Design Hardware Full Surface Offset - Heavy Duty Continuous Geared Hinges

A full surface hinge like the Design Hardware full surface offset geared hinge mounts on the face of the door and frame, so no mortising is needed and the existing hinge prep can stay as it is. That makes it the choice for retrofit work and for frames you do not want to machine. Full mortise geared hinges, such as the ABH A120HD or the Pemko FM-RG Series, recess into the edge of the door and the frame rabbet for a flush look, but they need the prep cut. Design Hardware builds both types in this heavy duty line.

No handing to specify. The full surface offset geared hinge is non-handed as supplied, so one part number works on either swing. Handing only becomes a factor if the hinge is cut down in the field, since a cut piece is no longer symmetrical and has to be oriented the way it was trimmed. For a fleet of doors with mixed swings, that means a single SKU and finish covers all of them.

That is the reason to go continuous. The Design Hardware full surface offset hinge runs the full height of the door and spreads the load along the entire leaf instead of concentrating it at three or four butt locations, which is where sag and screw pull-out start. It carries 32 self lubricating concealed bearings per hinge and is rated heavy duty for commercial use. Self lubricating means no periodic oiling in the maintenance rotation.

The BEST 664HD is the nearest straight equivalent: a heavy duty full surface continuous geared hinge, matching the Design Hardware full surface offset hinge's heavy duty rating. The Design Hardware hinge is built on 6063 T6 aluminum alloy with 32 self lubricating concealed bearings per hinge and stock lengths of 83 inches and 95 inches. The BEST 664HD carries a 90-minute UL fire rating, so on a labeled opening it is the one to specify. NGP HD5700 is another full surface geared hinge, sized at 83 inches with a 1/16 inch door inset for 1-3/4 inch to 2-1/4 inch doors.

Specify a hinge that carries the fire label. BEST 664HD is a heavy duty full surface continuous geared hinge with a 90-minute UL fire rating, and BEST 663HD is a heavy duty continuous hinge, 90 minute UL fire rated, for 3/32 inch inset doors. On the NGP side, HD5700 (full surface, 83 inch), HD5400A (half surface, 83 inch) and HD1100A (concealed, 83 inch) all carry a 10C fire rating at 90 minutes on hollow metal. Match the mounting type to the existing prep as well as the label.

Go to a full mortise continuous geared hinge, which mounts into the edge prep rather than over the face. Pemko FM-RG Series is a Grade 1 aluminum full mortise raised geared continuous hinge with a 180-degree swing. Pemko CFM84SLF-HD1 is an 84 inch full mortise short leaf flush hinge, Grade 1 and heavy duty, and Pemko FM-SLF is a Grade 1 short leaf flush geared hinge for 1-3/8 inch doors. ABH A120HD is a heavy duty aluminum full mortise continuous gear hinge with Easy Install Technology, in the A120HD Series.

No. A full surface hinge mounts on the face of both the door and the frame; a half surface hinge mounts on the door face but mortises into the frame, so the frame prep is different and the two are not interchangeable on the same opening. ABH A460HD is a heavy duty aluminum continuous gear hinge, half surface, rated to 450 lbs capacity in the A460HD Series, and NGP HD5400A is an 83 inch half surface continuous geared hinge in aluminum alloy. Confirm which face the existing prep is cut for before ordering either one against the Design Hardware full surface offset hinge.

It is listed to ANSI A156.2 and ANSI A156.7. A156.7 is the ANSI/BHMA standard covering template hinge dimensions, and A156.2 covers bored and preassembled locks; both designations are what Design Hardware publishes for this heavy duty geared hinge line. Hole patterns are templated, so the prep matches published template dimensions rather than being laid out by hand.

The extrusion here is 6063 T6 aluminum alloy, a structural temper, not a soft architectural grade, and the hinge is rated heavy duty. Aluminum also does not rust, which matters on an exterior opening. If your job spec calls for steel or stainless instead, the BEST 651 is a stainless steel full mortise continuous hinge and the BEST 641 is steel, though both are rated medium duty rather than heavy.

That is the case for a full surface hinge. Because the Design Hardware full surface offset geared hinge screws to the face of the door and the frame, you are not cutting a mortise into the door edge or the frame rabbet, which keeps a retrofit on an occupied building down to removing the old butts and mounting the new hinge to the templated hole pattern. Full mortise geared hinges require that edge prep.

Pemko FM-SLF is a short leaf flush continuous geared hinge built for 1-3/8 inch doors with Grade 1 construction, mounted full mortise. On the thicker side, NGP HD5700 is an 83 inch full surface continuous geared hinge with a 1/16 inch door inset covering 1-3/4 inch to 2-1/4 inch doors, and BEST 663HD is a heavy duty 90 minute UL fire rated continuous hinge for 3/32 inch inset doors. Measure the door thickness and the inset at the hinge edge before selecting.

Pemko DSH1000 is an anti-barricade continuous hinge with 100-degree bidirectional operation, Grade 1, which lets the door swing either direction so an occupant cannot block it shut. That is a purpose-built safety application and not something a standard geared hinge addresses. ABH A135HD is a heavy duty aluminum continuous gear hinge with safety design, in the A135 Series.

They are different mounting types. A concealed continuous hinge such as the NGP HD1100A, an 83 inch heavy-duty unit, is hidden when the door is closed; the Design Hardware full surface offset geared hinge mounts on the face of the door and frame and remains visible, available in 626 satin chrome and 613 satin bronze oil-rubbed. If the spec was driven by appearance or by a concealed prep already cut into the frame, stay with the concealed hinge; if the spec was driven by load and the face is open, the full surface hinge is heavy duty with 32 self lubricating concealed bearings per hinge.

On a low traffic interior door, butts do the job. The case for continuous is traffic and abuse: a full height geared hinge distributes load along the whole leaf, which is what stops sag on entrances, stairwells, restrooms and any door under a closer that gets slammed. The Design Hardware full surface offset hinge is specified commercial and heavy duty, so it is aimed at that traffic rather than at a private office.

No greasing schedule. The bearings in the Design Hardware full surface offset hinge are self lubricating and concealed within the extrusion, 32 of them per hinge, so they are not exposed to dirt and do not get added to a PM rotation the way a pinned butt hinge with exposed bearings can be.