Emtek 96233 Heavy Duty Hinges (Pair), 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" with 5/8" Radius Corners

Door thickness up to 1-3/4 inches is what the 96233 covers, so a standard 1-3/4 inch door is within range. Keep in mind these are plain bearing hinges rated residential, so they suit a house or apartment entry rather than a high-traffic commercial opening. For a heavier door or a door with a closer on it, a ball bearing hinge such as the Don-Jo HWBB74545 in 4-1/2 x 4-1/2 handles the cycling better.

The 96233 has 5/8 inch radius corners on both leaves. That matters because a hinge pocket routed by a template with a 5/8 inch radius bit will not accept a square corner hinge without chiseling, and a square mortise leaves visible gaps at the corners of a radius hinge. Measure the corner of the hinge you are pulling out: if it curves, 5/8 inch radius is the common residential size and this drops straight in.

Model 96233 is the 3-1/2 x 3-1/2 inch size. Emtek's Heavy Duty Hinge line also runs a 4 x 4 inch, which is what most exterior and solid core doors use; 3-1/2 x 3-1/2 is the usual size for hollow core and lighter interior doors. Match the size to what is already mortised into the jamb rather than to the door weight if you are replacing rather than prepping new.

Plain bearing. The knuckles ride directly on each other rather than on a bearing race, which is fine for interior and light residential doors that are not cycled constantly. Ball bearing or concealed bearing hinges are what you want under a door closer, a heavy solid door, or an opening that swings hundreds of times a day. In that case look at the Ives 3CB1HW heavy weight concealed bearing hinge or the Orca Hardware 3535 series square corner ball bearing hinge.

These are built for residential service, plain bearing and solid brass, so they fit apartments, condos, and single family openings. For a corridor, stairwell, or any door under a closer in a commercial building, step up to a commercial mortise hinge: the Orca Hardware 3514 series is a 3-1/2 x 3-1/2 commercial plain bearing hinge, and the Hager BB1168 is a heavy duty full mortise ball bearing hinge available with a non-removable pin for outswinging exterior doors.

The Emtek 96233 is a standard residential pair with no security pin feature. For an out-swinging exterior or a door where the pin is reachable, the Deltana DE44R5TA is a 4" x 4" steel security hinge with 5/8" radius corners sold in pairs, which keeps the same corner profile in a larger leaf. The Deltana CSB45N is a 4-1/2" x 4-1/2" square hinge with a non-removable pin, and the Hager BB1168 NRP is a full mortise ball bearing heavy duty hinge with a non-removable pin for commercial openings.

No. The Emtek 96233 is a non-electronic brass hinge and carries no wiring path. When the opening needs power transferred through the hinge to an electric lock or strike, the Command Access ETH-CB70 is an energy transfer hinge on a 3-knuckle standard weight steel base, and the BEST CECB179-12C is a steel full mortise concealed bearing electrified hinge with a 12-wire quick connect. If the door also needs position monitoring, the Command Access ETM-CB70 adds door position sensing on the same 3-knuckle steel base.

The Emtek 96233 is a 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" brass hinge with 5/8" radius corners, sold in pairs. The Delaney RH35xx is the direct dimensional match: 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" with 5/8" radius corners, also sold as a pair, in a steel residential interior hinge. Both drop into the same mortise with no router work, so the choice comes down to brass versus steel and the finish range you need to match on the rest of the opening.

When the existing mortise is 4" tall, the Emtek 96233 at 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" will not fill it. The Delaney RH45xx is a 4" x 4" residential exterior hinge with 5/8" radius corners sold in pairs, and the Delaney RH40xx is a 4" x 4" residential hinge with 5/8" radius on one leaf and square on the other, also a pair. Measure the leaf height and the corner radius on the hinge you are pulling before ordering, since a square-corner mortise will show gaps at a radiused leaf.

The Emtek 96233 is cut with 5/8" radius corners, which suits a router-cut mortise. For a chisel-cut square mortise, the Deltana DSB35 is a 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" square residential hinge sold in pairs, and the Schlage Residential S3P1010 is a 3.5" x 3.5" square corner plain bearing mortise hinge supplied in packs of three, which covers a three-hinge door in one order. The Deltana DSB3 is the same square style stepped down to 3" x 3" for narrow-stile or cabinet-height doors.

The Emtek 96233 uses a plain bearing and is a residential hinge. On a heavy door or a high-cycle commercial opening, a bearing hinge carries the load better: the Orca Hardware 3535 is a 4-1/2" x 4-1/2" square corner ball bearing commercial hinge, the Ives 3CB1HW is a steel 3-knuckle concealed bearing full mortise hinge rated heavy duty, and the Don-Jo HWBB74545 is a heavy weight full mortise ball bearing hinge at 4-1/2" x 4-1/2". All three are larger than 3-1/2", so the mortise has to be enlarged when moving up from the 96233.

They are not interchangeable in the same mortise. Both are 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" plain bearing hinges, but the Emtek 96233 has 5/8" radius corners while the Orca Hardware 3514 has 1/4" radius corners, and the Orca is a commercial hinge where the 96233 is residential brass. A 1/4" radius leaf sits in a tighter corner cut; swapping one for the other leaves a visible gap or requires re-routing the mortise.

Sold in pairs, screws included. A standard interior door hangs on three hinges, so for one door you need two packs and will have a spare. Exterior and taller doors typically take three or four hinges. Nothing else is required to hang the door beyond the hinges and the supplied screws.

Ten finishes on the 96233: Polished Brass Lifetime (US3), Unlacquered Brass (US3NL), 606 Satin Brass, 613 Satin Bronze Oil-Rubbed, Polished Nickel (US14), Pewter (US15A), 619 Satin Nickel, Flat Black (US19), 625 Bright Chrome, and French Antique (US7). These are the same finish designations Emtek uses across its knobs and levers, so the hinge can be ordered to match the trim on the same opening.

Solid brass, both the leaves and the substrate. That is the reason to pick these over a steel residential hinge: brass will not rust in a humid bath or a coastal exterior opening, and it takes the living finishes like Unlacquered Brass (US3NL) that patina over time. A steel alternative in the same 3-1/2 x 3-1/2 size with the same 5/8 inch radius is the Delaney RH35 series.

Leaf thickness runs 0.130 to 0.132 inches. If the hinge you are removing has a similar gauge leaf, the existing mortise depth will take these without re-routing and the door will hang at the same reveal. A noticeably thinner old hinge means the new leaf will stand proud and the door will bind on the strike side, so plan to deepen the mortise slightly.

No handing to specify. The 96233 is a full mortise butt hinge with symmetrical leaves, so the same pair works on a left hand or right hand door; you just flip it. Order by size, corner style, and finish only. Handed ordering comes up on electrified and spring hinges, not on a plain butt hinge like this one.

For a straight size-and-corner match at 3-1/2 x 3-1/2 with a 5/8 inch radius, the Delaney RH35 series interior residential hinge is the direct equivalent in steel. If you want square corners at the same size instead, the Deltana DSB35 and the Schlage Residential S3P1010, which ships three to a pack, both cover it. None of those are brass through, which is the trade-off against the 96233 and its ten Emtek-matched finishes.

The Emtek 96233 is sold in pairs with screws included, so a three-hinge door takes two pairs. If you would rather buy by the door, the Ives 1010RP is a steel plain bearing residential hinge with square corners supplied as a set of three, and the Schlage Residential S3P1010 is a 3.5" x 3.5" plain bearing mortise hinge in a pack of three. Both are square corner, so confirm your mortise corner before substituting for the radiused 96233.

The Emtek 96233 is a 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" brass plain bearing hinge with 5/8" radius corners, sold in pairs for residential use. The Delaney CH401X is a 4" x 4" commercial ball bearing hinge with square corners. Three things change in a swap: the leaf grows half an inch in each direction, the corner goes from radiused to square, and the bearing goes from plain to ball. All three affect whether it drops into an existing prep.

The Emtek 96233 is an American Classic style brass hinge with 5/8" radius corners in ten finishes including Polished Nickel (US14), Flat Black (US19), Unlacquered Brass (US3NL) and Pewter (US15A). For a different visual barrel, the McKinney SQ3331 is a square barrel 2-knuckle decorative hinge at 4-1/2" by 4-1/2", which reads as a squared-off knuckle line rather than the traditional round barrel. It is a larger leaf, so it is a choice made at the door prep stage rather than a like-for-like swap.

The Emtek 96233 is a standard plain bearing hinge and does not self-close. The Stanley Security 2060R is a full mortise spring hinge with square corners at 4.5" x 4.5" on a ferrous steel base, rated heavy duty, which handles the self-closing function within the hinge itself. It is a square corner and a larger leaf than the 3-1/2" radiused 96233, so plan the mortise accordingly.

Staying with a plain bearing but moving up in size, the Orca Hardware 4040 is a 4" x 4" square corner plain bearing commercial hinge and the Orca Hardware 4014 is a 4" x 4" plain bearing commercial hinge with 1/4" radius corners. Both keep the plain bearing action of the Emtek 96233 while adding half an inch of leaf in each direction; the corner style differs from the 96233's 5/8" radius in each case, so the mortise corner is the detail to check.

The Emtek 96233 uses an exposed plain bearing. Where a concealed bearing is specified, the Ives 3CB1 is a steel 3-knuckle concealed bearing full mortise hinge rated medium duty, and the Hager 920 is a full mortise concealed bearing hinge in 2-knuckle steel construction, also medium duty. For a heavier leaf on the same concealed bearing principle, the Ives 3CB1HW is the heavy duty version.

Full mortise. Both leaves get let into the door edge and the jamb so the hinge sits flush and only the barrel shows when the door is closed. That means the jamb needs a routed pocket; there is no surface mount option on this one. If your frame cannot be mortised on the jamb side, a half mortise hinge like the Hager 1129 mortises into the door and surface applies to the frame.