About twenty numbers
That is what Approved Document M and BS 8300-2 come down to, on a door. Settle them in the schedule and nobody argues about a handle on a snagging list.
The lever
BS 8300-2, drawn 1:1If the grip zone is 95mm, the section is at least 19mm, it sits 45mm off the face and it returns towards the door, it complies. Most handles worth having do.
The round bar lever was never mandatory.
The designs drawn in BS 8300-2 are indicative only, so reeded, knurled, bronze and matt black all pass, and a building does not have to look like a hospital to be accessible. Knobs are the exception: furniture has to work one-handed.
Opening force
Where the fire strategy pulls the other way- 30N maximum
- At the leading edge, from closed to 30 degrees.
- 22.5N maximum
- From 30 to 60 degrees.
- Plus 2N
- Force is hard to read at the door edge, so it may be taken in line with the handles, up to 65mm from the edge, and the figures increased by up to 2N.
The same leaf has to shut itself against a latch, seals and air pressure. On a heavy smoke sealed door the two duties pull opposite ways. Closers and the fire conflict
Where a closer cannot do both Swing-free or hold-open devices to BS EN 1155, or a power operated door to BS EN 16005. Automatic operators
Revolving doors Not accessible. An accessible door goes immediately beside one.
Clear width and contrast
The two most commonly misread figures- 800mm clear
- Straight on, no turn or oblique approach.
- 825mm clear
- At right angles to a route 1200mm wide.
- 1000mm clear
- External doors, buildings used by the general public.
- 15 LRV points
- Door furniture against the face of the door.
- 30 LRV points
- Surfaces and handrails against their surroundings.
- 70 LRV points
- Lettering against a signboard, board against wall.
Clear is not structural Measured at 90 degrees or more, to the first obstruction on the hinge side, which can be a projecting lever. A 925mm leaf in a 1000mm opening can still fail.
15 points, not 30 The widely quoted 30 is for general surfaces. Applied to a lever it rules out a great many good specifications.
Contrast is a finish decision, which makes it a scheduling decision.
A 925mm leaf in a 1000mm opening can still fail on clear width, and a handsome lever can still fail on contrast. Both are settled on paper, months before anybody could argue about them on site.
Plates are drawn, not photographed. They indicate hue only. The finish guide
The rest of the numbers
Pull handles, locks, thumbturns, entry systems- Pull handle section
- 19mm to 35mm diameter.
- Pull handle fixings
- Bottom 700mm to 1000mm from floor, top no lower than 1300mm. At least 300mm between centres.
- Narrow stile doors
- Cranked pull handles, offset at least 50mm from the edge.
- Push side
- Pull handles not fitted back to back.
- Cylinder position
- Above the lever. If below, 72mm minimum to the keyway.
- Lock case backset
- Minimum 54mm. Cylinders to BS EN 1303.
- Keys and thumbturns
- 0.5Nm maximum to operate. A larger bow or a grippable fob gives more control.
- Digital locks
- Lever operated, 900mm to 1050mm from floor level.
- Door entry units
- Within 200mm of the frame at 900mm to 1050mm, reachable from a wheelchair, with an LED display.
Consistency is the figure no catalogue carries. Handles should sit at the same height and work the same way throughout a building. That is a scheduling job, not a product one.
We will mark the openings that fail before anyone builds them.
Lever dimensions, opening forces, clear widths and contrast, resolved door by door and reconciled with the fire strategy.
Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 17:00. Or forward the whole email thread to drawings@prolinesales.co.uk.