The Big Door Hardware Glossary: Words and Phrases you Need to Know

There can be a lot of confusing jargon involved with door hardware, especially when you get into the internal workings of locks, security accreditations, and so on. Whether you’re a first time homeowner looking to upgrade your door hardware or just getting into the trade, we hope this glossary provides some clarity on the words and phrases used in the world of door hardware.

Air Gap/Rebate

An air gap, also known as rebate, is the distance between the face of the sash and frame on a door. The air gap on PVCu doors is often 12mm and 3-4mm for timber and composite doors.

Anti-Bump

Anti-Bump is a feature found in some locks.

Bumping is a common method of breaking an entry that requires the use of a special “bumping key” – this causes the pins inside the lock cylinder to skip to the shear line, opening the door.

Anti-bump locks have more pins on the inside than regular locks which are stacked in a way that prevent them from being able to jump up, keeping the door shut.

Anti-Lift

Anti-Lift is a similar feature to Anti-Bump, preventing patio or sliding doors from being able to be lifted off its rails.

Anti-Snap

Lock snapping is another common method that intruders use.

Anti-Snap cylinders have a line cut into the cylinder body, known as a sacrificial cut or snap line. This means that the cylinder will snap at its weakest point when force is applied, as it would be during an attempted intrusion. This leaves the locking mechanism intact.

Backplate

A backplate is simply the “plate” that the lever of a door handle is attached to and is the part that is fixed to the door. Backplates can conceal screws for a neat finish.

Backset

The Backset of a lock is the distance between the front of the faceplate (the visible part of the lock once it has been inserted into the door) and the centre of the spindle (a length of square metal bar which connects the door handles on either side of your door together) or the centre of the Europrofile cylinder hole.

Bolts

Bolts are simply a two-piece mechanism that “bolts” a door shut, enabling you to add another “lock” to a door or window. Often used on external doors around the home, e.g. back doors.

Cabin Hooks

Cabin hooks are a way to keep doors open or shut as they can be used to prop open the door or lock it. Ideal for storage areas and cabinets.

CE Marked

A CE Mark means that the product conforms with the EU’s health, safety, and environmental protection standards.

Composite

Composite simply means a material which is produced from two or more materials. Common types of composites are reinforced concrete, composite wood such as plywood, and reinforced plastics such as polymer or fibreglass. Composite plastics are common materials for doors.

Cylinder Guards

Cylinder guards are essentially shields for cylinders that provide an extra layer of protection against attack. Commonly made from hardened steel, they can resist drilling and other break-in methods.

Deadbolt

A deadbolt lock is a locking mechanism that can only be opened using a key without the use of a spring, as in a latchbolt.

Document Q

Document Q approved products have been tested to ensure they meet the requirements of PAS24, meaning they meet EU requirements for security against intruders.

Escutcheon

An escutcheon, often made of metal, is a decorative and protective addition to a keyhole, door handle or light switch that conceals screws and neatens the overall appearance.

Euro Cylinder

Euro cylinders, as the name suggests, are widely used across Europe, usually on residential doors. They are not often used in commercial buildings due to their lower standard of security.

Eurogroove

The channel (16mm on PVCu profiles and 20mm generally on composite doors) where the locking system is usually mounted.

Faceplate

Sometimes known as the forend, the faceplate is the front plate of a lock. For PVCu doors, the faceplate is generally 16mm wide to fit into the Eurogroove, on composite and timber doors 20mm radius end faceplates are common, and some composite door locks have a 44mm ‘wrap around’ faceplate made from aluminium or more recently extruded PVCu.

FD30 & FD60

FD30 and FD60 are fire-ratings which denote that a fire door or fire door feature will be resistant to fire for at least 30-minutes or 60-minutes respectively.

Flush

Flush refers to a handle that is recessed into the door, such as a flush pull, which is ideal for sliding doors.

Gasket

A gasket is a mechanical seal which fills the space between two or more surfaces, often to seal joints.

Gearbox

Multipoint lock gearboxes are used to replace the central mechanism in a lock when only that part is faulty. You can replace just the gearbox without having to remove the entire multipoint lock.

Head

A head is the top “rail” of a door or window frame.

Hooks

Part of a multipoint lock, hooks work to secure the door when shut.

Intumescent

Intumescent is a sealant commonly used in fire-proofing as it works by swelling up when exposed to high heat, sealing gaps in a door or window that fire could spread through.

Jamb

A jamb is the outer vertical portion of a door frame onto which the door is secured.

Keeps/Strikers/Strike Plates

These are the frame-mounted steel plates that the hooks or deadbolts of a multipoint lock engage into for security of compression (to keep the door shut).

Kitemarked

Kitemarking is another accreditation; a BSI Kitemarked product conforms to the British standards for security and reliability and is thoroughly tested.

Latchbolt

A type of spring latch that have spring-loaded bolts with an angled edge. They help to hold the door closed and retract when the door handle is turned.

Letterplate

A letterplate is the same as a letterbox – a frame with a flap that allows letters and small objects to be passed through a door.

Lock PZ

The PZ or “Per Zylinder” is the distance between the centre of the top spindle and the centre of the round section of the cylinder.


Mortice

Mortice locks are named after the “mortice” cut into the door that they fit into.

Mullion

A vertical section on a double window or door. Can be fixed or as on French doors, the mullion is mounted on the edge of the ‘slave’ door and the master door will lock against it-often referred to as a ‘floating mullion’.

Multipoint Lock

A locking system incorporating multiple linked lock cases operated from a central gearbox with bolts, hooks and rollers to secure and seal a door.

Night Latch

A lock that works on the exterior side of a door with a key, and a knob/handle on the interior side. It automatically locks the door when closed. Commonly used on residential front and back doors.

PAS24

PAS24, similar to Document Q, is a set of tests designed to assess the security of doors and windows against burglary and attack. Building regulations often require PAS24 approved hardware.

Rack Bolt

These are concealed bolts that provide additional security, usually to a timber door. They’re often fitted in pairs at the top and bottom of the door.

Reinforcing

Materials used to prevent twisting and linear expansion of PVCu door sash and frame. Commonly steel, aluminium or more recently recycled PVCu material.

Rim Latch

A lock or latch which is mounted to the surface of a door, rather than inserted into the edge of the door.

Roller Cam

A steel stud encased in a steel ‘roller’ used to ‘roll in’ to a keep/striker and provide compression. The principal is that the rolling action into the keep helps to reduce friction.

Rose

A rose is simply the backplate of a lever handle, usually round or square, which fits it to the door and conceals the screws.

Sacrificial Cut

The feature in anti-snap locks that snaps the cylinder in half when force is applied but leaving the locking mechanism intact, preventing a forced entry.

Sash

A sash is a part of a window; a movable or fixed frame that supports the glass of the window. You may have a window with a sash that can be pushed upwards to open the window.

Sash Jammer

A sash jammer is simply a lock that can be fitted to the sash to keep it closed. They can even prevent a door or window from opening if its lock is bypassed.

Keyed Alike

A lock being keyed alike with other locks means that one key fits them all, e.g. your front and back door locks can be opened by the same key.

Secured by Design

Secured by Design (also known as SBD) is another accreditation system for security-related products and the official police security initiative that “works to improve the security of buildings and their immediate surroundings”.

Shear Line

A shear line in a cylinder lock is where the inner cylinder ends and the outer cylinder begins. The inner cylinder is also known as a plug, which is where the key is inserted, while the outer is also known as the shell. Pins inside the cylinder being moved correctly to the shear line is how a lock is opened.

Shootbolt

A shootbolt is a window locking mechanism that provides additional security by adding locking points to the top and bottom of the window.

Spindle

A spindle for a pair of door handles is a small metal bar that connects the door handles on either side of the door together.

Threshold

The threshold of a door, also known as a saddle, is the panel attached to the floor (mainly used for external doors). They help to close the gap between the bottom of the door and the door to exclude draughts.

Thumb-Turn

These are locks that can be locked and unlocked without a key (generally from the inside) simply with the “thumb-turn” mechanism.

TS008

This is a PAS 24 standard for letterplates specifically (TS008:2015). TS008 demands that the letterplates be resistant to manipulation, fishing, gauge mail test, and flap security with resistance to 1Kn of pull force.

UKAS

UKAS is the National Accreditation Body for the UK. It’s recognised by the government and “provides an assurance of the competence, impartiality and integrity of conformity assessment bodies”.

uPVC

uPVC (also known as PVCu) stands for Unplasticized Polyvinyl Chloride and is a low-maintenance and low-cost building material often used as a substitute for painted wood and other more expensive and less resilient materials.

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