I don’t know about you but when I take a deep dive into something I want to know every detail, look into every nook and cranny, explore not just the main themes but smaller elements, understanding each component to better understand the whole.
That’s the aim here, with pull handles. This isn’t a quick Q&A. This is your go-to guide, your north star for a popular and familiar item of door ironmongery. Read on to learn about the what, why, where, when, who, and how of door pull handles.
The what and why of door pull handles
The what
Gather round, settle in, and for those new to door hardware, we’ll start at the beginning - what is a pull handle?
Regardless of design, finish, or fixing type, a pull handle is an item of ironmongery that allows the user to open a drawer, cupboard, cabinet, or door with a pull motion, rather than the twist motion of a door knob or the lever action of well, a lever handle.
The name for the handle changes slightly depending on its application:
Pull handle - such as the standard D design handle, used on full height pedestrian doors. They project from the face of the door.
Flush pull - whether square, circular, or rectangular, flush pull handles are most often used on sliding doors, wardrobes, and pocket doors. The term also encompasses flush pull rings. They sit flush with the surface of the door or unit.
Cabinet hardware - includes fixed cupboard knobs, cabinet handles of various designs, and drawer pulls. Very common in kitchens, storage rooms, on desks, and cabinetry. These also project from the face of the cabinet or door.
Here we focus on full height projecting door pull handles rather than cabinet hardware, drawer fittings, or recessed handles. Whether satin stainless steel, antique brass, or matt black, 300mm straight or 900mm cranked, pull handles are very common on commercial projects, but why? Let us explain.
The why
Commercial and industrial facilities, especially those open to the public, have a wide variety of door types and users. So, why would you choose to install pull handles in certain areas of your built environment over anything else?
They spread the weight, making heavier doors easier to open.
Easier to operate than a lever door handle - open and close a door with a straight pull motion.
Allow for a firmer grip - lever door handles and door knobs can be restrictive to some users.
Apply more force which is great for small domestic and larger commercial sliding doors and screens.
No moving parts so have longevity in use.
Non-projecting parts - clothes or belongings can snag on projecting parts of door lever handles or knobs.
Where and when to fit door pulls
Door pull handles are surprisingly versatile in their application. We’ve covered the main reasons why you’d choose to fit them in your facility, so now let’s explore where.
High traffic doors - where your building has higher levels of foot traffic a push/pull door allows for the free flow of people and objects such as beds in hospital corridors.
Heavy doors - as we’ve said, pull handles spread the weight and allow for a better grip making heavier doors easier to open. The weight could be due to their height, width, material, or construction.
Locking/non-locking doors - locking doors with pulls can be secured with a deadlock, or access control such as a maglock. Non-locking pull operation doors can be held closed with a roller catch or door closer on self-closing doors.
Side hung doors - to make a door clear in use, fit push and pull signage to side hung doors, whether hung on hinges, a floor spring, or a pivot. To protect the surface of the door and cover the handle bolt fixings, fit a push plate on the opposite face of the door to the handle.
Sliding doors - bolt fixed pull handles allow for robust use and additional forces to be exerted, providing a strong point to pull a sliding door open or closed.
Pocket doors - mind the projection when installing a pull handle to a pocket door, especially if the door needs to close completely into the pocket. There are specific handles for pocket doors - edge pull and flush handles - available separately or in a pocket door handle set. These sit completely flush within the face of the door.
Door pull handles can be fitted horizontally to pull a door closed, such as in an accessible bathroom. This then technically changes the name of the product, and the item itself to a degree. When fitted horizontally, call them a grab rail. Contact our customer services team today as there are different designs, finishes, sizes, and styles available for your built environment.
Design, finish, and fixings
Their application is varied but nowhere near as broad as the range of appearance of pull handles. Whether that is their style, colour, texture, size, or how they’re fixed.
Design
The top 3 most common handle designs are:
D handle - a straight design with a gently curved 90° ‘D’ return to the door between the fixing posts/arms and grip section.
T bar - named after the top and bottom parts of the grip that project past the fixing posts/arms at 90° forming a ‘T’ at the top and bottom of the handle.
Mitre - a lot like a ‘D’ handle but they have a sharper, more precise 90° return instead of a gentle radius.
Things get more exciting when you look to exterior and entrance doors. Curved or half moon designs are a statement piece for pairs of doors such as on a glazed shopfront. On many modern residential front doors, you’ll find a Guardsman handle (a very large T bar design). Still not enough? Then you can always consider bespoke designs. Think of organic forms like hands or tree branches, or clinical, angular designs to reflect the architectural styling of your premises.
Another variant of the handle is the grip zone - the part your hand grasps to open the door. This section can be smooth, textured for additional grip, or textured for design such as knurling.
A further design aspect of pull handles is the differing projection types:
Straight - the handle is fixed at 90° to the face of the door.
Cranked - the initial projection is 90° then the handle turns back another 90° so that the grip zone is horizontal to the face of the door and the grip zone is further away from the edge of the door.
Angled - also known as offset, the handle projection is 45° from the face of the door, moving the grip zone further from the edge of the door, as with a cranked pull handle. Both designs are more often used on pairs of doors, not single doors.
Finish and material
Door pull handles, as with most door hardware, are made from a few base materials - stainless steel, aluminium, brass - but are refinished in a wealth of colours to match and contrast with doors and their surroundings. Common commercial finishes are stainless steel, which could be marine grade, satin or polished, or have anti-bacterial coatings for facilities such as hospitals and care homes.
All of the usual ironmongery finishes are available - polished brass, satin brass, polished chrome, satin chrome, polished nickel, and satin nickel - but the limits are nearly endless. For schools, you may want bright colours so fit hardware in a coloured nylon. In a boutique hotel install a matt black pull handle for an understated look, and in a high end private residence consider high quality bronze, whether oil rubbed, aged, or distressed. And if you’re feeling creative, mix a metal handle - hammered, smooth, grooved - with a leather grip, or add a patina. The choice is yours.
Fixings
Commonly sold as single units, solid or hollow, pull handles have a few choices for fixing depending on whether you need single or double sided, a more robust fixing, or a discreet mounting option:
Face fixing - commonly achieved through round roses with screw fixed submounting plates. Single or double sided mounting. Select the rose to suit the diameter of the handle.
Bolt fixing - providing a solid through-door fixing, these could be countersunk, covered with a finger plate, or decorative covered bolt fixings. Single sided fixing.
Secret fixing - this allows for a discreet single-sided fixing without the use of separate roses. (Double sided mounting if door thickness allows.)
Back to back fixing - a method of fixing a pull handle to both sides of a door at the same height. Double sided fixing.
Backplate - where a pull handle is mounted to a larger backplate, the backplate then face fixes to the door. A great solution for combining “pull” signage with a handle, covering any marks or fixings when retrofitting, and providing a uniform look with push plates throughout the building. Single or double sided mounting.
It is not possible to countersink bolts when installing a pull handle to an aluminium door so consider covered bolt fixings for a neat finish.
Who are pull handles for? Dimensions, measurements, and sizes
Having already covered the what, why, where, and when of the 5 W’s, we come to who. Our blog on door handle heights gives you a clue. It delves into common practices and regulations for installation heights, including the BS8300-2 guidance, that a minimum of 300mm centres is required for pull handles for accessibility.
Door hardware forms part of the overall accessibility, inclusivity, and user-friendliness of a building. No one should be barred from entry simply because of a mischosen or incorrectly installed item of ironmongery.
Fitting a long pull handle allows a door to be opened by wheelchair users who may not have the reach to access a lever handle. Those with a weaker grip, such as arthritis sufferers, can more readily operate a pull handle. And heavier doors, sliding or side hung, are no longer a barrier due to the strength of an individual. So, pull handles are for the many - whether for accessibility or a high volume of users.
Centre measurements and fitting heights have briefly been mentioned which must have you wondering how to determine the size of the pull handle you need. As with anything door or window hardware, there are a few criteria to consider:
Aesthetics - what size will look right on the door, in that room or space? What size works for the design of handle you’ve selected?
Accessibility - consider who needs to use this door - do the requirements of any accessibility regulations or standards apply? Are children and adults using this door so a longer, full height handle makes sense?
Replacement/retrofit - when replacing an existing handle, take note of the fixing dimensions when ordering a new pull handle so you can reuse the fixing holes.
There are common fixing centres across different brands and designs so this can make replacing or retrofitting handles a lot easier, especially if you’re unable to identify the model of the existing door pull - simply match the fixing hole dimensions. For full sized doors you’ll often see 300mm, 425mm, and 600mm handle sizes.
However, when it comes to sizing, there isn’t just one “size”. See below for the different pull handle dimensions:
Fixing centres - abbreviated to “c/c”, important for accessibility and when replacing like for like. It is the span from fixing point to fixing point.
Overall length/height - abbreviated to “O/A” for “overall”. This is a larger measurement than the fixing centres as it includes the diameter of the pull handle e.g. a 300mm c/c D handle may measure 325mm O/A.
Diameter - usually consistent unless the central grip zone is textured or wrapped. Full height doors will usually have a minimum of 19mm diameter handles, whether that’s a pull handle or a lever door handle.
Projection - measured to the furthest projecting point, this is how far a handle sits away from the face of the door.
Grip zone - the area where a hand or hands are placed to grip the handle to then open the door, measured between the fixing posts/arms.
Corner radius - measures the angle of the return between the fixing post/arm and the grip zone.
Fixings - the O/A measurement of the bolts or screws should allow for the door thickness plus enough length to fix into the handle itself. Different diameter handles will need different diameter bolt fixings.
How to fit a pull door handle
D Pull Handle Installation
In the video below, you’ll see the basic installation steps for a standard ‘D’ design door pull handle with 300mm centres. We’ve used the ARRONE satin stainless steel handle but the basic steps are fairly universal.
Measure and centre the pull handle and mark the bolt fixing hole positions.
Pre-drill pilot holes before drilling for the bolt fixings, using a drill bit with a slightly wider diameter than the pull handle bolt fixing.
Insert bolt fixings through the door and tighten the bolts until the handle is secure.
Position the push plate to cover the head of the bolt fixings,
Mark the screw fixing positions on the door and pre-drill holes before securely fixing the push plate.
Test the pull handle and ensure the push plate is firmly attached.
Here are some common fitting issues that our customer services team has encountered over the years:
Incorrect size of door finger plate - a 300mm c/c handle would need a plate of at least 350mm high to cover the bolt fixings.
Vertical misalignment of fixing holes - have your spirit level to hand as no one likes a wonky handle.
Drilling holes wrong - holes drilled for the O/A measurement, not c/c.
Drilling holes the incorrect distance from the door edge - allow for the diameter of the handle and any crank or offset.
Drilling wrong size holes for fixings - check the fixings before you drill as they will change depending on the handle diameter.
Securing fixings - they won’t be effective if they’re too loose or overtight.
Incorrect fixings - make sure to use the fixings supplied with the hardware. Check the length for the door thickness, and the handle diameter. Our advice is to always fit all of the supplied fixings including grub screws, washers, ferrules, etc.
Insufficient fixings- if they’re not robust enough then the handle all too readily pulls off.
How to fit a flush pull handle
Yes, we know we said we’d focus on projecting door handles for full size doors so consider this a bit of bonus content from us.
Measure and position the flush handle on the door, ensure it is straight and centered.
Mark the position of the flush handle and mortice the door to the required depth.
Position the flush handle in the mortice ensuring it is a good fit.
Insert the screws and tighten, securing the flush handle into the door.
After installation, test the door to ensure the handle is securely attached and that the door operates smoothly.
Common fitting issues for recessed flush handles include:
Cutting the incorrect depth or size of mortice - measure twice, or more if you need to, and start smaller than you need and work up to a perfect mortice for the shape and size of the flush handle.
Accuracy of mortice - for friction fitting the cut out needs to be pretty snug.
Lack of material - when fitting to a door with a mortice lockcase there is unlikely to be enough door thickness to accommodate a recessed handle too.
Installing on a door that’s too thin - consider installing a handle on one side only if the depth of material allows, or fitting handles on both faces but offset from each other.
Maintenance
Despite having no moving parts, door pull handles still require routine maintenance, as with all items of architectural ironmongery. This includes the standard two parts of any routine - a visual and a physical inspection.
Make sure to:
Tighten fixings - but don’t overtighten them.
Regular cleaning - remove any dirt, marks, and scratches.
If broken, replace it with a like for like handle
Always follow manufacturer-specific guidelines for maintenance as each brand, material, and surface finish may differ slightly.
Navigating your pull handle choices
Door handles - it’s quite the rabbit hole when you begin to explore. Pull, lever, flush, cabinet, and that’s only the first choice of many, as you now know. You’ve joined us on the journey through the what, why, where, when, who, and how of door pull handles, the different designs, dimensions, finishes, how to install, fitting issues, and maintenance. It’s a lot but the better informed you are, the more informed decision making can be.
The right hardware on the right door, correctly installed and maintained can provide a long lifetime value for your investment, and there is a lot of choice out there. Our team is ready and waiting to help with any questions or queries that you may still have so contact us today by email at [email protected] or call us on 01305 263300. We’re your dependable source for door control solutions.
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