhaust Velocity	Standard Blade Louvers (Performance Series)	E4JP E6JP
Air Intake or High Wind Areas	Drainable Blade Louvers	E2DS E4DS
Air Intake, High Wind, Low Pressure Drop, High Air Intake Velocity	Drainable Blade Louver (Performance Series)	E4DP E6DP
Extreme Weather, Air Exhaust or Open Ventilation	Wind Driven Rain Louver	E4WS
Extreme Weather, Extreme Intake Air Velocity	Wind Driven Rain Louver	E2WV E4WH E6WH
Extreme Wind, Decorative, Air Intake and Exhaust	Hurricane Standard Blade Louver	E6JF
Extreme Wind, Extreme Weather	Hurricane Wind Driven Rain Louver	E6WF

Equipment Screen Application	Louver Type	Model
Full visual screening from horizontal sight line or below, blades horizontal	Inverted Standard Blade Louvers	V2KS V2KSD V4JS V4JSD
Full visual Screening from all angles, blades horizontal	Sight Proof Blade Louvers	V4YH V4YHD
Full visual Screening from all angles, blades vertical	Sight Proof Blade Louvers	V4YV
Full to partial visual screening from horizontal sight line, excellent wind load reduction on structural framing, blades horizontal	Inverted Narrow Standard Blades at 3", 4" or 5" blade spacing	V6JN

Select the louver models by free area:

Table is based on a test size of 48" wide x 48" high for comparison purposes:

Product Model	Free Area	First Point of Water Penetration (free area velocity)	Overall Performance (C.F.M.)	Pressure Loss at this velocity (inches water gauge)
E6JN	69.1%	915 fpm	9014 cfm	0.12
E4DP	59.3%	930 fpm	8826 cfm	0.12
E4JP	58.4%	960 fpm	8976 cfm	0.13
E6DP	57.7%	1046 fpm	9655 cfm	0.13
E6JP	57.3%	1123 fpm	10298 cfm	0.18
E4DS	56.0%	930 fpm	8333 cfm	0.13
E4WS	56.0%	346 fpm	3100 cfm	0.02
E6JF	54.4%	1020 fpm	8884 cfm	0.18
E2WV	53.8%	889 fpm	7645 cfm	0.24
E6WH	51.4%	>1250 fpm	10275 cfm	0.21
E6WF	51.1%	>1081 fpm	8832 cfm	0.14
E4WH	50.6%	>1250 fpm	10113 cfm	0.25
E4JS	50.4%	888 fpm	7157 cfm	0.15
E2DS	49.4%	889 fpm	7032 cfm	0.12
E2JS	48.7%	725 fpm	5648 cfm	0.08

What does all this data mean?

More about Louver Free Area

Select the louver models by price:

Product Model	Price Compare*
E4JS	Least Expensive
E2JS	5% more than E4JS
E4DS	10% more than E4JS
E2DS	10% more than E4JS
E4WS	12% more than E4JS
E4JP	15% more than E4JS
E4DP	25% more than E4JS
E6JP	30% more than E4JS
E6DP	35% more than E4JS
E6JF	35% more than E4JS
E6JN	40% more than E4JS
E2WV	50% more than E4JS
E4WH	95% more than E4JS
E6WH	120% more than E4JS
E6WF	125% more than E4JS

*Price values are for comparison purposes only. Actual quotation prices may vary depending on the sizes required and the options selected.

Consider these other factors:

The louver appearance should play a significant role in louver selection. It is often ignored in favor of "function over form". However, with so many high performance louvers available the appearance can play a significant role. For example, if your louver heights are small, you will want a narrow blade spacing. This will allow more blades in the frame and improve the appearance. Below are our louver blade spacings listed by model:

Product Model	Blade Spacing	Frame Depth	Wall Depth
E2WV	0.75" vertical	2"	>3.5"
E2JS	2.00"	2"	>3.5"
E2DS	2.00"	2"	>3.5"
E4JP	3.00"	4"	>5.5"
E4DP	3.00"	4"	>5.5"
E4DS	4.25"	4"	>5.5"
E4WS	4.25"	4"	>5.5"
E4JS	5.00"	4"	>5.5"
E6JN	3.00"	6"	>7.5"
E6JP	4.00"	6"	>7.5"
E6DP	4.00"	6"	>7.5"
E6JF	4.00"	6"	>7.5"
E4WH	2.00"	4"	>5.5"
E6WH	4.25"	6"	>7.5"
E6WF	4.00"	6"	>7.5"

Special shape louver suggestions: best choice E4JP

Use non-drainable louvers (models with J blades)- since drainable louvers have a gutter in the jambs, they will not drain properly when used for many of the special shapes. To view common special shapes click here.
Use narrow blade spacings - the appearance will be more uniform (especially in short height louvers). E4JP and E2JS
Use high free area louvers - many of the special shapes have restricted free areas due to angles or rounding. A higher free area louver will help combat this loss of free space. E4JP and E6JP

Review the impact of special shapes on Louver Free Area

Go to list of industry links