Emtek 91023 Residential Plain Bearing Hinges (Pair), 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" with 1/4" Radius Corners, Plated Steel

The Emtek 91023 is a 3-1/2 by 3-1/2 inch full mortise hinge with 1/4 inch radius corners, so it drops into a mortise cut with the same 3-1/2 inch square footprint and a 1/4 inch corner radius. If the existing pocket has square corners or the more common residential 5/8 inch radius, the leaf will not seat cleanly without recutting. Check the corner of the old hinge before ordering, not just the size.

Up to 1-3/4 inches, which covers both a standard 1-3/4 inch exterior or solid-core door and the thinner 1-3/8 inch interior doors found in most homes. Hinge thickness on the leaf itself runs 0.084 to 0.090 inches, so the mortise depth needs to match that for the door to close flush against the stop.

The 91023 is sold as a pair and the screws are included. Most interior doors hang on three hinges, so plan on two packs per door and expect a spare leaf, or two hinges per door on a light interior slab. There is no separate screw pack to add to the order.

Residential duty. Plain bearing hinges carry the load on the knuckles rather than on a bearing race, which suits interior doors and normal household traffic but not a high-cycle commercial opening. For a leasing office, a corridor, or an entrance that gets constant use, move to a ball or concealed bearing commercial hinge such as the Orca Hardware 3514 Series, which is the same 3-1/2 by 3-1/2 inch size with 1/4 inch radius corners in a medium duty plain bearing, or a medium duty concealed bearing like the Ives 3CB1.

Only if the existing hinges are 3-1/2 by 3-1/2 inches with 1/4 inch radius corners. Builder-grade residential hinges are frequently 5/8 inch radius, which is a wider corner sweep than the 91023's 1/4 inch, and swapping the two leaves a visible gap at each corner. Pull one hinge, lay it against the pocket, and match both the size and the corner before buying for a whole building. If the pockets turn out to be 5/8 inch radius at 3-1/2 inches, the Delaney RH35 bulk residential hinge is the matching profile.

The Emtek 91023 is a 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" plain bearing full mortise hinge with 1/4" radius corners, sold in pairs. The Orca Hardware 3514 Series matches that geometry directly: 3.5" x 3.5" with 1/4" radius corners and a plain bearing, carrying a medium duty rating for commercial openings. If you are matching an existing 1/4" radius mortise on a 3-1/2" jamb and want the same bearing type, the Orca COM3514 drops into the same prep.

The Emtek 91023 is a residential duty plain bearing hinge in 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" for doors up to 1-3/4" thick. For a heavier leaf, step up to a 4" size or a bearing hinge rated for more traffic: the Orca Hardware 4014 Series is a 4" x 4" x 1/4" radius corner plain bearing hinge at medium duty, so it keeps the radius corner while adding leaf size. If the opening calls for a ball bearing instead, the Don-Jo HWBB74545 is a heavy weight full mortise ball bearing hinge in 4-1/2" x 4-1/2", and the Ives 3CB1HW is a heavy duty 3-knuckle concealed bearing full mortise hinge. Note that moving to 4-1/2" changes the mortise, so the jamb and door prep have to be cut for it.

No. Corner radius has to match the mortise the router or template cut. The Emtek 91023 uses 1/4" radius corners, while the Delaney 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" bulk steel residential interior hinge uses a 5/8" radius, as does the Delaney 4" x 4" bulk exterior residential hinge. A 5/8" radius leaf sits proud at the corners of a 1/4" radius pocket and a 1/4" radius leaf leaves a visible gap in a 5/8" pocket. Confirm the radius on the door you are replacing before you order either one.

For a square corner mortise at 3-1/2", the Schlage Residential S3P1010 is a 3.5" x 3.5" square corner plain bearing mortise hinge in the 1000 series, medium duty, supplied in packs of three. Deltana's DSB35 is also a 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" square hinge for residential use, sold in pairs. Both share the plain bearing approach of the Emtek 91023 but are cut square rather than to a 1/4" radius, so match them to whichever corner your existing prep has.

The Emtek 91023 is a residential duty plain bearing hinge and does not carry a security pin feature. For an out-swinging door where the pin is reachable from the unsecured side, the Deltana CSB45N is a 4-1/2" x 4-1/2" square hinge pair with a non-removable pin, the Deltana DE44R5TA is a 4" x 4" security hinge with a 5/8" radius in steel, and the Hager BB1168 is a non-removable pin full mortise ball bearing hinge at heavy duty. Those are the ones to specify when the opening is exterior and exposed.

Eleven finishes: Medium Bronze, Tumbled White Bronze, 613 Satin Bronze Oil-Rubbed, Polished Nickel US14, 619 Satin Nickel, Pewter US15A, Flat Black US19, 625 Bright Chrome, Polished Brass Lifetime US3, 606 Satin Brass, and French Antique US7. That range tracks Emtek's own knob and lever finishes, so a whole-house package can be matched hinge to trim rather than defaulting to a plain steel hinge behind a decorative knob.

Size follows door weight and thickness. The 3-1/2 inch Emtek 91023 handles typical interior doors up to 1-3/4 inches thick; a heavier solid-core or exterior slab is normally hung on 4 inch hinges for the extra leaf and screw purchase. If you need the 4 inch size in the same plain bearing style, the Orca Hardware 4014 Series is 4 by 4 inches with matching 1/4 inch radius corners.

No handing to call out. The 91023 is a full mortise butt hinge with a symmetrical leaf, so the same pair hangs a left-hand or right-hand door; the pin simply installs from the top. Handing only becomes an ordering question on hinges with a non-removable pin, a spring, or wire raceways, like the electrified Stanley left-handed concealed conductor hinge.

Steel with a plated finish. The 91023 uses a steel base material and the finish is applied over it, which is what keeps a decorative finish available across eleven colors at a residential price point. If a solid brass or non-ferrous hinge is specified on the job, this is not it.

Plain bearing means metal knuckle riding on metal knuckle with no bearing race between the leaves. On a residential interior door within the 1-3/4 inch thickness range the 91023 covers, that is normal and quiet. Hang a heavy solid-core or glass-panel door on it and the knuckles wear faster than a bearing hinge would. For heavier slabs, a concealed or ball bearing hinge such as the Ives 3CB1HW heavy weight or a Don-Jo HWBB series full mortise ball bearing hinge carries the load better.

All three are steel plain bearing residential mortise hinges, but they differ on two things that matter at install. The 91023 is 3-1/2 by 3-1/2 inches with 1/4 inch radius corners and ships as a pair; the Schlage Residential S3P1010 is the same 3.5 by 3.5 size with square corners in a pack of three, and the Ives 1010RP is a square corner plain bearing residential hinge sold as a set of three. Corner style decides the retrofit, and pack count decides how many you order per door.

Several hinges share the full mortise format but solve a different problem. The Command Access ETH-CB70 is an energy transfer hinge with a 3-knuckle standard weight steel base, and the ETM-CB70 adds door position sensing - both are meant to run power or signal through the hinge to an electrified lock, and the Emtek 91023 is a non-electronic hinge. The BEST CECB179-12C is a concealed bearing electrified hinge with a 12-wire quick connect, same story. The Stanley Security 2060R is a spring hinge in 4.5" x 4.5" square corner, meaning it self-closes rather than swinging free. And the BEST BB855 and Hager 990 STEEL are prison hinges built for detention openings. None of these are a drop-in for a plain residential opening.

Plain bearing hinges like the Emtek 91023 are built for residential duty. On a higher-cycle commercial opening, buyers usually move to a bearing hinge: the Orca Hardware 3535 Series is a 4-1/2" x 4-1/2" square corner ball bearing commercial hinge at medium duty, the Delaney CH401X is a 4" x 4" commercial ball bearing hinge with square corners, and the Ives 3CB1 is a medium duty 3-knuckle concealed bearing full mortise hinge. The Don-Jo HWBB84545 covers heavy weight ball bearing at 4-1/2" x 4-1/2". All of those move you to a larger leaf and a square corner prep, so check the existing mortise before swapping.

The Emtek 91023 is a full mortise plain bearing hinge, which needs both the door and the frame routed. If the frame cannot take a mortise, the Hager 1129 is a half mortise plain bearing commercial hinge, 4-1/2" standard weight steel at heavy duty, where one leaf mortises into the door and the other surface-applies to the frame. The Hager 990 STEEL is a full surface plain bearing hinge at 3" x 4" with a welded tip for openings where neither leaf can be let in.

The Emtek 91023 covers the 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" openings with 1/4" radius corners and plain bearings. To carry the same corner radius and bearing type up to the 4" doors, the Orca Hardware 4014 Series is a 4" x 4" x 1/4" radius corner plain bearing hinge. If some of your 4" doors have square prep instead, the Orca 4040 Series is 4" x 4" square corner plain bearing. Delaney also lists 4" x 4" residential hinges for Castlegate in 5/8" radius by square, which suits a different prep again - so survey the corner style on each door before you set the standard.

The Emtek 91023 measures 3-1/2" x 3-1/2". For a narrower stile or a light closet door, the Deltana DSB3 is a 3" x 3" square hinge sold in pairs. It is a square corner leaf, so it needs a square prep rather than the 1/4" radius the 91023 uses.

The Emtek 91023 is a plated steel hinge offered in finishes including Polished Nickel (US14), Flat Black (US19), Medium Bronze (MB), French Antique (US7), and Polished Brass - Lifetime (US3). If the package calls for a different barrel profile, the McKinney SQ3331 is a square barrel 2-knuckle decorative hinge at 4-1/2" by 4-1/2", standard duty, and the McKinney T2314 is a non-ferrous standard weight 5-knuckle hinge at medium duty. Both change the size and knuckle count, so they suit a new opening rather than a swap into an existing 3-1/2" prep.