Broad Butt Hinges: Clearing Deep Reveals and Wide Architraves

Some doors stop short. They swing open to a point, meet the architrave or the edge of a deep reveal, and refuse to go further — leaving an opening that never feels fully open. The cause is geometry, not a badly hung door, and the fix is usually a broad butt hinge.

The Problem Broad Butts Solve

A standard butt hinge places the pivot axis close to the face of the door. As the door swings, its hinge edge arcs around that axis — and if anything projects beyond the pivot line (a thick architrave, a deep frame reveal, a wall lining in a double-stud wall), the door hits it before completing its swing.

A broad butt hinge is simply a butt hinge with wider leaves. Wider leaves push the knuckle — and with it the pivot axis — further out from the door face. That extra distance, called throw, lets the door arc around obstructions that would stop a standard hinge, opening fully and in many cases folding well back toward the wall.

Same principle as a parliament hinge, delivered in a squarer, more conventional package.

Where You'll Need Them

Deep-set frames and reveals. Doors fitted in thick walls — double brick, double-stud acoustic walls, heritage masonry — often sit in reveals deep enough to obstruct a standard hinge's swing.

Thick or built-up architraves. Period homes with generous moulded architraves are the classic case; modern homes with bold, deep architrave profiles hit the same geometry.

Double-rebated frames. Where the frame profile leaves the door sitting further back than usual.

Doors that must open past 90° for access. Corridors, accessible bathrooms and tight rooms where a door stopping at the architrave genuinely reduces the clear opening width.

Broad Butt vs Parliament: Which One?

The two overlap, and choosing is straightforward once you know the goal:

Broad butts look like ordinary hinges, just wider — which suits projects where you want the clearance without a decorative statement. Parliaments project further and read as a traditional feature. Our parliament hinge guide covers that option in full.

Sizing: Measure the Obstruction First

Don't guess. The process:

1. Measure the projection — from the pivot line (roughly the face of the door on the hinge side) out to the furthest point of whatever the door hits: the face of the architrave, the edge of the reveal.
2. Choose a leaf width that places the knuckle beyond that point. Broad butt hinges are quoted height × open width; the wider the open width, the more throw.
3. Confirm against the product listing dimensions — throw is determined by the actual knuckle position, so check the drawing, not just the headline size.

If your measured obstruction exceeds what the broad butt range can clear, that's the signal to step up to a parliament hinge.

Installation and Load Notes

• Screw fixing is everything. Wider leaves mean the door's weight acts on the fixings with more leverage. Use every screw hole, full-length screws, driven into solid frame timber — not just the reveal lining.
• Three hinges per door, four on tall or heavy doors, as with any butt hinge.
• Recess depth matters. The leaves mortise into door and frame edges like standard butts; take the time to cut clean, full-depth recesses so the door closes without binding.
• Check the full arc before final fixing — including where the lever handle lands when the door is fully open. Fit a door stop to protect the wall.
• Heavier doors benefit from broad butt patterns with ball bearing barrels where available — the wider leaf solves geometry, the bearings solve wear. See our ball bearing hinge guide.

Finishes

Broad butts are available across the standard architectural finish palette from quality brands — matt black, satin and polished chrome, brushed nickel, satin and polished brass, bronze. Because the leaf is wider and slightly more visible edge-on, matching the finish to your levers is worth the small effort.

Frequently Asked Questions

My door only opens to about 90 degrees and hits the architrave — is a broad butt the fix? Very likely, yes. Measure how far the architrave projects past the door face; if a broad butt's throw exceeds that, it solves the problem. If not, look at parliament hinges.

Are broad butt hinges weaker than standard hinges? The hinge itself is comparably strong; the consideration is leverage on the screws. Fixed properly into sound timber, they carry standard doors without issue. Check the manufacturer's weight rating for heavy doors.

Can I fit them into my existing hinge recesses? The height often matches, but the recess must be extended for the wider leaf. It's a chisel-work job rather than a straight swap.

Do they come in fixed pin versions for external doors? Availability varies by range — check the specific product listing, and see our fixed pin hinge guide for why it matters on external doors.

Prime Hardware stocks broad butt hinges alongside the full Tradco and Zanda hinge ranges at primehardware.com.au and our Annangrove showroom. For the complete selection framework, read our Complete Guide to Door Hinges.