Door Swings and Handing Guide

Handing tells us which way a door is hinged and which way it swings. Get it wrong and the door, frame, and hardware prep won't match the opening — and because doors and frames are made to order, handing mistakes are rarely fixable after the fact. Take a minute with the steps below before you place an order.

How to determine handing in four steps

1. Stand on the secure side of the door. That is the outside, or key side — the side you would lock the door from. For an exterior door, stand outside the building. For an office or closet, stand in the corridor. Every handing call is made from this side.
2. Find the hinges. Note whether they are on your left or your right.
3. Note which way the door swings. Away from you, or toward you.
4. Match it below. Hinges left and swinging away is left hand. Hinges right and swinging away is right hand. If the door swings toward you, it is a reverse door.

Single swing doors

Pair-swing double doors

On a pair of doors, handing is called from the active leaf — the leaf that opens first and carries the lock or exit device. The other leaf is the inactive leaf.

Quick reference

Hinges (from the secure side)	Swings away from you	Swings toward you
Left	Left Hand (LH)	Left Hand Reverse (LHR) right-hand out-swing
Right	Right Hand (RH)	Right Hand Reverse (RHR) left-hand out-swing

Why handing matters on your order

• Hinge and strike locations. Doors and frames are machined for hardware on a specific side. Reversing handing after fabrication is usually not possible.
• Lock and lever function. Levers, exit device trim, and deadlatches are handed on many products, and the key side has to face the secure side.
• Door bevel. The lock edge of a steel door is beveled in one direction so it clears the frame as it closes.
• Closers. Regular arm, top jamb, and parallel arm mountings each depend on which way the door swings.
• Egress and fire ratings. Swing direction is often dictated by code, particularly for exits and rated openings.