Concealed Hinges

A concealed hinge is invisible when the door is shut, because the entire mechanism is housed inside routed pockets in the leaf and the frame. It is the hinge to specify for flush, minimal and shadow-gap doors where a knuckle on the edge would spoil the line.

What concealed hinges demand

Precision. The pockets have to be machined accurately, so concealed hinges suit factory-prepared doors far better than site fitting. In return most models are three-way adjustable after installation, which lets you correct height, depth and lateral alignment without taking the door off.

Check the load rating against the leaf weight before ordering, and remember that fire rated openings need certified hardware from fire rated hinges. Traditional alternatives are butt hinges, washered hinges and parliament hinges, all compared in door hinges.

Where concealed hinges earn their price

Concealed hinges are the right choice when a door has to read as part of the wall: jib doors, flush wardrobe fronts, media walls and handleless panelled schemes. The barrel sits inside a routed pocket in both leaf and frame, so nothing is visible when the door is shut and no knuckle interrupts a painted or veneered face. That is also why they need a solid or engineered leaf, because there has to be enough material to take the pocket.

Adjustment is the real advantage

Most concealed patterns adjust on three axes after the door is hung, usually with two or three grub screws behind the plate. On site that turns a difficult reveal into a fifteen minute job: hang the leaf roughly, then dial the gap in top to bottom and side to side without lifting it off again. Check the maximum opening angle before you buy, because concealed hinges vary from around 90 to 180 degrees, and a door that must fold back flat against a wall may be better on parliament hinges.

What not to use them on

Do not fit concealed hinges to a certified fire door unless the hinge is explicitly tested for that use; specify fire rated hinges and read our fire door guide first. Hollow core leaves rarely have enough solid timber for the pocket, and very heavy doors usually run better on three washered hinges. For the standard alternative see butt hinges, compare every pattern in door hinges, and see where to fit door hinges for marking out.