Aluminium Door Hardware Spec: A Checklist for Installers

The sizes are right, the finish is agreed, and the order still stalls on one line: “hardware as existing”. On a single aluminium swing door, the aluminium door hardware is often the part of the spec that arrives incomplete. It is also the part that is hardest to change once the leaf is cut and machined.

Closer bodies, lock cases and cylinder holes are prepared in the workshop before glazing. A missing answer means a phone call before fabrication can start. A wrong answer means rework on site.

This checklist follows the order we ask the questions when we quote a single door. Each answer decides what we need to ask next. Settle these five groups and the hardware stops being the thing that holds up your quotation:

1. Closer
2. Lock and cylinders
3. Handles
4. Letter plate
5. Anything else that goes on the order

1. Closer

Start with the closer type. A working concealed closer needs three more answers.

Closer type

• Concealed closer: fitted inside the head of the frame, so nothing shows on the face of the door.
• Top centre closer: if this is your answer, no more closer questions are needed.

Not sure what is on the existing door? Send a photo of the frame head from both sides.

Operation (concealed only)

• No hold open: the door always closes itself.
• Hold open: the door stays open at a set point. On a fire door, check the fire strategy before choosing this.
• Dummy: a closer body with no closing action. If you choose this, nothing more is needed.

Strength (no hold open or hold open)

Light, medium, heavy or adjustable duty. Strength follows the leaf size, the leaf weight and how exposed the entrance is. If you are unsure, send the leaf size and say whether the door faces the prevailing wind. We will check it before quoting.

Brand

We quote Alpro or Axim. If the job names a different brand, put it in the enquiry and we will confirm whether we can supply it.

2. Lock and cylinders

Locking takes three answers: the lock, how many, and the cylinder for each one.

Lock type

• Hook lock: a mechanical lock with a hook bolt.
• Electric strike: for doors on access control. Tell us who supplies the access control and where the cable runs, so the frame can be prepared for it.
• Neither: no more lock questions are needed.

How many

One to four locks on the leaf. We ask for a cylinder for each one.

Cylinder, for each lock

• 35/35 key-key: a key on both sides.
• 35/35 key-thumbturn: a key outside and a thumbturn inside, so the door opens from inside without a key. Check this against the building’s escape requirements.

Each cylinder comes with two escutcheons, one for each face of the door. You do not need to list them separately.

If the site needs a different cylinder size, cylinders keyed alike, or a master suite, put it in the enquiry. Keying is easier to settle before the order than after delivery.

3. Handles

Tell us how the handles are mounted, then the style.

Mounting

• One side: a handle on one face only.
• Back to back: a matching pair through the leaf, one on each face.

Style

Matching an existing entrance? Send a photo with a tape measure across the handle. The length is what gets mixed up most.

4. Letter plate

Yes or no. A letter plate is cut into the leaf in the workshop, so it needs settling before fabrication. If it is a yes and the position matters, give the height from the bottom of the door.

5. Anything else

The four groups above cover most single doors. Anything outside them still goes on the order as its own line: kick plates, push plates, door stops, signage or a specific threshold. If it fixes to the leaf or frame, tell us before fabrication, not after delivery.

Once the door is made, it is assembled and function-checked on the workshop jig before dispatch. What We Check on a Swing-Door Jig Before Dispatch covers that check.

Copy this into your enquiry

Paste this under each opening on your schedule and fill in the gaps:

Opening ref:
Closer:       concealed / top centre
  Operation:  no hold open / hold open / dummy
  Strength:   light / medium / heavy / adjustable
  Brand:      Alpro / Axim / other: ____
Lock:         hook lock / electric strike / neither
  How many:   1 / 2 / 3 / 4
  Cylinders:  35/35 key-key / 35/35 key-thumbturn (one per lock)
  Keying:     differ / alike / master suite
Handles:      one side / back to back
  Style:      pad / 300 cranked / 600 cranked / 600 guardsman / 900 guardsman / full-height pole
Letter plate: yes / no
Other items:

Key points

• Settle the closer, lock and handles before fabrication. They are machined into the frame and leaf.
• One answer leads to the next. A concealed closer needs operation, strength and brand, and every lock needs a cylinder.
• A photo of the existing hardware answers most questions faster than a description.

Send the hardware with the sizes

Request a trade quote with the sizes and the hardware list above. Email photos or schedules to sales@kingslandfabrications.co.uk, or call the trade desk on 01925 500 295 (Mon–Fri, 8am–4pm). We will confirm anything still missing before we quote, and the quotation sets the lead time.

Replacing a shopfront door rather than a single entrance? Start with the shopfront door replacement survey checklist.