Design Hardware UL Spring Hinge

Two at minimum on a labeled door, per the NFPA 80 requirement referenced for the Design Hardware UL spring hinge. Common practice on a 7 foot commercial door is three hinges total, and the usual build is two spring hinges plus one standard bearing hinge in the middle, since the springs supply the closing force and the plain hinge carries load. On a taller or heavier leaf, add hinges as the door requires but keep at least two of them spring.

If the door is already prepped for a 4-1/2 x 4-1/2 inch full mortise hinge, yes. The Design Hardware UL spring hinge is a 4-1/2 x 4-1/2 full mortise five knuckle hinge, which is the standard commercial prep, so it goes into the same mortise as a plain bearing hinge of that size. What you need to match on the frame side is corner type (square versus radius) and the hole pattern in the existing cutout. A 4 x 4 pocket will not take it, that is a smaller mortise.

On a light to medium interior opening, yes, that is exactly what a spring hinge is for. The Design Hardware UL spring hinge is a medium duty self-closing hinge, so it pulls the door shut without any overhead closer, arm, or bracket on the face of the door. What it does not give you is controlled closing speed, backcheck, or delayed action. On a main entrance, a high traffic corridor, an ADA-controlled opening where the opening force and closing speed have to be tuned, or a heavy leaf, use a surface closer instead. Spring hinges suit stairwell doors, apartment entry doors, utility and storage rooms, and unit interior doors where the requirement is simply that it latches every time.

The Design Hardware UL spring hinge meets the NFPA 80 standard for 3 hour fire doors, with a maximum labeled door size of 4 feet wide by 8 feet tall by 1-3/4 inch thick, and NFPA 80 requires a minimum of two spring hinges on a labeled door. Among the alternatives, the SOSS 216IC and 220IC invisible spring closer hinges carry a 20 minute fire rating, and the Emtek 95013 is a UL listed spring hinge sold in pairs at 3-1/2 inch by 3-1/2 inch with square corners in plated steel. Match the hinge rating to the label on the door assembly, since a 20 minute closer will not serve a 3 hour opening.

A single action spring hinge swings the door one way and closes it; a double action hinge lets the door swing both directions and return to center. The Design Hardware UL spring hinge is a full mortise spring hinge for a labeled door up to 4 feet wide by 8 feet tall by 1-3/4 inch thick under NFPA 80. Deltana lists both types: the DSH35R4 and DSH35R4-A are single action steel spring hinges at 3-1/2 inch by 3-1/2 inch with a 1/4 inch radius, while the DASH95 is a double action spring hinge with solid brass cover plates and the DASHS is a double action saloon hinge in 4 inch, 5 inch and 6 inch heights. Double action hinges are for pass-through and saloon style openings, not for a rated door that must latch.

The Design Hardware UL spring hinge is a full mortise spring hinge in 4-1/2 inch by 4-1/2 inch. For a radius corner pocket, the Hager 1251 is a full mortise spring hinge with 1/4 inch round corners and the Hager 1252 is the same hinge with 5/8 inch round corners, both standard weight steel and medium duty. The BEST RD2060R is a radius corner plain bearing spring hinge with a removable pin. Measure the radius of the existing cutout before choosing, since 1/4 inch and 5/8 inch corners are not interchangeable in the same pocket.

The Design Hardware UL spring hinge is sized 4-1/2 inch by 4-1/2 inch. For a 4 inch prep, Orca Hardware makes a 4 inch by 4 inch spring hinge in three corner styles: the 4040 Series with square corners, the 4014 Series with a 1/4 inch radius corner, and the 4058 Series with a 5/8 inch radius corner. All three are medium duty, matching the duty level of the Design Hardware hinge. Orca also lists the SPR4058 Series with a 5/8 inch radius corner in a Z hole pattern for frames drilled to that layout.

1/16 inch. The hinge comes with a 1/16 inch swage as standard, which sets 1/16 inch of clearance between the leaves when the door is closed. That is the standard commercial swage, so the door hangs in the frame the same way it did on a conventional full mortise hinge and you should not need to re-shim or re-hang the leaf when you swap to the spring hinge.

It is a medium duty hinge in .134 inch gauge metal, which is standard weight territory. That handles a normal 1-3/4 inch hollow metal or solid core wood door in multi-family and hospitality service, which is the bulk of what property managers hang. It is not a heavy weight or continuous hinge, so a heavy lead-lined door, an oversized leaf, or a high-abuse public entrance calls for something else. For a heavy leaf that still needs self-closing, the SOSS 218IC and 220IC invisible spring closer hinges are heavy duty options.

Design Hardware builds this hinge in either steel, ANSI K81071 F, or Grade 304 stainless steel, ANSI K51071 F. Steel is the normal choice for dry interior openings. Go stainless for exterior doors, pool and locker areas, commercial kitchens, coastal buildings, and anywhere the hinge sees moisture or wash-down, because Grade 304 resists the corrosion that will seize a plated steel spring barrel over time. If you want stainless in a peer product, the Hager 1150 full mortise spring hinge is stainless steel and the Hager 1250 is steel.

The Design Hardware UL spring hinge is built to ANSI A156.2 and ANSI A156.7, and the base metal carries the ANSI material designations K81071 F for steel and K51071 F for Grade 304 stainless. Those are the numbers to put on a submittal when a specification calls out hinge standards, along with the NFPA 80 3 hour fire door compliance.

Not on the Design Hardware UL spring hinge, which is a five knuckle full mortise spring hinge with no removable pin called out. If pulling the leaf without unscrewing the hinge matters to you, and it does on turnover-heavy multi-family and on doors that get moved for equipment, look at the BEST 2060R with removable pin in square corner standard weight, or the BEST RD2060R, the same removable-pin plain bearing spring hinge with radius corners.

The Design Hardware UL spring hinge comes in steel (ANSI K81071 F) or stainless steel Grade 304 (ANSI K51071 F), so the stainless version is available in the same 4-1/2 inch by 4-1/2 inch full mortise size. Among the alternatives, the Hager 1150 is a standard weight stainless steel full mortise spring hinge and the Hager 1250 is the same hinge in steel construction, both medium duty. Stainless is the usual choice where the opening sees moisture or washdown; steel is the standard interior specification.

Partition doors are usually hung on a continuous spring loaded hinge rather than individual butts. Pemko Markar lists the FM400 and FM900 Series full mortise spring loaded continuous hinges with an 80 pound load capacity for toilet partitions, and the FS402 and FS902 Series spring loaded continuous hinges, also 80 pound capacity, with the FS902 in 304 stainless steel. The Design Hardware UL spring hinge is a 4-1/2 inch by 4-1/2 inch full mortise butt spring hinge intended for a commercial swinging door, which is a different mounting entirely.

Eight, and they cover both the plain-Jane commercial finishes and the ones that show: 600 primed for painting, 605 bright brass, 606 satin brass, 613 satin bronze oil-rubbed, 619 satin nickel, 622 matte black, 625 bright chrome, and 626 satin chrome. If you are matching existing openings, 626 satin chrome is the standard commercial match to satin chrome and brushed nickel lever trim. 600 primed is the one to order when the hinge gets painted out with the frame, which is common on hollow metal in back-of-house areas.