By When purchasing doors for installation, it is generally expected that the door would come with holes or cavities to house doorknobs and the mechanisms behind them. This means questions about the standard height of a doorknob is generally asked to compare the standards in different regions or by a woodworker working on a blank slate of wood. Regardless of why you’re reading this article on door handle heights, the answers you seek to find have been provided in some detail below.
The International Standard Height of Door Knobs
Starting with the international standards set by the International Building Code organization, the height for doorknobs should be within the range of 34 and 48 inches above a finished floor. Changing 48 inches to feet, we have the standard height at approximately 4 feet.
This puts door handles slightly above the average human’s midsection and far above the reach of toddlers and younger kids. Thus bringing a measure of safety to the table in households with kids. It also makes reaching for the door and opening it an easier task for everyone.
The International Building Code also provides some exceptions to this rule depending on where the door opens to. For doors that lead to swimming pools or saunas, their doorknobs are made even higher to ensure they cannot be accessed by toddlers. In these situations, the recommended height for doorknobs is between 48.to 54 inches above a finished floor. Thus, effectively locking out little kids from those rooms or spaces.
Other Exceptions that Apply
There are other situations where the height of a doorknob may vary to accommodate diverse individuals. One such situation has been provided in the Disability Discrimination Act or the Equality Act which seeks to make doorways more accessible to everyone. In this case, the height of Door Knobs should be approximately 35 inches or 2 feet. This makes doorways providing a point of entry to everyone accessible to everyone.
In addition to the height of a doorknob, the International Building Code also set standards for the design of the doorknob or handle itself. These standards expect builders to design doorknobs and the spaces around it using the following instructions:
- A handgrip zone of 3.74 inches must be provided across the doorknob design.
- Handgrip space of approximately 1.5 inches from the surface of the door to the knob.
- A minimum lever diameter of 0.7 inches with the lock 2. 1 inch from the door’s edge.
These dimensions ensure the doorknob is comfortable to use by everyone. It also means you do not have to chaff your fingers or knuckles when using the handle or doorknob.
Installing Doorknob Holes
The standard height of doorknobs are recommendations to follow when installing more than one doorknob. This is because it makes everything uniform and pleasing to look at unlike looking at multiple misaligned knobs.
When cutting a hole in plain doors to fit door knobs for slab doors, it is recommended that you drill the hole at 40 inches as it allows the door to become universal. This means the door can be made to open out to the right or left if needed.
The sides of the door should also be checked for a bevel before drilling spaces for the knob. If the door has a slight bevel at one of its sides, then the doorknob should be placed at that end. Placing the doorknob at the beveled end ensures the edge of the door clears the jamb when the door is operated.
In situations where the door touches the jamb when opened or closed after installation, a shallow bevel must be sanded into the door at the side where the knob has been installed.
Also, ensure you measure for a back set. Here, back set refers to the marks used in centering the knob. To measure for back set, you will require a tri square and your measuring tape. Once the height of the doorknob has been measured, use the Tri square to mark horizontal lines perpendicular to the grain of the door. Where both lines, the vertical line from the bottom corner of the foot and the horizontal line, meet that represents the center for the knob.
You can now use a hole saw to drill the marked areas to create the space needed for fitting the knob. When drilling, it is recommended that you use backing. This refers to placing additional plywood at the other side of the door to ensure the drill doesn’t burst out of the other end. This prevents injuries that could be caused by splinters and blowouts.
The edge bore must also be cleanly drilled to ensure the striker or striker mechanism of the knob is well-placed within the door. The striker is the shaft that moves in and out of the jamb and fastens the door in place or releases it. It is recommended that you use a jig or template to get its placement straight.
Purchasing Doorknobs
The average doorknob is generally affordable and easy to install unless you choose to customize your door frames. If you are a DIY enthusiast, that intends to install doorknobs, then you can find these items at your local store.
You can also choose the online route and purchase your doorknobs from Amazon. Generic doorknobs are generally priced between $7 – $100 depending on the material used in building and designing the knob.
So here you have it, the answers to the standard height of a doorknob and what it takes to create a doorknob housing from scratch.
