Commercial door hardware: the complete guide

The five jobs door hardware does

A useful way to think about any opening is by the job each piece of hardware does. Every commercial door needs something from most of these groups, and a hardware set lists them item by item.

Standards and grades

Commercial hardware is tested to the ANSI/BHMA A156 series of standards, published by the Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association. Each product type has its own standard: hinges, bored locks, mortise locks, exit devices, closers, electric strikes and so on. Most standards rate products in grades, with Grade 1 the most durable. Grade 1 is the usual choice for commercial work with heavy traffic, and lower grades show up on light-duty interior doors.

Finishes are standardized too. A BHMA finish number such as 626 (satin chrome) means the same thing from every manufacturer, which is how a hinge from one company and a lockset from another end up matching. See door hardware finishes for the codes.

The three codes every opening has to meet

Hardware selection is constrained by three overlapping sets of rules. Most problems on a project come from one of them being missed on one opening.

• Fire protection. Doors in rated walls are fire door assemblies under NFPA 80: they must be self-closing and positive latching, and every component must suit the listing. See fire-rated doors and hollow metal frames.
• Egress. The building code controls how people get out: when panic hardware is required, how many operations it takes to open a door, and when a door can be electrically locked. See exit devices and classroom security locks.
• Accessibility. The 2010 ADA Standards set hardware height, operability, opening force and closing speed on accessible routes. See ADA door requirements.

These rules interact. A closer that satisfies the fire code may be too stiff for accessibility, and a lock that satisfies security may break egress. Checking every opening against all three at once is the core of a good specification.

How hardware gets specified

On a commercial project, door hardware is specified in Section 08 71 00 of the project manual. The architect's door schedule lists every opening and assigns each one a hardware set number. The hardware section then defines each set: every item, its function, finish and quantity. Keying is usually settled later in a keying meeting with the owner, using a master key system.

Getting the details right on paper matters because hardware is a long-lead item and depends on the door and frame preps. Wrong handing, a lock function that does not fit how a room is used, or a frame prepped for the wrong hinge each turn into weeks of delay once the order is placed.

1. List every opening from the plans, not just the old schedule.
2. Group openings with the same requirements into hardware sets.
3. Check each set against fire, egress and accessibility code.
4. Coordinate electrified openings with the security and electrical drawings.
5. Confirm handing, door thickness and frame preps.
6. Review the supplier's submittal against the specification before release.

Where to start

If you are writing a specification, start with door hardware sets and lockset functions. If you are reviewing a submittal, start with door handing and fire-rated doors. If you want the work done for you, see our door hardware specification and submittal review services.