Washered Butt Hinges

Washered butt hinges are most commonly 76mm (3”) and 102mm (4”) with the combination being a brass hinge with Phosphor Bronze washers, although increasingly stainless steel hinges with stainless steel washers have risen in popularity. This type of hinge can be fire door approved, but commonly is not. To be fire door approved the hinge should be CE marked and certified by the manufacturer.

Which Size Do I Need?

We would recommend that 76mm hinges are used with 35mm thick internal doors which are almost always 50mm wide when open. Any 45mm thick external doors and fire doors should be partnered with 102mm hinges by either 67mm or 76mm wide when open. In each case we would always recommend 3 hinges per door.

If in Doubt

If you are in any doubt as to which to use please don’t hesitate to contact us for advice. It is against building regulations to fit fire doors without a minimum of 3 CE approved fire door hinges (fitting them to an internal fire door in a fire door opening). In general, the use of stainless steel hinges far out ways the use of brass hinges due to the cost of brass. However, brass hinges come into ther own when special finishes are required, such as antique brass and or bronze.