Door Hardware & Accessories

Door hardware covers everything that makes a door work once the leaf is hung. The three main groups are door handles, door hinges and locks and latches, and most doors need one item from each.

Other door hardware categories

Beyond those three, the categories below cover the smaller parts that are easiest to forget until the door is already on site:

• Escutcheons
• Door Closers
• Pair Makers
• Intumescent Strips and Pads
• Door Stops
• Flushbolts

If the door is fire rated, the hardware is part of the certification rather than an accessory, so work from fire rated hinges and intumescent strips and pads that are approved for use with your fire door.

How door hardware is organised here

Hardware is easier to buy when it is grouped the way it is fitted. Everything that goes on the face of the door sits under door handles, which then splits into handles on back plate, door knobs and pull handles. Everything that makes the door swing sits under door hinges, including butt hinges, parliament hinges, washered hinges and concealed hinges. Everything that holds the door shut or secures it sits under locks and latches, with bathroom locks, sash locks, dead locks, magnetic latches and bedroom lock sets.

Buying by the door, not by the part

The most common ordering mistake is buying a handle and assuming the latch and hinges come with it. They do not. If you would rather not check three part numbers per door, a handlepack bundles the handle, the latch and the hinges for one door in a single line. For a bathroom or a bedroom you also need the extra part that changes how the door locks: a turn and release for a bathroom, or a key lock for a bedroom. Our door handles guide walks through the whole set for one door.

Finishes: pick one and stay with it

Finish codes are where houses end up mismatched. Satin chrome, polished chrome, satin nickel, matt black, antique brass and satin stainless steel all photograph similarly but sit very differently next to each other on a landing. Choose the finish first, then buy handles, hinges, escutcheons, door stops and flush bolts in that same finish. Brand ranges make this simpler because the finish is carried across the whole range: see Carlisle Brass, Atlantic UK hardware, Zoo Hardware and D2F Accessories.

Fire door hardware is a separate decision

A fire door only performs as a fire door if the ironmongery fitted to it is rated for that use. That means fire rated hinges, intumescent strips and pads and, where the door has to close itself, a door closer. Standard hinges and standard latches are not a substitute. If you are specifying an FD30 or FD60 fire door, read FD30 vs FD60 fire doors before ordering the hardware.

How many hinges does one internal door need?

Most standard internal doors are hung on three hinges. Heavier doors, glazed doors and fire doors are normally hung on three as a minimum, and the hinge itself has to be rated for the door weight. How to choose door hinges covers sizing and weight.

Can I mix brands within one house?

You can, as long as the finish name and the fixing centres match. Mixing brands in the same doorway is riskier than mixing them room to room, because back plate lengths and lock centres vary between ranges.