The information on door hinges below applies to hinges for residential homes and not for commercial applications.

Architectural Door Hinges

The hinges on our website that we call "Architectural Hinges" are the ones most people want to use when upgrading the hardware in their home or when installing new custom doors. Architectural hinges are a higher quality hinge, made of heavier grade material than Residential hinges. They are available in all hinge sizes from 3" x 3" up to 6" x 6" and larger. Architectural hinges are available in a wider choice of finishes than are Residential hinges. They are also available with an NRP feature (NRP means non-removeable pin). An Architectural hinge with NRP is recommended on a door which swings outward. An outward swinging door has its hinge pins exposed and can be removed by unauthorized persons. When you upgrade existing hinges from Residential grade to Architectural grade keep in mind that you must increase the mortise depth on the door and jamb because Architectural hinges are thicker.

Architectural Ball Bearing Door Hinges

An upgrade to the plain bearing Architectural Hinge is the Ball Bearing Architectural Hinge. Hinges do wear out over time. Heavier doors and wider doors put more stress on the hinges and they tend to wear on the hinge knuckles. The ball bearings are placed between the knuckles to reduce friction. Ball bearing hinges increase the life of the hinge, tend not to make a creaking sound, make the door easier to open and are a good choice anytime a door closer is used.

Residential Door Hinges

Residential Hinges are the door hinges that are used in most tract type housing today. They are lighter in weight and they are only available in a limited number of sizes and finishes. They are generally only available in 3 sizes (3" x 3", 3-1/2" x 3-1/2", and 4" x 4"). They are best used in lightweight doors.

How to Determine the Correct Number of Hinges per Door

DOOR HEIGHT	NUMBER OF HINGES
Up to 60"	2 hinges
Over 60" and less than 80"	3 hinges
Over 80" and less than 97"	4 hinges
Over 97" and less than 109"	5 hinges
Over 109"	6 hinges

How to Determine the Correct Size of Door Hinge to Use

DOOR THICKNESS	WIDTH OF DOOR	HINGE SIZE
1-3/8"	To 36"	3-1/2" x 3-1/2"
1-3/4"	To 36"	4" x 4"
2"	To 36"	4-1/2" x 4-1/2"
2/1/4" to 2-3/4"	36" to 48"	5" x 5"
Over 2-3/4"	36" to 48"	6" x 6"
For extremely heavy doors		6" x 6" Heavyweight

Comparison of Architectural Door Hinges and Residential Door Hinges

The above comparison between Architectural and Residential hinges is a general guideline. Some hinge manufacturers may use slightly different thicknesses, screwhole patterns, etc.

Location of Butt Hinges on the Door

The top hinge should be located 5" from the rabbet in the door frame (measure to the top of the hinge barrel). The bottom hinge should be located 10" from the finished floor (measure to the bottom of the hinge barrel). This is the U.S. Standards procedure. Certain western states use as a standard 7" from the top and 11" from the bottom. The third hinge should be centered between the top and the bottom hinges.

Location of Door Hinge in Door Jamb

Door Hinges for Special Situations

Swing Clear Hinges are used whenever a door is required to swing completely clear of the openings so that wide equipment (for example wheel chairs) can pass through.

Wide Throw Hinges position the door out further when it is open than conventional hinges. They are used when a door is set back in a reveal (or where a door has a wide door jamb) and is required to open 180 degrees.

  Swing Clear Door Hinge              Wide Throw Door Hinge