Emtek 8512 Solid Brass Surface Bolt, 12"

The Emtek 8512 is the 12 inch length in Emtek's solid brass surface bolt range, which runs 6 inch (8511), 8 inch (8515), 12 inch (8512), 18 inch (8513) and 24 inch (8514). On a standard pair of interior French doors the 12 inch is the common choice for the inactive leaf, mounted vertically at the top or bottom rail. Go to the 18 or 24 inch if you want to reach a header or threshold from a comfortable hand height on a tall door, and drop to the 6 or 8 inch if you are working on a narrow rail or a cabinet-height door.

Everything needed to mount it ships in the box. The 8512 is sold as a complete set with three types of strikeplates and the screws, so you can mount it to a jamb, a header, or into a floor or threshold without sourcing a strike separately. Pick the strike that matches where the rod lands on your opening and set the others aside.

The Emtek 8512 is a residential-duty solid brass surface bolt. For a rated opening, specify a bolt that carries the rating: the Ives SB1600 is a heavy duty steel surface bolt with a 3-1/2 inch throw and is fire rated, the Ives SB1630 is a heavy duty steel locking surface bolt with a 1 inch throw carrying a 3-hour UL listing, and the Ives SB1640 is a fire rated brass surface bolt with a 1 inch throw. The Ives SB360 is a heavy-duty steel bolt with a 1-1/4 inch throw in a 12 inch length and is also fire rated, which makes it the closest length-for-length swap to the 8512.

The Emtek 8512 is a manually operated solid brass surface bolt with no keyed function. For security on the inactive leaf, the Ives SB1630 is a heavy duty steel locking surface bolt with a 1 inch throw and keyed security, and the ABH HD1805 is a heavy duty surface bolt with an auto-locking 3/4 inch stainless steel bar, which holds the bolt in the thrown position without a key. Those are the two that address holding force and control; the 8512 addresses appearance and brass trim match.

Solid brass, both the material and the substrate on the 8512. That matters for two reasons: brass will not rust on a bolt that sits at floor level and catches mop water, and the unlacquered brass finish is meant to patina rather than hold a plated coating. It is a residential-grade decorative bolt, so for a high-traffic commercial opening look at a heavy duty steel bolt instead.

Twelve finishes on the 8512: Polished Brass Lifetime (US3), Unlacquered Brass (US3NL), Satin Brass (US4), French Antique (US7), Oil Rubbed Bronze (US10B), Polished Nickel (US14), Satin Nickel (US15), Pewter (US15A), Flat Black (US19), Polished Chrome (US26), Medium Bronze (MB) and Tumbled White Bronze (TWB). Those are Emtek's standard finish codes, so a bolt ordered in US15 lands on the same finish as US15 knobs and levers elsewhere in the Emtek line. Unlacquered Brass is the one exception to matching over time, since it is uncoated and will darken with handling while the lacquered and plated finishes hold their look.

Two close alternatives in brass. The Delaney Solid Brass Surface Bolt is the straightforward equivalent, and the Delaney Decorative Solid Brass Surface Bolt is the dressier option if the bolt sits somewhere visible. The Trimco 4800 Series is the choice if you are specifying to a commercial hardware schedule rather than matching residential trim. Where the 8512 pulls ahead for a homeowner or designer is the finish range, twelve Emtek finish codes that line up with the rest of the Emtek knob and lever line.

A surface bolt like the Emtek 8512 screws onto the face of the door, so there is no mortising and no routing into the door edge. That makes it the retrofit answer on an existing pair, on a glass-panel French door where you cannot cut the stile, or when you want the hardware visible as trim. A flush bolt is mortised into the edge of the door and disappears when retracted, which is what you want when the pair has to look clean or the bolt would foul a passage. On the 8512 the trade is that you see the 12 inch solid brass rod on the face of the door, which is the point of the American Classic styling.

No handing on the 8512. A surface bolt mounts to the face of the door and throws in a straight line, so the same part works on a left or right leaf, and it can go vertically at the top or bottom rail or horizontally into the jamb. Mounting orientation is your decision on site, which is why the set ships with three strikeplate types to cover jamb, header and floor terminations.

Both are 12 inch surface bolts. The Emtek 8512 is solid brass and residential in duty, offered in finishes including Oil Rubbed Bronze (US10B), Polished Nickel (US14), Flat Black (US19) and Unlacquered Brass (US3NL). The Ives SB360 is a heavy-duty steel surface bolt with a 1-1/4 inch throw and is fire rated. Choose the 8512 when the bolt has to match a decorative brass trim package; choose the SB360 when the opening calls for heavy-duty steel and a rating.

The Emtek 8512 is a 12 inch solid brass bolt in the American Classic style and comes as a complete set with three types of strikeplates and screws. Where the door is utilitarian, the Trimco 4800 Series surface bolts and the Ives SB360 heavy-duty steel bolt are plainer bolts built around function rather than decorative trim, and the ABH HD1805 uses a 3/4 inch stainless steel bar for service doors. The 8512 is the one to keep when the bolt is visible on a finished opening.

The Emtek 8512 is 12 inches long, so its strike prep sits 12 inches from the bolt's mounting point. Peer bolts differ in throw as well as length: the Ives SB1600 throws 3-1/2 inches, the Ives SB360 throws 1-1/4 inches, and both the Ives SB1630 and Ives SB1640 throw 1 inch. Throw determines how deep the strike or floor socket must be set, so any of these will need the strike relocated or re-drilled rather than reused from an 8512 installation. The Delaney solid brass bolts (DLY-410309, DLY-BV7600) are the same brass family but are their own series with their own plate footprint.

The Emtek 8512 is a residential solid brass bolt, which suits unit entry and interior double doors where appearance matters and it can be finished to match the rest of the brass trim. For back-of-house, stairwell, and rated corridor openings in the same portfolio, spec a heavy duty line instead: the Ives SB1600 and Ives SB1630 are heavy duty steel and fire rated, the SB1630 adding keyed security, and the ABH HD1805 is heavy duty with an auto-locking stainless bar. Many portfolios run the 8512 on the finished side and one of those on the service side.

Order the same finish code and they match, since Emtek's finish codes are consistent across the line. Two things to watch on a multi-door job: order every bolt at once in the same finish, and if you are going with Unlacquered Brass (US3NL) understand that it is uncoated and will patina at different rates depending on how much each door gets handled. For a uniform look across a building, the plated and coated finishes such as Satin Nickel (US15), Oil Rubbed Bronze (US10B) or Flat Black (US19) hold steadier. The 8512 is the 12 inch size; if some openings need a different reach, the same finishes carry across the 6, 8, 18 and 24 inch models.