Window headers are essentially what the name implies: they are the crosspiece portion of a window frame that is mounted across the top above the window itself. They are also known as crossheads in the industry and they are manufactured in a variety of styles and designs.


Like other housing construction products and like much of the window framing on the market today, many window headers are molded from a synthetic material such as polyurethane. This material is suitable for indoor or outdoor installation, takes paint easily and is more durable than wood in adverse weather conditions.

Traditional window headers are designed in various heights, rising up to fourteen inches above the top of the window. At the top of the piece is a protruding crest, usually two inches in depth. Most are traditional designs with stepped undersides that reach up to a lip with a flat top. They are mitered at the corners and there are short extensions matching the face of the window header that extend back to the wall.

• Window headers may vary in height from six to fourteen inches, rising well above the top of the glass and extending the window frame up the wall.

• Some window headers have trim along the base as well, narrow extensions that are just above the top of the glass.

• Other designs include additional décor such as dentril trim, a narrow ornamental weave that usually is positioned just under the extending top of the header.

• Not all window headers are straight horizontal designs. There are arched designs, and straight designs with arches milled into the flat surface between the base and the top of the piece.

• Some window headers fall into the “narrow” category; that means that the extension at the top is one inch in depth instead of two.

• There are also custom versions available for odd sized windows or situations where the header needs to match some other component in a remodel job.