When a door does not require latching hardware, push and pull plates are often used. Push and pull hardware can have many names like door trim, protective plates, or push/pull hardware. They facilitate the operation of the door by pushing or pulling the door as you enter or exit through the opening. These are popular in high traffic areas such as secondary vestibule doors or large restrooms. They can also be decorative and part of the design of the building.

Important Dimensions To Consider

When plates are used for push plates and pull plates the width and height of the plates are necessary dimensions for ordering. It is important to keep in mind the width of the door stiles. On a door with a full glass lite, for instance, the door stiles may only be 6 inches wide. Often push and pull plates are ordered in the same dimension.

Another dimension to be aware of is the Center-to-Center (CTC) dimension on the pull or push bar that will be used. The CTC dimension will be the measurement from the center of one screw mounting hole to the center of the other screw mounting hole on the bar. For a pull bar handle this can be anywhere from 6″ up to 36″ and larger.

A horizontal push bar is sized by measuring one of the stiles of the door and then subtracting it from the overall door width to determine the CTC dimension. For example, if we had a 36″ wide door with a full glass lite and had 6″ stiles on either side of the lite, then we would subtract the dimension of one stile from the overall door width (36″ minus 6″ = 30″) and that would give us our CTC dimension for the horizontal push bar (30″ CTC).IVES 9190

Decorative Pulls

Pull handles can be used with push plates or on doors that are exit only. For example, on a pair of doors that are fitted with exit only panic devices, the doors may be dogged down during daytime hours for pull operation. A set of decorative pulls can be used to make an impactful first impression. Some manufacturers can even custom fabricate door pulls that come in all shapes, sizes, and finishes.

Another common application is to have two decorative pulls that are mounted back to back on a door so that the bar acts as a vertical push bar on the push side of the opening and a pull bar on the pull side. This gives a symmetrical feel and design to the opening.

Straight Pulls And Offset Pulls

Pulls can also be simple straight pulls or can be slightly offset. These are generally flat or round bars and are less expensive than decorative pulls. Offset pulls are recommended on openings that have cylinders or locking mechanisms installed in the same location as the pull handles. The offset pull allows access for the user to insert a key into the cylinder or operate a thumbturn for example.

Straight Pulls

Keep in mind the other door hardware that is used on the opening and ensure that the push and pull hardware will function properly with everything else. There are additional options for push and pull plates to be cut for cylinders or thumbturns or other hardware such as deadbolts. Speak with a sales rep from Beacon Commercial Door & Lock to find out the options available.