What hinge holds the most weight?

Let's start with the basics: a residential duty hinge can hold between 200 and 400 pounds. A commercial duty hinge can carry between 400 and 600 pounds, a heavy-duty hinge (also called a heavy duty LL) can carry between 600 and 1000 pounds, and cabinet doors? They can take about 80 pounds.

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Often, we don’t stop to wonder how much weight a door hinge can carry until we have put too much weight on it and bent something (teenagers have a tendency to do this with interior doors and cabinet doors). So the question comes: how much weight can a door hinge hold? The answers are fairly straightforward, but there are a few things that we need to address. First, we’ll need to talk about the type of hinge, because different hinges can be used for different things. Then we’ll talk about the type of door, because the weight of the door itself--and whether it’s exterior or interior-- usually matters much more to the hinge than the weight of the coat hooks on the back of it. With that, we’ll need to talk about how much use this door is getting, because some hinges are better for the long haul, and some hinges may be strong, but aren’t made for constant wear and tear. Finally, we’ll look at some things you need to consider when hanging a door.

How Much Weight Can Each Type of Hinge Hold?

Let’s start with the basics: a residential emtek door hinge can hold between 200 and 400 pounds. A commercial duty hinge can carry between 400 and 600 pounds, a heavy-duty hinge (also called a heavy duty LL) can carry between 600 and 1000 pounds, and cabinet doors? They can take about 80 pounds. But you see those wide ranges in weight tolerances in those hinges? That comes from the door use frequency. Doors that are used most frequently can generally carry less weight than doors that are used less often. So, a commercial door that is used more than 25 times a day can carry the low end--400 pounds--and a commercial door that is used less than 25 times a day can usually carry the high end--600 pounds. Why does frequency of use affect the strength of the hinge? It’s because when a metal hinge is being put under strain continually, the metal starts to feel the burn. It may sag, and as it sags the door doesn’t close as well as it used to. For an exterior door you may start to feel a draft, or hear an audible ka-chunk when the door closes as the door itself bumps into the door jamb. High-frequency door hinges are a special breed, and it’s essential to remember that any old hinge isn’t just any old hinge. They’re precision instruments made for precision jobs. Think about all of the wear and tear that your house receives during the day. You don’t open and close the windows as much as the doors. You don’t open and close the oven as much as you open and close the doors. The only things that get more wear and tear in a home (or commercial space) are plumbing fixtures and carpet. Other than that, it’s the doors doing the heavy lifting.

What Are the Differences Between Low-Duty Hinges and High-Duty Hinges?

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Let’s start with a low-duty hinge, because that’s the most basic. If you’ve ever hung an interior door in your house, you have almost always used a low-duty hinge. These are thin and usually made from aluminum. They do not have ball bearings in them (more on that in a minute) and typically affix to the wall and door with three screws in each. A pin typically extends beyond the edge of the door (as depicted in the accompanying picture) which can be removed to take the hinges apart. (You may have needed to do this maneuver if you’ve ever accidentally locked yourself out of a room.) A heavy-duty hinge, on the other hand, will often have ball bearings in it. Think of your hinge like your fist and your knuckles are the protruding slots where the door side of the hinges meshes with the jamb side of the hinge. In these knuckles, in a heavy-duty hinge, there are ball bearings which make the doors open and close more smoothly, easily, and quietly. A heavy-duty hinge is much less likely to squeak than a low-duty hinge because of these ball bearings.

What Kind of Door Do I Have and How Much Weight Can it Hold?

All doors are going to weigh slightly different amounts because of the manufacture, materials, and style of the door. But here are some rules of thumb: We’re going to use the example of an exterior wood door on a nice home. Being a front door, it will probably be a high-frequency door, especially if you have kids. The following stats are for comparison purposes only--the actual weight of your door will depend on style of door:

For the purposes of this comparison, assume all doors are 1-¾” thickness.

Ash doors weigh 5 pounds per square foot.

Birch doors weigh 4.5 pounds per square foot

Fir doors weigh 3.5 pounds per square foot

Hollow core doors weigh 2.5 pounds per square foot

Hollow metal doors weigh 5 pounds per square foot

Mahogany doors weigh 5.5 pounds per square foot

Oak doors weigh 7 pounds per square foot

Solid core doors weigh 4.5 pounds per square foot

Now, let’s do the math. Assume that a nice wood (or metal) front door is 37.5 inches by 81.625 inches. That equates to 3060.938 square inches, or 21.256.

This means that these doors weight the following:

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Ash: 106.28 pounds

Birch: 95.65 pounds

Fir: 74.4 pounds

Hollow Core: 53.14 pounds

Hollow Metal: 106.28 pounds

Mahogany: 116.91 pounds

Oak: 148.8 pounds

Solid Core: 95.65 pounds

Now, disclaimer: This assumes that all of these doors are of a certain height, width and depth. Measure your door--or, better yet, check the information that comes with the door, to determine the weight of the door.

What If My Door Begins to Sag?

The truth is that doors will sag over time, and that’s partially due to the weight of the door and the strength of the hinge, but it’s also due to the strain that is put on the door by children hanging on it, by things being mounted to the back of it, and even by the lateral-force that hits your door as wind blows against it or as snow builds up and pushes against it. All of these things can make a perfectly good door with previously-perfectly-good hinges begin to ache under the strain, this is the time to replace those hinges.

Conclusion

Hinge weight capacity depends a great deal on the weight of the door, the strength of the hinges, the frequency with which the door experiences wear and tear, and other typical forces that apply to doors. Making sure you install your door with the right type of hinges that can carry the right kind of door is crucial.