FAQ

 MOST COMMON Grade Levels:

        Many ANSI/BHMA standards set forth different product grades for a particular hardware item. These product grades (grade 1, 2, or 3 -- with grade 1 being the highest) are defined by progressive levels of performance benchmarks in each applicable ANSI/BHMA standard. The grade of any particular architectural hardware item also can be ascertained by looking at its BHMA product number. This standardized BHMA numbering system also delineates other important classification information, such as the predominant material used, product category, and function of a specific hardware item. Door lock hardware is classified by three different grades.

Grade 1:

        Hardware is rated for applications where the locks will experience heavy usage such as in public buildings, schools, hospitals, or any building with heavy traffic flow.

Grade 2:

        Hardware is also rated for commercial applications but for situations where the hardware will not have as heavy of traffic flow. Grade 1 door lock hardware is expected to meet twice the usage of grade 2 door lock hardware.

Grade 3:

        ‍Hardware is rated for residential use only and can last two to five years depending upon usage. ANSI/BHMA Grading as easy as 1, 2, 3….

You will need these basic measurements:

• Width  =  How  wide  is  the  Frame  Depth/Jamb  Depth  
• Length  =  The  distance  between  the  hinge  and  strike  jambs  (this  is  typically  the  door  opening  size  i.e.:  3’0”,  4’0”,  6’0”)  
• Height  =  The  desired  height  coming  off  the  ground  no  greater  that  ¾”  (anything  higher  then  becomes  a  trip  hazard.)

Category: Main

• Latch  guard  is  for  added  security  purposes.  
Drip  guard  prevents  water  getting  on  the  face  of  the  door.  
Wall  stops  prevent  the  door  from  damaging  the  wall  that  the  door  swings  towards.  
Kick  plates  are  for  doors  where  is  someone  is  walking  with  their  hands  full  often,  pushing  carts  or  another  reason  they  would  kick   the  door  vs  use  handle.  
Weather  stripping  is  for  exterior  doors  to  prevent  drafts  or  unwanted  weather  from  getting  in  and  for  temperature-controlled  facilities.

Category: Main

A  door  protection  plate  providing  protection  against  the  lower  portion  of  the  door.  8",  10",  12"  and  16"  heights  are  typical.  The  use  of  16"  high  kick  plates  is  recommended  for  use  on  doors  used  by  people  in  wheel  chairs.

Category: Main

Rubber  stops  that  are  mounted  to  the  wall  vs.  floor  to  reduce  impact  and damage  from  swinging  doors  and  to  avoid  trip  hazards  from  floor  mounted  type  stops.

Category: Main

An  aluminum  piece  that  attaches  above  an  exterior  door  or  storm  door  to  divert  rain  and  water  run-off  away  from  the  entryway.

Category: Main

Did  you  know  that  on  a  door  with  traditional  butt  hinges,  70%  of  the  door  weight  is  on  the  top  hinge?  The  top  hinge  also  bears  the  brunt  of  abuse  when  doors  are  opened  beyond  the  stop  device,  resulting  in  kickback  shock  and  eventual  failure  of  the  hinge  and  damage  to  the  frame.  This  is  why  continuous  hinges  are  recommended  for  heavy  doors  and  for  situations  where  doors  are  exposed  to  misuse.  Continuous  hinges  reduce  the  factors  leading  to  hinge  failure  by  distributing  weight  evenly  so  wear  and  tear  to  the  frame  and  door  is  reduced  significantly.  

In  addition,  continuous  hinges:
•  Increase  security  and  reduce  vandalism  by  preventing  insertion  of  devices  between  the  door  and  frame
•  Ease  installation  by  providing  simple  alignment  of  electrical  transfers  and  of  monitoring  switches
•  Reduces  air  infiltration  by  creating  a  complete  seal  from  top  to  bottom  of  the  door  at  the  hinge  jamb

Category: Main

A  commercial  hinge  consisting  of  two  full-height,  paired  and  geared  leaves.  Each  geared  leaf  rotates  evenly  from  top  to  bottom  riding  on  proprietary  polymer  blended  bearings.  The  geared  leaves  and  bearings  are  held  together  by  a  full-length  channel  cap.  This  assembly  retains  the  smooth,  clean  lines  of  the  door  and  frame,  while  easily  supporting  heavy  vertical  loads

Category: Main

A  steel  or  aluminum  plate  completely  cover  the  latch  area  protecting  the  latch  area  of  a  door  from  prying  and  shimming.

Category: Main

Fire  doors  must  use  fire  rated/listed  hardware  components,  these  components  must  offer  the  opening  the  following:  
a.  Door  must  be  self-closing  (“listed”  door  closer  or  spring  hinges  required)  
b.  Door  must  be  self-latching  (“listed”  mortised,  cylindrical  locks  or  “listed”  exit  device  required)

Category: Main

Access  control  is  the  ability  to  permit  or  deny  the  use  of  a  particular  resource  by  a  particular  entity.  Access  control  mechanisms  can  be  used  in  managing  physical  resources,  logical  resources,  or  digital  resources.

Category: Main

If  the  design  permits,  the  product  should  be  under  a  ¼”  tall.  If  greater  than  a  ¼”  high  and  no  greater  than  a  ½”  high,  the  product  must  incorporate  a  1:2  slope.

Category: Main

Plain  Bearing/Standard  Weight  -  for  use  on  medium  weight  doors  or  doors  requiring  low  frequency  service.
Ball  Bearing/Standard  Weight  -  for  use  on  medium  weight  doors  or  doors  requiring  medium  frequency  service.  
Ball  Bearing/Heavy  Weight  -  for  use  on  heavy  doors  or  doors  requiring  high  frequency  service.

Category: Main

NRP  is  an  industry  standard,  which  stands  for,  “Non-Removable  Pin”.  On  the  center  knuckle  of  the  hinge,  there  is  installed  a  setscrew  which  tightens  against  the  groove.  This  modification  is  intended  as  a  deterrent  only.  It  is  not  to  be  considered  suitable  for  high-security  applications  or  abusive  environments.

Category: Main

The  correct  hinge  to  use  in  this  situation  would  be  a  stainless  steel-based  hinge.

Category: Main

As  one  of  the  oldest  international  brands,  Yale  is  among  the  most  respected  names  in  the  lock  industry,  with  millions  of  Yale  locks  in  use  worldwide.  A  company  born  of  innovation,  Yale  pioneered  the  evolution  of  the  locking  industry  for  over  170  years.  Offering  a  broad  portfolio  of  door  hardware  and  locks  to  secure  your  home  or  business,  Yale  continues  to  innovate  new  products  for  both  residential  and  commercial  applications.  Products  include  mortise  and  cylindrical  locks,  exit  devices,  door  closers,  electromechanical  products  and  key  systems,  as  well  as  windstorm  certified  hardware,  decorative  levers,  and  antimicrobial  hardware  coatings.

Category: Main

Yes, see our finish section for all our offerings.

Category: Main

Most  large  institutions  do  not  want  their  employees  to  carry  around  large  quantities  of  keys.  Similarly,  these  institutions  would  like  to  restrict  access  based  on  an  individual’s  standing,  and  responsibility,  within  the  establishment.  A  master  key  system  will  allow  for  different  levels  of  restricted  entry.  When  a  master  key  system  is  finished  there  may  be  a  graduated  level  of  access.  In  the  example  of  a  property  manager,  one  tenant’s  key  will  work  on  their  lock  but  not  on  the  neighbor’s  lock.  However,  the  property  manager  will  have  one  key  that  works  for  both  locks.  This  can  work  to  create  a  number  of  possible  keys.

Category: Main

Yes, please  see  XpressLocks  Master  Key  Program  Section.

Category: Main

In  the  U.S.  99%  of  commercial  doors  are  1  ¾”  thick.  Most  standard  door  hardware  is  manufactured  to  fit  1-3/8"  -  2"  thick  doors.  Some  manufacturers  have  extension  kits  to  fit  a  thickness  over  2  inches.  A  typical  residential  interior  door  is  1-3/8"  thick  and  an  exterior  door  is  1-3/4"  thick.  Again,  interior  and  exterior  commercial  doors  are  1-3/4"  thick.

Category: Main

The  active  door  is  the  one  that  opens  first  and  to  which  the  lock  is  applied.  The  inactive  door  opens  only  after  the  active  door  and  is  locked  in  place  with  Flush  Door  Bolts  or  Surface  Mounted  Door  Bolts.

Category: Main

The  volume  of  usage  the  closer  will  endure  each  day,  and  the  weight  and  size  of  the  door  determine  the  type  of  closer  needed  for  door  conditions.

Category: Main

A  door  closer  is  a  mechanical  device  that  controls  and  closes  a  door,  typically  after  someone  opens  it.  Choosing  a  door  closer  requires  the  consideration  of  a  variety  of  criteria  including  the  closer's  performance  in  fire  situations,  control  over  the  rate  of  closing,  safety,  durability,  risk  of  vandalism  and  aesthetics.

Category: Main

To  mortise  means  to  rout  or  groove  a  space  to  accept  the  hinge.  When  a  hinge  is  mortised  correctly,  the  hinge  face  is  flush  on  the  edge  of  the  door  and  the  rabbet  of  the  frame.  On  standard  hinges,  a  1/16"  gap  will  exist  between  the  two  hinge  leaves  when  the  door  is  closed  and  in  the  frame.

Category: Main

These  are  found  on  most  commercial  doors.  The  two  leaves  of  the  hinge  are  connected  with  a  pin,  one  leaf  is  mortised  into  the  edge  of  a  door  and  the  other  leaf  mortised  into  the  rabbet  edge  of  a  frame.

Category: Main

For  standard  door  applications  either  interior  or  exterior,  standard  mortised  butt  hinges  cover  most  applications.  A  continuous  hinge  (also  known  as  a “piano  hinge”)  is  best  suited  for  functionality  of  heavier  doors,  high  traffic  doors,  replacing  worn  or  broken  pivots,  or  replacing  the  door  on  an  already  existing  frame  that  has  different  hinge  locations.

Category: Main

Insert  the  latch  into  the  face  plate  opening,  ensuring  that  the  sides  of  the  face  plate  line  up  with  the  flat  surface  on  the  latch  collar.  Push  flush  with  the  drive-in  collar.  Then  grasp  the  face  plate  in  one  hand  and  the  latch  in  the  other  hand  and  rotate  the  face  plate  clockwise  to  snap  in  to  the  collar.

Category: Main

These  are  exit  devices  which  have  also  been  labeled  for  use  on  fire  doors.  Dogging  devices  are  not  permitted  on  fire  exit  hardware  as  fire  doors  must  have  an  active  latch.  When  inspecting  exit  devices  on  fire  doors,  look  for  both  labels,  one  for  panic  and  one  indicating  the  device  is  fire  exit  hardware.  The  label  on  the  fire  door  itself  should  also  indicate  that  it  is  a  fire  door  suitable  for  use  with  fire  exit  hardware.

Category: Main

A  type  of  lock  having  an  inside  release  bar.  When  depressed,  the  release  bar  (called  crossbar,  push  pad,  etc.)  retracts  the  latch  bolt,  thus  permitting  the  door  to  be  opened.  Most  codes  require  that  the  activating  portion  of  the  release  mechanism  extend  not  less  than  half  way  across  the  door.  A  dogging  device  allows  the  release  bar  to  be  locked  down  so  that  the  latch  bolt  remains  retracted  and  the  door  can  be  used  as  a  "push-pull"  door.  They  may  or  may  not  be  key  operated  from  the  outside.  These  devices  have  been  investigated  for  panic  and  are  listed  by  a  nationally  recognized  independent  testing  laboratory  and  are  also  under  in-plant  follow-up  inspection  service.  They  may  not  be  used  on  fire  doors.

Category: Main

A  metal  plate  that  receives  the  door  bolt  or  latch  when  the  door  is  closed.  Strike  plates  come  in  many  shapes,  styles  and  sizes  for  different  applications.

A  lock  component  having  an  end  which  protrudes  from  or  is  withdrawn  into,  the  lock  front  by  action  of  the  lock  mechanism.  When  the  door  is  closed  and  the  dead  bolt  thrown,  it  extends  into  a  hole  provided  in  the  strike  thus  locking  the  door.  It  does  not  retract  with  end  pressure.

Category: Main

This  mostly  depends  on  the  level  of  security  needed  or  desired,  emergency  egress  codes,  and  whether  the  lock  is  going  on  an  interior  or  exterior  door.  Contact  XpressLocks at support@xpresslocks.com for  more  information.

Category: Main

A  lock  fitting  a  rectangular  shaped  cavity  in  the  edge  of  a  door.  A  round  hole  in  the  face  of  the  door  receives  a  spindle  to  which  knobs  or  levers  are  attached.  If  key  operated,  a  second  round  hole  above  the  first  receives  the  cylinder(s)  and  thumb  turn.  Some  functions  use  two  cylinders  which  is  not  a  violation  of  the  codes  because  the  inside  knob  always  operates.  Some  functions  use  two  cylinders  which  sometimes  is  a  violation  of  codes  because  the  inside  key  projects  a  dead  bolt  or  locks the inside knob which can only  be  unlocked  by  key.  (This  example  of  key  operation  on  the  inside  applies  equally  to  other  types  of  locks  and  is  mentioned  under  mortise  locks  only  because  it  originated  with  them.)

Category: Main

These  are  locks  or  latches  fitting  round  bored  openings  in  the  face  and  edge  of  a  door.  The  round  hole  in  the  face  of  the  door  is  usually  2  1/8  inches  in  diameter  and  the  hole  in  the  edge  of  the  door  is  7/8  inch  to  1  inch.  When  the  lock  is  installed,  the  face  hole  contains  the  lock  body  and  the  edge  hole  contains  the  latch  bolt.

Category: Main

A  keyed  cylinder  on  both  sides  of  the  door.  These  deadbolts  require  a  key  to lock  or  unlock  the  door  from  both  sides.

Category: Main

These  are  the  most  common  deadbolt  type  and  are  generally  used  in  combination  with  a  keyed  door  knob  or  lever  handle  on  exterior  doors.  Single  cylinder  deadbolts  require  a  key  to  unlock  and  lock  the  door  from  the  outside.  From  the  inside  the  door  can  be  locked  or  unlocked  with  a  simply  turning  the  thumb  turn  mechanism.

Category: Main

Lock functions control the flow of people through a building. For more information please see below?  

Entrance/Office/Classroom  -  may  be  controlled  by  a  key  in  the  outside  cylinder,  or  by  a  thumb  turn  or  push  button/turn  on  the  inside.  The  outside  lever  may  be  left  in  a  locked  or  unlocked  position,  and  the  use  of  the  thumb  turn/button  provides  convenience  to  the  user  but  may  also  allowed  an  unauthorized  person  to  control  the  lock.  This  lock  should  be  used  where  unauthorized  use  of  the  lock  is  not  a  concern  –  perhaps  an  individual  office,  or  storage  closet  that  does  not  need  to  be  secured  at  all  times.  Latch  bolt  retracted  by  knob/lever  from  either  side  unless  outside  is  made  inoperative  by  key  outside  or  by  turning  inside  thumb  turn.  When  outside  is  locked,  latch  bolt  is  retracted  by  key  outside  or  by  knob/lever  inside.  Outside  knob/lever  remains  locked  until  thumb  turn  is  returned  to  vertical  or  unlocked  by  key.  Auxiliary  latch  deadlocks  latch  bolt  when  door  is  closed.  Inside  lever  is  always  free  for  immediate  egress.

Passage  -  are  used  where  doors  do  not  need  to  lock.  There  is  no  key  cylinder  and  no  means  to  lock  a  passage  set. 

Privacy  -  are  used  for  restrooms  or  dressing  rooms.  They  can  be  locked  from  the  inside  with  a  thumb  turn  or  push  button/turn  for  privacy,  and  they  are  typically  unlocked  from  the  outside  using  a  tool  rather  than  a  key.  There  are  several  variations  on  this  function,  including  a  hospital  privacy  which  has  a  thumb  turn  on  both  the  inside  and  outside  to  allow  hospital  staff  quick  access  to  the  bathroom.  Some  privacy  functions  may  also  incorporate  an  indicator  to  show  the  locked/unlocked  status  of  the  lock.  

Storeroom  -  are  used  when  the  outside  lever  should  be  locked  at  all  times.  A  key  is  used  to  retract  the  latch  bolt  and  open  the  door;  when  the  key  is  removed  the  door  is  locked  on  the  outside.  There  is  no  means  to  lock/unlock  the  door  from  the  inside.  Typical  locations  for  a  storeroom  lock  would  be  secure  storage  rooms,  mechanical  rooms,  and  electrical  rooms  that  do  not  require  panic  hardware.  When  a  storeroom  lock  is  specified,  a  door  closer  may  also  be  needed  to  ensure  that  the  door  is  not  left  open,  defeating  security.

Category: Main

Measure from the edge of door to the center of the bore hole or the lock body that you are replacing. Most backsets are either 2-3/8" or 2-3/4".

Category: Main

The backset is the distance from the edge of the door to the center of the 2-1/8-inch bore hole (or lock body on mortised lock or exit device). In the United States, there are two common backsets for door locks: 2 3/4 inches for commercial locks and 2 3/8 inches for residential locks.

Category: Main

A lock which by reversing the latch bolt may be used on either a left or right hand door.

Category: Main

To  determine  the  handing  of  a  door  lock,  stand  outside  (the  side  requiring  a  key  if  applicable)  the  room  or  building  facing  the  door:  

• Hinges  are  on  your  left  and  the  door  swings  away  from  you  =  LH:  Left  Hand  
• Hinges  are  on  your  right  and  the  door  swings  away  from  you  =  RH:  Right  Hand  
• Hinges  are  on  your  left  and  the  door  swings  toward  you  =  LHR:  Left  Hand  Reverse  
• Hinges  are  on  your  right  and  the  door  swings  toward  you  =  RHR: 

Right  Hand Reverse  For  more  information  see  our  door  handing  page.

Category: Main
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