What a round vent is
A round gable vent is a circular louver set in the wall at the end of a gable roof. It is the shape most people mean when they say gable vent. The circle is simple, so it reads clearly from the street even when the rest of the wall is quiet.
Spectis molds the frame and the slats in high-density polyurethane. The piece ships factory-primed white and is ready for paint. Polyurethane does not rot, and it cuts and fastens much like wood trim, which is why installers treat it like other exterior millwork rather than like a metal hood.
Where it looks right
Center it under the peak. Colonial, Cape Cod, and farmhouse gables all take a circle well because the roof triangle already frames it. A garage gable can use the same shape when you want one clear accent instead of a pattern of small holes.
Leave a band of siding between the circle and the rake boards. On a steep roof the circle can sit higher in the triangle. On a low roof, a large circle crowds the soffit line, so step down in diameter before you crowd the trim.
Open or closed
Open louvers have slats that pass air. Closed louvers use the same outline with a solid face behind the slats, so they are decorative only. Choose open round gable vents when this opening is part of the attic ventilation plan. Choose closed round gable vents when the attic is already vented another way, or when the wall is over living space and you only want the look of a vent.
The open-or-closed choice is about air, not about the circle. Both versions share the same outline. Read the comparison on the open versus closed page before you order, then confirm the version on the product drawing.
A short sizing note
Rounds are sized by diameter. LOR16, a 16 inch round gable vent is the piece shown here. For appearance only, a circle about one fifth to one quarter of the gable width is a common starting point. That rule is a look, not a ventilation calculation. Use the sizing page to see the range on your wall, then match the listed overall size to the wall, not to a rough opening you have not measured.
Pair it with
Pair a plain round with simple rake boards and a modest window head. If the door or the porch already uses a keystone, look at a round with keystones instead of adding a keystone only to the vent. A smaller round on a dormer can repeat the circle without matching the main gable diameter. See how the piece goes on the wall in the install overview.