Doors are the first element people touch and experience—and while they can be striking design features, their performance matters just as much as their appearance. For architects specifying products in multifamily or mixed-use residential buildings, understanding the distinctions between hardware grades, testing standards, and code requirements is critical.
Brian Clarke, director of architectural specifications, and Kevin Tish, manager of specification writers at Hager Companies, recently shared key insights into the real-world risks and failures they see when low-grade or incorrectly applied hardware is used in multifamily settings.
Mistaking Residential for Commercial
“One of the biggest flaws we see is trying to use the same residential hardware on common area doors,” says Tish. “These doors see far more traffic—think laundry rooms, mailrooms, or lobbies.” A residential-grade latch, he adds, can’t hold up to that kind of use.
Hardware grades, certified under ANSI/BHMA standards, serve as an important indicator of performance:
- Grade 1 is heavy commercial, tested for 1 million cycles.
- Grade 2 falls in the midrange at 500,000 cycles.
- Grade 3 is often used in residential applications and is tested to just 200,000.
Notably, many decorative residential products aren’t graded at all.
“A lot of high-end-looking hardware isn’t tested,” Clarke adds. “If you’re designing for performance, you need to look beyond appearances.”
Life-Safety, ADA, and the Hidden Code Risks
It’s not just about durability. Misapplied hardware can pose serious safety and liability risks. “We see residential latch sets installed on fire-rated doors,” Tish says. “They aren’t UL listed, don’t close properly, and compromise that rated assembly.” Even seemingly minor components, like door viewers or knockers, must be UL listed when installed on fire-rated openings, he adds.
ADA compliance is another common blind spot. “No tight pinching, twisting, or turning of the wrist,” Clarke reminds. That means lever handles are typically required—not knobs or thumbturns. Improper spring hinges, insufficient backset clearances, and even egress hardware that requires more than one motion to exit can all violate code and put residents at risk.
Worse, not every building inspector will catch these violations. “Architects bear responsibility,” Tish says. “If it’s not caught during design, it can get built wrong.”
The True Cost of Cheap Hardware
Although low-grade hardware may help a contractor meet budget in the short term, it often results in early failures. “Some products are only designed to last through the builder’s one-year warranty,” Clarke warns. “After that, the problems start.”
He encourages specifiers to think in terms of quality, not just cost. “It’s not about price—it’s about performance,” Clarke says.
Tish also cautions against the misuse of “value engineering” in the bidding process. “True value engineering means offering a cost-saving alternative with the same grade and performance,” he says. “If you specify a Grade 2 lock and they substitute a Grade 3, that’s not value engineering—it’s downgrading.”
Key Takeaways
- Know your grades. Grade 1 is commercial-heavy duty. Grade 2 is mid-grade. Grade 3 is light commercial/residential. Ungraded products may not meet any standard.
- Fire-rated doors require listed hardware. That includes closures, hinges, viewers, knockers—anything attached.
- Multifamily ≠ single-family. Doors in common areas demand commercial-grade hardware.
- Check ADA and egress codes. Handles, backsets, and exit hardware must meet local accessibility and safety codes.
- Value engineering should maintain grade. Swapping to a lower-grade product isn’t savings—it’s risk.
The door is only as strong as the parts holding it together. Learn more about Hager Companies full line of door hardware.