Door handing explained: left hand, right hand and rebated pairs
Door handing tells the factory which side the hinges go on. For the manufacturer's Prehung system, stand on the side the door opens towards (inside the room) with the hinge knuckles facing you: hinges on your left make it a left hand hinged door, hinges on your right a right hand hinged door. For rebated pairs viewed from outside, a standard rebate means the right hand leaf opens first and a reverse rebate means the left hand leaf opens first.
Key takeaways
- Work out handing from the side the door swings towards, with the hinge knuckles facing you.
- Prehung doors arrive hinged and drilled, so the hand must be right when you order.
- Standard rebate: right hand leaf opens away first (clockwise), viewed from outside. Reverse rebate: left hand leaf first (anti-clockwise).
- Asymmetric designs such as Luxe LUX9 and LUX10 come in left and right versions.
- Entrance frames use configuration codes (A/B, C/D, G/H and so on) instead of left and right.
How do I tell if I need a left or right hand door?
The manufacturer's Prehung installation instructions set out a simple test:
- Decide whether the door should open from the left or the right.
- Stand on the inside of the room, the side the door swings towards.
- Picture the jamb in the opening with the hinge knuckles facing you.
- Hinges on your left: left hand hinged door. Hinges on your right: right hand hinged door.
The diagram in the manufacturer's price list shows the same thing in plan view, with the door swinging towards the reader. When in doubt, sketch the opening from above, mark which way the door swings and where the hinges are, and send it with your order.
Why does handing matter for Prehung doors?
A Prehung door and jamb is factory fitted: the three-knuckle half of each hinge is screwed to the jamb, the two-knuckle half to the door, and the face hole and latch hole can be pre-drilled. The manufacturer offers left and right hand hinged doors and recommends ordering the door and jamb together. Once the hinges and holes are in, the hand is fixed, so check it before you order.
If you buy a plain door and hang it yourself in an existing jamb, the manufacturer's installation guide has you mark the hinge positions from the jamb on site, so the hand is set when you hang it. But if you order factory extras such as hinge routing or mortice lock routing, the hand is set in the factory, so include it with your order.
What are left and right versions of a design?
Some designs are not symmetrical. In the Luxe range, LUX9 and LUX10 have sweeping arched panels and are available as left and right pairs. The manufacturer notes they can be used alone or together for symmetry, so a matching pair of doors would take one of each.
What is the difference between a standard and reverse rebate?
A rebate is a recess cut along the meeting stiles of a pair of doors so the two leaves overlap when closed, usually by 12mm. Rebating reduces the overall width of the pair by 12mm. A mushroom stop is the alternative for pairs and increases the width by 12mm.
In a pair, the active leaf is the one used day to day: it carries the lock and opens first. The inactive leaf stays bolted shut and holds the lock strike. The manufacturer defines rebate handing viewed from outside:
| Rebate | Viewed from outside | Opens |
|---|---|---|
| Standard rebate | Right hand door opens away first | Clockwise |
| Reverse rebate | Left hand door opens away first | Anti-clockwise |
Not every design can be rebated. The manufacturer lists the Linear entrance and internal ranges and the Accent range as not suitable for rebated pairs, and notes that alignment of the horizontal rout is not guaranteed for pairs. BAL19 and BAL29 bushfire doors should be paired with a Merbau mushroom mould or an aluminium T-bar rather than a rebate.
How are entrance frames handed?
Our entrance frames use configuration codes rather than left and right. In the Weatherguard and Standard frame ranges:
- A/B: single door
- C/D: door and sidelite
- CG/DG: door and glass sidelite
- E/F: door and two sidelites
- EG/FG: door and two glass sidelites
- G/H: pair of doors
The two letters in each code are mirror images. The manufacturer's price list draws each one in plan view with the outside marked, so match the drawing to your floor plan before ordering.
Do sliding and folding doors have a hand?
- Smartrobe: wardrobe sliding doors are reversible, except mirror doors.
- Bi-folds: supplied as reversible two door sets, hinged together.
- GAL Sealed cavity unit: The manufacturer's order form sets the hand standing outside the room, by whether the door closes from left to right or right to left.
Measuring for a new door at the same time? See how to measure for a new door.
Not sure which hand you need? Send a quick sketch and your opening sizes through our quote form, or call 0450 800 088, and we will confirm the handing before your order goes in.