Emtek 91033 Residential Plain Bearing Hinges (Pair), 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" with 5/8" Radius Corners, Plated Steel

Match the corner before anything else. The 91033 measures 3-1/2 x 3-1/2 inches with 5/8 inch radius corners, so it seats in a pocket routed with a 5/8 radius bit, which is how most residential door edges and jambs are cut. Put a radius hinge into a square chiselled mortise and you get a small gap at each corner; going the other way, a square corner hinge will not seat in a radiused pocket without chisel work. Leaf thickness runs 0.084 to 0.090 inch, so mortise depth carried over from an existing residential steel hinge works. If your pockets are square, the Deltana DSB35 is a 3-1/2 x 3-1/2 square corner residential pair, and the Schlage S3P1010 is a 3-1/2 x 3-1/2 square corner plain bearing mortise hinge sold three to a pack.

Two hinges and the mounting screws, sold as a pair. A standard interior door hangs on three hinges, so one door takes two pairs of the 91033 and leaves you a spare hinge, or you buy in pairs and cover an odd count across several doors. If a set of three lines up better with your job, the Ives 1010RP and the Schlage S3P1010 both ship three to a pack, though both are square corner rather than the 5/8 inch radius the Emtek uses, so they need a square pocket.

Interior is what it's built for. The 91033 is a residential plain bearing hinge in plated steel at 3-1/2 x 3-1/2, for doors up to 1-3/4 inches thick, which covers passage, privacy, and closet openings. Entry doors are heavier and normally hung on 4 inch hinges. The Delaney 4 x 4 Bulk Residential Exterior hinge carries the same 5/8 inch radius corner and comes as a pair, so the rout style stays familiar to your installer. For a heavy solid entry slab or a door with a closer on it, a ball bearing hinge such as the Don-Jo HWBB74545 at 4-1/2 x 4-1/2 is the one to spec.

The Emtek 91033 is a 3-1/2 inch by 3-1/2 inch full mortise plain bearing hinge with 5/8 inch radius corners, plated steel, sold in pairs with screws. Delaney's bulk steel residential interior hinge matches that footprint directly: 3-1/2 inch by 3-1/2 inch, 5/8 inch radius corners, also sold as a pair, so it seats in the same routed mortise without recutting the door or the jamb. The difference is in the finish program. The Emtek 91033 runs 11 finishes, including Polished Brass, Satin Nickel, Flat Black, Bright Chrome, Oil-Rubbed Bronze, Polished Nickel, Satin Brass, Pewter, Medium Bronze, Tumbled White Bronze and French Antique, which is what lets a property standardize hinge finish against the rest of the trim; the Delaney is a bulk steel residential interior hinge.

Only if the mortise is square cut. The Emtek 91033 has 5/8 inch radius corners, which is the profile a router with a hinge template leaves. Same-size square corner hinges are common: Deltana DSB35 is a 3-1/2 inch by 3-1/2 inch residential square hinge sold in pairs, Schlage Residential S3P1010 is a 3.5 inch by 3.5 inch square corner plain bearing mortise hinge in a pack of three, and Ives 1010RP is a steel plain bearing residential hinge with square corners in a set of three. All three have the same leaf size as the 91033, so the screw pattern and the door gap work out, but a square leaf sitting in a radius-routed pocket leaves four uncut corners of wood at the perimeter and a radius leaf in a chisel-cut square pocket leaves four visible voids. Check what is already cut into the jamb before ordering: radius corner replaces radius corner, square replaces square.

The Emtek 91033 is a 3-1/2 inch by 3-1/2 inch hinge and will not fill a 4 inch mortise. At 4 inch with the same 5/8 inch radius corner, Delaney offers a 4 inch by 4 inch bulk residential exterior hinge with 5/8 inch radius corners sold in pairs, and a 4 inch by 4 inch Castlegate residential hinge in 5/8 inch radius by square, also in pairs. Deltana DE44R5TA is a 4 inch by 4 inch by 5/8 inch radius steel security hinge sold in pairs. If the opening is cut square or to a 1/4 inch radius instead, Orca Hardware has a 4 inch by 4 inch square corner plain bearing commercial hinge and a 4 inch by 4 inch by 1/4 inch radius corner plain bearing commercial hinge, both medium duty. Measure the existing pocket at the corner before ordering, since 5/8 inch radius, 1/4 inch radius and square are three separate preps.

Plain bearing means the knuckles turn against each other with no bearing race between them. On residential interior doors, bedroom, bath, closet, hallway, that's the normal build, and the 91033 is specified residential duty on exactly that basis. Bearings earn their keep where a door is heavy, has a closer on it, or cycles all day: the Ives 3CB1 is a medium duty concealed bearing full mortise hinge, and the Don-Jo HWBB84545 is a heavy weight ball bearing at 4-1/2 x 4-1/2. Unit entry doors and corridor doors belong on those. Passage doors inside the unit do not need them.

No handing to specify. A full mortise butt hinge has two matching leaves, so the same pair hangs a left hand or a right hand door. What does have to match is the pocket: 3-1/2 x 3-1/2 with 5/8 inch radius corners, on the door edge and on the jamb both. Finish is the only thing you choose when ordering.

Eleven of them: Polished Brass Lifetime (US3), Satin Brass (606, ordered as 91033US4), Satin Nickel (619), Polished Nickel (91033US14), Bright Chrome (625), Flat Black (91033US19), Pewter (US15A), Satin Bronze Oil-Rubbed (613), Medium Bronze (91033MB), Tumbled White Bronze (91033TWB), and French Antique (91033US7). That spread is the reason to use these where the hinge is seen next to a knob or lever rather than hidden, and it lets you run a single finish through every interior door on a property instead of pairing paint grade hinges with decorative trim.

Closest like for like is the Delaney 3-1/2 x 3-1/2 Bulk Steel Residential Interior hinge: same size, same 5/8 inch radius, also sold as a pair, so it drops into the same rout. At the same size in square corner there's the Deltana DSB35 residential pair and the Schlage S3P1010 plain bearing hinge in a pack of three, both of which need a square pocket rather than a radiused one. Where the Emtek 91033 separates itself in that group is the finish range, 11 plated steel finishes including Tumbled White Bronze, French Antique, and Pewter, for openings where the hinge is part of what people see.

For an exposed pin, buy a hinge specified for it. The Deltana CSB45N is a 4-1/2 x 4-1/2 pair listed with a non-removable pin, and the Deltana DE44R5TA is a 4 x 4 steel security hinge carrying the same 5/8 inch radius corner, also sold as a pair. The Emtek 91033 is a residential interior hinge, 3-1/2 x 3-1/2 plated steel with a plain bearing, and it belongs on inswing passage and privacy doors where the barrel sits on the protected side.

Two ways to cover a three-hinge door. Buy two pairs of the 91033 and carry the fourth leaf as a spare, which keeps the 5/8 inch radius corners and the finish consistent with the rest of the openings. Or move to a hinge packed in threes: Schlage Residential S3P1010 is a 3.5 inch by 3.5 inch plain bearing mortise hinge sold as a pack of three, and Ives 1010RP is a steel plain bearing residential hinge sold as a set of three. Both are the same leaf size and both are plain bearing like the 91033, but both have square corners, so they suit a square cut mortise rather than a radius routed one.

The Emtek 91033 is a residential plated steel hinge built for interior doors up to 1-3/4 inch thick. For an entry or other exterior leaf, Delaney's 4 inch by 4 inch bulk residential exterior hinge with 5/8 inch radius corners is made for exterior residential openings and keeps the same 5/8 inch radius corner profile, though it steps the prep up from 3-1/2 inch to 4 inch. Where salt air or wash-down is the concern, McKinney T2314 is a non-ferrous standard weight five knuckle hinge, so the base material itself is not steel.

The Emtek 91033 carries the leaf on a plain bearing, meaning the knuckles ride directly on each other rather than on a separate bearing race. Ball bearing hinges put a bearing between the knuckles: Delaney's 4 inch by 4 inch commercial ball bearing hinge has square corners, Orca Hardware's 4-1/2 inch by 4-1/2 inch square corner ball bearing commercial hinge is medium duty, and Don-Jo HWBB74545 is a 4-1/2 inch by 4-1/2 inch heavy weight full mortise ball bearing hinge in satin chrome. Concealed bearing hinges hide that bearing inside the knuckle for a smoother barrel line, as on the Ives 3CB1 three knuckle concealed bearing full mortise hinge and the Hager 920 two knuckle full mortise concealed bearing hinge. Plain bearing suits interior residential doors; the bearing types are aimed at heavier leaves and higher cycle counts, and all of the ones named here are cut for a different size or corner than the 91033.

The Emtek 91033 is a residential duty hinge with a leaf thickness of 0.084 to 0.090 inch for doors up to 1-3/4 inch thick. For a heavier leaf, the heavy duty options run larger: Don-Jo HWBB75045 is a 5 inch by 4-1/2 inch heavy weight full mortise ball bearing steel hinge in satin chrome, Don-Jo HWBB84545 is a 4-1/2 inch by 4-1/2 inch heavy weight full mortise ball bearing hinge in satin chrome, Ives 3CB1HW is a steel heavy weight concealed bearing full mortise hinge with three knuckles, and Hager BB1168 is a full mortise ball bearing heavy duty hinge with a non-removable pin. Every one of these changes the mortise size from 3-1/2 inch by 3-1/2 inch, so the door and jamb have to be recut or ordered prepped for the larger hinge.

No, the mounting is different. The Hager 1129 is a half mortise plain bearing commercial hinge, 4-1/2 inch standard weight steel, which means one leaf mortises into the door and the other surface mounts to the frame, the arrangement used on hollow metal frames. The Emtek 91033 is a full mortise hinge, with both leaves let into routed pockets in the door and the wood jamb. Sharing the plain bearing function does not make them interchangeable. The same caution applies to the Hager 990 full surface prison hinge, which is 3 inch by 4 inch with a welded tip and mounts to the faces of both the door and the frame rather than into either one.

Same footprint, different opening. Both are 3-1/2 x 3-1/2 plain bearing hinges. The Orca Hardware 3514 is a medium duty commercial hinge with 1/4 inch radius corners; the 91033 is residential duty in plated steel with 5/8 inch radius corners. Corner radius is what actually decides it, since 1/4 inch is the usual commercial rout and 5/8 inch the usual residential one, and they don't swap into the same pocket cleanly. If you're working an apartment or house interior, 5/8 radius is almost certainly what's already cut into the door and jamb.

Not the Emtek 91033, which is a non-electronic mechanical hinge. Power transfer runs through a purpose-built hinge instead: Command Access ETH-CB70 is a three knuckle standard weight steel base energy transfer hinge rated medium duty, and ETH-BB68 is the five knuckle heavy duty version. BEST CECB179-12C is a steel full mortise concealed bearing electrified hinge with a 12-wire quick connect, rated medium duty. Where the opening also has to report whether the door is closed, Command Access ETM-CB70 is a three knuckle energy transfer monitor hinge with door position sensing, and ETM-BB68 is the heavy duty version with an integrated door position switch.

The Emtek 91033 is a plain bearing hinge, so it swings freely and leaves the door wherever it is pushed. Where the door has to return to the frame on its own, Stanley Security's spring hinge is a full mortise, square corner hinge at 4.5 inch by 4.5 inch on a ferrous steel base, rated heavy duty, with the closing force built into the barrel. It is a larger leaf with square corners, so an opening cut for the 3-1/2 inch by 3-1/2 inch, 5/8 inch radius 91033 needs a new prep in both the door and the jamb.

The Emtek 91033 is a 3-1/2 inch by 3-1/2 inch hinge. Below that, Deltana DSB3 is a 3 inch by 3 inch hinge sold in pairs, which suits a narrower stile or a lighter leaf where a 3-1/2 inch leaf would crowd the edge. It has square corners rather than the 5/8 inch radius of the 91033, so the mortise has to be cut or chiseled square. If the size is right at 3-1/2 inch but the mortise is square, Deltana DSB35 is the 3-1/2 inch by 3-1/2 inch residential square hinge, also sold in pairs.