# What each part of your garage door does

Source: https://garagedoorscience.com/academy/how-your-garage-door-works/what-each-part-does · part of [How your garage door works, and what to do when it does not](https://garagedoorscience.com/academy/how-your-garage-door-works) · 4 min

Stand inside your garage and look up at your door. Most of what you see falls into two groups: the parts that carry the door's weight, and the parts that guide it. Once you know which is which, you know what you can look at yourself and when to call someone.

## The parts that carry the weight

Springs do the heavy lifting. Clopay, a door maker, says the springs, torsion and extension, are responsible for counterbalancing the weight of the door. A spring above the door, mounted on a metal shaft, is a torsion spring. Springs that run alongside the tracks on either side of the door are extension springs.

Cables work with the springs to lift and lower the door safely.

Springs and cables are always a technician's job. Clopay warns that working with garage door springs is extremely dangerous because of the high tension involved, and says to leave cable replacement to the professionals, because getting it wrong can lead to serious injury. You can look at them. Don't touch them. If something there looks wrong, step back and call a technician.

## The parts that guide the door

Tracks are the metal rails the door moves along. They guide the door as it opens and closes.

Rollers are attached to the edges of the door and glide along those tracks. They come in a few kinds: steel for strength, nylon for quieter operation, and polyurethane for durability and less maintenance.

Hinges connect the panels of the door. They play a big role in how the door bends as it opens and closes.

To see every part in one place, the Garage Door Anatomy lab below shows the door in 3D. Click any part to see what it does, how it wears, and when to call a pro.

## Try this

Take a photo of a part that worries you, from the floor, and try [the photo check](/visual-diagnose). It tells you what it sees, how serious it looks, and whether it is a job for you or a technician.

## Go further

- Lab: [Garage Door Anatomy](https://garagedoorscience.com/labs/garage-door-anatomy)
- Article: [What a garage door actually is: types, parts, and the physics that moves them](https://garagedoorscience.com/blog/what-is-garage-door-types-parts-how-work)

## Sources

- [Find the Right Garage Door Parts for Your Clopay Door](https://www.clopaydoor.com/garage-door-service-and-repair/garage-door-parts)
- [Garage Door Spring Systems: A Buying Guide for Homeowners](https://www.clopaydoor.com/residential/buyingguide/garage-door-spring-system)