When you face the task of choosing the right door hinges for your applications, the first thing you need to consider is the load capacity. Sure, manufacturers can provide you that information, but you need to do some more research.
Your commercial or residential application will undoubtedly suffer if you choose the wrong hinge where the installation is concerned. It is significantly more critical to look for a hinge to match the specific requirements of high use of your door opening. Finding door hinges that fit your demands takes some work.
Commercial and residential door hinges are essential elements of hardware. This is because of the significant role the hinges play in connecting various heavy objects of the doors and stabilizing them for easy rotation. We generally refer to these hinges as heavyweight ball-bearing, anti-friction bearing, and heavyweight hinges.
These hinges have a specific design that meets the demands of heavy doors in high-traffic areas. Commercial hinges typically demand using a give-knuckle, ball-bearing or heavyweight hinge. This, however, is not the typical case because heavy-duty doors exist in only particular places.
So how do you determine whether you need a heavy-duty or a standard hinge for your commercial or residential doors? Let's see how below.
HEAVY-DUTY OR STANDARD HINGES?
You first need to be sure of what type of door yours will be. Is it going to be a high-traffic door or one that will be used less frequently? If your answer is the former, then geared hinges would be the best choice.
Standard hinges do not work well for high-traffic, heavy and abused doors. The long-lasting benefits you seek depend on choosing the right duty hinge for your project.
Selecting the right hinges requires considering the frequency of use and the weight of the door. You can estimate frequency by merely determining how often the door will open and close or how often traffic will pass through it daily.
High-frequency =Abused doors or the ones used more than 25 times daily
Medium-frequency=used 10 to 24 times daily
Low-frequency =used ten times or even lesser daily
Examples of high-frequency doors can be the ones in hospitals, schools, employee entrances or store-front doors.
To determine what weight-capacity will work best for your applications, you need to take the frequency and combine it with your door's weight. The rating you arrive at will determine which duty hinges are the perfect ones for you.
Let's look at the standard, select categories:
COMMERCIAL GRADE HEAVY-DUTY (LL)– doors falling in the low-frequency category that weigh up to 1000 lb must use the HD hinges, along with additional fastener holes. We recommend using rivnuts in the door and frame if the door is complete, extremely heavy or taller than the average doors.
COMMERCIAL GRADE HEAVY-DUTY-you must use heavy-duty hinges for doors that fall into the high-frequency category and weigh up to 200 lb. Doors weighing around 400 lb and falling in the medium-frequency category will also benefit from heavy-duty hinges. Similarly, you may use heavy-duty hinges for 600 lb or low-frequency doors.
RESIDENTIAL GRADE - STANDARD DUTY =you may use the standard duty hinges if your door weighs 200 lb or is a medium-frequency door.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Your door's load capacity and weight are easy to manage if you select the hinge system's right size. This advantage prevents many unnecessary processes from occurring, especially those that could weaken the frame structure and your door and be visually unbecoming.
For more than a decade, HingeOutlet.com has delivered the highest quality door hinges at the best possible prices. We offer the largest selection of door hinges online, as well as door accessories like wood screws, door hinge stops, ball catches, flush bolts, and more. In addition to our premium product offering from the leading hinge manufacturers, HingeOutlet.com manufactures a custom line of door hinge products.
