What Is a Hopper Window? Sizes, Uses and Egress Rules

A hopper window is a short, wide window hinged along its bottom edge, so the top tips in toward you. You see it high on a basement wall, over a laundry sink, or in a bathroom. A small chain or arm stops the tilt, so the glass never falls all the way open.

We fit new windows in basements across St. Louis and St. Charles County. Below, I’ll show you how far a hopper reaches into your room, what sizes it comes in, and when I would pick a different style.

What a Hopper Looks Like

A laundry room with three short windows over the sink, the middle one tilted open

A hopper is always wider than it is tall. Picture a short strip of glass near the ceiling. The hinges run along the bottom, and the latch sits at the top.

Open the latch and the top edge tips toward you while the bottom stays put. Air comes in up high, where warm, damp air likes to gather. Because the glass tips in, you can usually reach both sides of it from inside the room.

You will run into a few kinds:

A single hopper in its own frame, the usual small basement window.
A hopper joined to another window, such as a fixed pane, so the two sit in one opening.
A hopper joined to a small fixed unit that a dryer vent passes through, for a basement laundry.
A transom hopper, set above a door or a larger window.

Frames come in vinyl, wood and fiberglass.

If you are weighing new windows for a basement, our page on basement hopper windows shows the ones we fit.

How Far a Hopper Reaches Into Your Room

An open hopper takes up space inside. The top edge leans into the room, so anything below it has to clear the glass.

You can work out how far with simple math. It depends on how tall the glass is and how far it tilts:

Height of the glass	Tilted 30 degrees	Tilted 45 degrees
14 inches	7 inches into the room	about 10 inches
18 inches	9 inches	about 13 inches
24 inches	12 inches	about 17 inches
30 inches	15 inches	about 21 inches

The chain or arm on your window sets the angle. Ask which stop yours has before you put shelves, a dryer or a curtain rod right under it.

I’d check what sits under the window first, because a tall shelf just below it can change which style you should pick.

Hopper Window Sizes

An empty room with a row of short, wide windows set high on the wall

Hoppers are built to fit the hole, so there is no single standard size. Each maker sets its own range.

As of September 2026, one online seller, Wholesale Vinyl Windows, lists its vinyl hoppers from 13 3/4 to 36 inches tall. Widths run from 18 1/4 to 48 inches. Width and height added together cannot pass 68 inches, so a 48 inch wide one from that seller can only be 20 inches tall.

When I measure a basement opening, height decides the most, because it tells you whether a hopper fits. It also tells you whether that room could ever work as a bedroom.

Our hopper window replacement page shows the units we carry.

Hopper or Slider for a Basement?

A hopper is better for a high, short opening you want to air out, and a slider is better for one you have to reach across something.

A slider glides sideways on a track. It opens about half its width, and nothing moves into the room. A hopper tips in from the top. It pulls air in up high, but the glass leans into your space.

Pick a hopper when the opening is short and high, and nothing tall sits under it.
Pick a slider when you have to reach across a washer, dryer or workbench to open it.
Pick a slider when you need every inch of space in front of the wall.

I’d lean toward a slider any time the latch would be hard to reach, because a hopper’s latch sits at the top. That is the hardest spot to reach over a machine. Sliders get their own guide in what is a slider window.

Hopper, Awning or Casement

Each is one hinged piece of glass. Where the hinge sits is the whole difference.

Bottom hinge, tips in: a hopper. Some sellers call it a reverse awning.
Top hinge, swings out: an awning. Rain runs off it, so it can stay open in a storm.
Side hinge, swings out: a casement. It clears almost its whole frame, which matters for a bedroom.

Common Hopper Problems

Most problems with a hopper come from the same thing that makes it handy: the glass tips into your room.

Rain gets in. An open sash will not keep rain out, because it leans toward you and guides water inside.
It bumps into things. Shelves, curtains and blinds can block the glass from opening.
The latch is up high. On a window near the ceiling, you may need a step stool to open it.
The view is small. It is made for air and light, not for looking out.

When I Would Pick Something Else

A hopper is not for these spots, because something else matters more than air up high.

A room that will be a bedroom. Pick a casement, and plan for a bigger opening.
A window you reach across a machine. Pick a slider.
A window you want open during storms. Pick an awning.
A spot with a tall shelf right under it. Pick a slider, or move the shelf.

Can a Hopper Be a Bedroom’s Escape Window?

A finished basement family room with a sofa, a fireplace and small windows set high on the wall

Rarely, because most basement openings are too short for the rules that apply to a bedroom.

If someone will sleep in a basement room, the code asks for a window a person can climb out of. The rules come from Section R310 of the International Residential Code.

The clear opening must be at least 24 inches tall.
It must be at least 20 inches wide.
The sill can be no more than 44 inches above the floor.
The open area must reach 5.7 square feet, with a lower figure allowed for some openings at or below ground.

A hopper struggles on both height and space. The opening it sits in is often shorter than 24 inches. And when the glass tips in, it sits right in the path of anyone climbing out.

If a bedroom is part of your plan, I’d plan for a casement and a larger opening from the start. Cutting a bigger opening is a separate job from swapping the window, and it adds to the cost. Window wells, and how the rules differ from one town to the next, are covered in our basement window guide.

Common Questions

To let fresh air and light into a small space without using up wall room or privacy. It sits high, so people outside can’t easily see in, and it lets damp air out of basements, laundry rooms and bathrooms.

The hinge. A hopper hinges at the bottom and tips in. An awning hinges at the top and swings out, so it keeps rain out while it is open.

It depends on the wall. A hopper suits a short, high opening with nothing tall below it. A slider suits a window you reach across a washer or workbench, since nothing leans into the room.

Rain gets in while it is open, the glass can hit shelves or blinds, and the latch sits at the top, where it can be hard to reach.

No. The glass leans toward you, so it guides water inside. If you want fresh air during a storm, an awning window is the style to pick.

Most are hoppers. You will also hear “cellar window” for any small window set in a foundation. Older houses often have glass block, which lets light in but never opens.

Three Things to Decide Before You Order

First, decide what the room will be. A bedroom changes the whole answer.
Next, look at what sits under the window. That tells you how much room the glass needs.
Then think about weather. If you want the window open in a storm, a hopper is the wrong pick.

Settle those three, and we can help with the rest. Ask for a free in-home estimate, with no cost and no commitment. We will look at each opening with you and tell you which style fits it.

Our work is backed by a 10-year workmanship warranty. We do not repair glass. A cracked pane in a sound frame is a job for a glazier.

Start with our hopper window installation page, request a free estimate, or call 314-277-5952. You can also read what homeowners say on our reviews page.