Emtek 96425 Heavy Duty Ball Bearing Hinges (Pair), 4-1/2" x 4-1/2" with 1/4" Radius Corners, Solid Brass

Yes. The Emtek 96425 ball bearing hinge is rated for doors up to 1-3/4 inches thick, which covers the standard commercial and exterior door thickness as well as thinner 1-3/8 inch interior doors. The hinge leaves measure 4-1/2 x 4-1/2 inches, so the door has to be prepped for a 4-1/2 inch hinge pocket. A 4 inch or 3-1/2 inch mortise will not take these without recutting.

1/4 inch radius corners. That matters because the corner profile has to match the mortise already cut in your door and frame. Most factory-prepped commercial doors and metal frames are routed with a 1/4 inch radius, so these drop straight in. If your existing pockets are square cut, or cut to a 5/8 inch radius like a lot of residential prep, these will leave a visible gap at the corners.

The 96425 is sold as a pair with the mounting screws in the box. A standard door takes three hinges, so plan on ordering two pairs per opening and having a spare hinge, or count your leaf openings before you order. Tall or heavy doors typically get a fourth. Finish the screws to match: the screws supplied come with the hinges, so ordering all your pairs in the same finish keeps everything consistent.

Emtek rates the 96425 as a residential hinge. Solid brass with ball bearings holds up well on a heavy house door or an interior unit door in a multi-family building, but for a commercial opening under real traffic, look at a heavy duty steel ball bearing hinge in the same 4-1/2 x 4-1/2 size, like the Don-Jo HWBB74545 or the Hager BB1168 with a non-removable pin. Those are the ones spec'd on corridor and stair doors.

The Emtek 96425 is a non-electronic ball bearing hinge - it carries no wiring. To run power from the frame into an electrified lock or exit device, use an energy transfer hinge: the Command Access ETH-BB68 is a 5-knuckle heavy duty steel base energy transfer hinge, and the Command Access ETH-CB70 is the 3-knuckle standard weight, medium duty version. If the opening also needs door position monitoring, the Command Access ETM-BB68 adds an integrated door position switch on the heavy duty 5-knuckle base and the ETM-CB70 does the same on the 3-knuckle medium duty base. The BEST CECB179-12C is a steel full mortise concealed bearing electrified hinge with a 12-wire quick connect, medium duty, when the lock needs more conductors than a transfer hinge carries.

The Emtek 96425 is a 4-1/2 inch by 4-1/2 inch ball bearing hinge in solid brass, sold in pairs with screws. The closest same-size heavy duty ball bearing pairings are the Don-Jo HWBB74545 and the Don-Jo HWBB84545, both heavy weight full mortise ball bearing hinges at 4-1/2 inch by 4-1/2 inch in satin chrome. The Emtek 96425 has 1/4 inch radius corners and comes in ten finishes including Polished Brass - Lifetime (US3), Unlacquered Brass (US3NL), Flat Black (US19) and 613 - Satin Bronze Oil-Rubbed, so it is the one to hold when the hinge has to match visible brass trim; the Don-Jo pair is steel or brass in a single satin chrome finish for openings where the hinge is not part of the decorative scheme.

The Emtek 96425 is a 4-1/2 inch by 4-1/2 inch hinge rated for doors up to 1-3/4 inch thick. When the leaf needs a wider hinge to carry it, step to a 5 inch height: the Don-Jo HWBB75045 is a heavy weight full mortise ball bearing hinge at 5 inch by 4-1/2 inch in steel with a satin chrome finish, and the Don-Jo HWBB85045 is the same 5 inch by 4-1/2 inch size in brass. Both are heavy duty. Note the taller hinge needs a taller mortise, so it is a substitution for new prep rather than a drop-in for an opening already cut for 4-1/2 inch leaves.

Both are 4-1/2 inch by 4-1/2 inch ball bearing hinges. The Orca Hardware 3535 Series is a square corner ball bearing commercial hinge, medium duty. The Emtek 96425 has 1/4 inch radius corners and a solid brass body, and it is sold in pairs with screws in ten finishes ranging from 625 - Bright Chrome and 619 - Satin Nickel through French Antique (US7) and Pewter (US15A). The deciding detail is the corner: a square corner leaf will not seat in a mortise routed with a 1/4 inch radius, and a radius leaf leaves a gap in a square-chiseled mortise, so match the corner to the prep that is already in the door.

The Emtek 96425 is a residential ball bearing hinge in solid brass, 4-1/2 inch by 4-1/2 inch with 1/4 inch radius corners. For a commercial opening, specify a hinge built for that duty instead: the Ives 3CB1HW is a steel heavy weight 3-knuckle concealed bearing full mortise hinge, the Hager BB1168 NRP is a heavy duty full mortise ball bearing hinge with a non-removable pin, and the Stanley Security FBB191 is a 5-knuckle full mortise standard weight hinge at 4.5 inch by 4.5 inch, heavy duty. The Ives 3CB1 and 3CB1-B are the medium duty concealed bearing versions of the same 3-knuckle pattern. Concealed bearing hinges like the Ives 3CB1 family hide the bearing inside the knuckle rather than showing a bearing ring in the barrel the way a standard ball bearing hinge does.

Yes, that is a different hinge type. The Emtek 96425 is a ball bearing hinge; the bearings reduce friction so a heavy leaf swings smoothly, but the hinge does not return the door. For self-closing, the Stanley Security 2060R is a full mortise spring hinge, square corner, 4.5 inch by 4.5 inch on a ferrous steel base, heavy duty - the same leaf size as the Emtek 96425 but with a spring in the barrel that pulls the door shut. Its square corners will not seat in a mortise routed for the 1/4 inch radius corners the Emtek 96425 carries.

Several hinges in the same size range mount differently. The Hager 1129 is a half mortise commercial hinge at 4-1/2 inch, which mortises into the door but screws to the face of a metal frame rather than into a mortised jamb. The Hager 990 STEEL is a full surface prison hinge, 3 inch by 4 inch with a welded tip - it surface-mounts to both leaves instead of sitting in a mortise. The BEST DAP-3 is a double acting pivot for commercial interior doors, a pivot set rather than a hinge, and the BEST BB855 and Stanley Security BB855 are double weight prison hinges for detention openings. The Emtek 96425 is a full mortise ball bearing hinge in 4-1/2 inch by 4-1/2 inch with 1/4 inch radius corners, so it needs a mortise routed into both the door edge and the jamb.

Ball bearings sit between the knuckles and carry the door's weight on a rolling surface instead of metal rubbing on metal. That is what you want under a heavy solid core or exterior door, under a door with a closer on it, and anywhere the door cycles all day, because a plain bearing hinge on that duty starts to squeak and sag. The 96425 is a ball bearing hinge. For a light hollow core interior door that gets opened a few times a day, a plain bearing hinge such as the Orca Hardware 4014 Series in the same 1/4 inch radius corner is enough.

Ten finishes, so you can match them to the levers and knobs already on the door: Polished Brass Lifetime (US3), Unlacquered Brass (US3NL), 606 Satin Brass, French Antique (US7), Polished Nickel (US14), Pewter (US15A), Flat Black (US19), 613 Satin Bronze Oil-Rubbed, 619 Satin Nickel, and 625 Bright Chrome. Unlacquered brass is the one to note if you are matching a fleet of doors, since it is left bare and will patina over time rather than staying bright.

Leaf thickness runs 0.122 to 0.134 inches. That gauge is what determines how deep the mortise has to be cut: the leaf should sit flush with the door edge and the frame rebate, so if you are swapping into an existing pocket cut for a thinner residential hinge, expect to deepen the mortise slightly or the door will bind against the stop.

Solid brass is the reason you would. Brass does not rust the way a plated steel hinge does when the pin end sits exposed to weather, and the ball bearings keep a heavy entry door swinging without wear. The one caveat is the finish: unlacquered brass will darken and patina outdoors on purpose, while the lacquered and plated finishes hold their colour longer. Door thickness up to 1-3/4 inches covers a typical exterior slab.

Full mortise butt hinges like the 96425 are symmetrical, so one pair works on a left hand or a right hand door. What you do have to get right on install is the pin orientation: the barrel goes on the side the door swings toward, so on an outswing door the pin ends up on the exterior. If that is a security concern on an entry, a hinge with a non-removable pin is the answer, like the Deltana CSB45N in the same 4-1/2 x 4-1/2 size or the Hager BB1168 NRP.

The 96425 is a 4-1/2 x 4-1/2 hinge and does not come smaller in that model. For a lighter interior door prepped for a smaller pocket, the Orca Hardware 3514 Series is 3-1/2 x 3-1/2 with the same 1/4 inch radius corner, and the Deltana DSB35 is a 3-1/2 x 3-1/2 square corner pair. Match the corner profile to the mortise already in your door before you pick, since radius and square are not interchangeable in an existing pocket.

The Emtek 96425 is a ball bearing hinge in solid brass with 1/4 inch radius corners. On a low traffic interior door where ball bearings are more hinge than the opening needs, plain bearing hinges cover the same job: the Orca Hardware 4014 Series is a 4 inch by 4 inch plain bearing commercial hinge with 1/4 inch radius corners, matching the corner style but in the smaller leaf size, and the Orca Hardware 4040 Series is the 4 inch by 4 inch square corner version of the same plain bearing hinge. Both are medium duty. In residential steel, the Delaney 3-1/2 inch by 3-1/2 inch interior residential hinge and the Delaney 4 inch by 4 inch Castlegate hinge are sold in pairs like the Emtek 96425, both with 5/8 inch radius corners rather than the 1/4 inch radius the Emtek carries - check the corner radius already routed into the jamb before swapping.

Both are 4-1/2 inch by 4-1/2 inch. The McKinney SQ3331 is a square barrel 2-knuckle decorative hinge, standard duty - the square barrel and two-knuckle profile give it a distinct look at the door edge. The Emtek 96425 is a solid brass ball bearing hinge with 1/4 inch radius corners in the American Classic theme, offered in ten finishes including Unlacquered Brass (US3NL), Polished Nickel (US14), 606 - Satin Brass and Flat Black (US19). Where the 96425 puts bearings in the knuckles for smooth swing under a heavier leaf, the SQ3331 is chosen for its barrel profile.

They are built differently. The Emtek 96425 is a ball bearing hinge, with bearings between the knuckles so the leaf turns on rolling elements. Plain bearing hinges such as the Ives 1010RP steel residential hinge with square corners, sold in sets of three, and the Orca Hardware 4040 Series 4 inch by 4 inch square corner commercial hinge run knuckle on knuckle instead, both medium duty. The Hager 920 is a 2-knuckle steel full mortise hinge with concealed bearing, a third construction that puts the bearing inside the barrel, medium duty. Ball bearing construction is the usual choice on heavier leaves and higher traffic openings.

For back-of-house openings, the McKinney MacPro line runs the same 5-knuckle standard weight pattern: the McKinney MP79 is a full mortise 5-knuckle standard weight hinge and the MPB79 is the MacPro 5-knuckle standard weight hinge, both standard duty. The Stanley Security FBB191 is a 5-knuckle full mortise standard weight hinge at 4.5 inch by 4.5 inch, heavy duty, matching the Emtek 96425 leaf size of 4-1/2 inch by 4-1/2 inch. Keep the Emtek 96425 in solid brass on the openings where the hinge is seen alongside the trim, in finishes such as 613 - Satin Bronze Oil-Rubbed or Polished Nickel (US14), and run the steel hinges where it is not.

They are part of Emtek's brass collection, finished in the same codes used across the Emtek line, so a 619 Satin Nickel hinge pairs with a 619 lever and a US19 Flat Black hinge pairs with a Flat Black knob. Order the hinge finish using the same code as the trim already on the door rather than by finish name, since names vary between makers but the code does not.

On a residential door, yes, that is what the ball bearings are for. But if the closer is on a commercial opening or a high traffic door in a multi-family or institutional building, step up to a heavy duty hinge instead. The Don-Jo HWBB84545 and the Ives 3CB1HW are heavy weight options built for that duty. Emtek rates the 96425 for residential use, and closer duty on a public corridor door is beyond it.