4 Types of Protection Plates

Protection plates are surface-mounted to the face of a door so that it will protect the face of the door from damage, dirt, or chemicals. A protection plate are available in a range of dimensions. Selecting the right size is made easier by breaking down the range of sizes to 4 basic types of protection plates.

1. Mop Plates
2. Kick Plates
3. Armor Plates
4. Stretcher Plates

Mop Plates

Mop plates are made to protect the bottom of the pull side of a door that is susceptible to cleaning and mopping or vacuum procedures. A typical mop plate size is 4 to 6 inches high and 22 to 48 inches wide. These are often used in areas where cleaning frequently occurs.

Kick Plates

A kick plate protects the push side of a door that is likely to be scuffed or damaged from foot traffic. These are generally recommended for doors subject to typical use but especially for openings with closers installed. Kick plates are usually anywhere from 8 to 24 inches tall and 22 to 48 inches wide. A common size of kick plate is 10″ x 34″ for 3’0″ wide doors.

Armor Plates

An armor plate protects a much larger surface of the door compared to the other plates listed here. Armor plates protect the lower half of the door form abuse from hand carts, trucks, and other rough usage. These can be installed on the push side and/or pull side of the opening. Size ranges from 26 to 48 inches high to 22 to 48 inches wide. An important consideration for armor plates is to make sure the height of the armor plate does not conflict with the locking hardware on the door. Options may be available to notch the plate around the locking hardware preps.

Stretcher Plates

Finally, stretcher plates are probably the least used type of protection plate but worth mentioning here. A stretcher plate is placed on the push side of the door near the middle of the door. Just like the name implies, it is meant to protect the door face from stretchers or other service carts and equipment. These are typically found in hospitals and health care facilities. They should be considered for use on openings where damage could occur at a specific height above the floor. It ranges from 6 to 8 inches high and 22 to 48 inches wide.

Protection Plate Options

Most protection plates are available with counter sunk mounting holes and beveled edges. When the door is to be fire rated a protection plate that is over 16″ tall must be visibly labeled as fire rated as well. A kick plate that is 16″ high or less does not have to be labeled for fire rated doors. (This requirement applies to edge guards as well.) Industry practice for specifying the size of protection plates is 1″ less than the height of the bottom rail and width is often 2″ less nominal door width.