Door Hardware Buying Guides

Prefer to ask a person? Call 1800 329 028 or visit the showroom at 2/249 Annangrove Road, Annangrove NSW — over 6,000 products on display, so you can handle the hardware before you buy it.

Door Handle Backset Guide: How to Measure and Choose

Backset is the distance from the door edge to the centre of the spindle hole. 60mm is the Australian standard, but 45mm and 70mm are common — and mortice locks run their own sizes entirely. How to measure yours in thirty seconds, and what to do when the numbers don't match.

Covers 45mm / 60mm / 70mm tubular latches · 44mm / 46mm / 57mm mortice locks · narrow-stile and rebated doors

Coastal Door Hardware: Which Stainless Grade, 304 or 316?

316 marine grade resists the salt that pits 304. Which grade for which distance from the surf, why tea staining isn't a fault, and how to keep a manufacturer warranty intact.

Which finish suits your doors, your climate and the rest of your home.

Twelve finish families, two very different behaviours. Some finishes hold their colour for life; others darken and patina by design. This guide explains which is which, what suits a coastal build, and how to mix finishes across a home without it looking accidental.

Functions & compliance Passage, Privacy, Entrance and Dummy: Door Handle Functions Explained.

Two handles can look identical on the shelf and behave completely differently once they're on the door. What each of the four functions actually does, what each one needs alongside it — a latch, a cylinder, a catch — and a room-by-room table covering every door in a typical Australian home, from the front entry to the walk-in robe. Covers passage latches · privacy turns and emergency release · entrance single vs double cylinder · dummy handles and ball catches · French doors, cavity sliders, fire doors and AS 1428 washrooms

Which finish suits your doors, your climate and the rest of your home.

Twelve finish families, two very different behaviors. Some finishes hold their colour for life; others darken and patina by design. This guide explains which is which, what suits a coastal build, and how to mix finishes across a home without it looking accidental.

Mortice Lock or Tubular Latch- How to tell What you Have and What to Replace It With ?

The hole already cut in your door decides what will fit, and buying the wrong type is the most common reason locks come back. This guide covers the 30-second test that tells a tubular latch from a mortice lock at the door edge, the measurements to take before you buy, and a replacement table matching what's in your door to what you want it to do.

Covers: backset, faceplate and edge bore · lock body size, centres and cylinder type · like-for-like swaps and when to change type · aluminium sliding and bifold doors · common fitting mistakes

AS 1428.1 Compliant Door Levers: What the Standard Requires 

Find out what makes a door lever accessible under AS 1428.1:2021, including grip clearance, return-to-door tips, mounting height and snib size. Then compare the compliant return levers from Zanda, Lockwood and Yale that you can buy today.

Accessible Pull Handles (AS 1428.1) 

Using a pull handle instead of a lever on an accessible entry door? It needs 35–45 mm hand clearance, at least 60 mm to the frame, and a grip between 900 and 1100 mm. Learn how to read spec sheets, avoid common clearance mistakes, and choose the right lock setup.

Guides we're writing next

We're adding to this library regularly. Coming soon:

• Left Hand vs Right Hand Door Handing (Ordering Guide)

• Door Stops & Holders Guide

• Keyed Alike & Master Keying Guide

• Door Hardware Care & Cleaning Guide 

Need one of these answered before we publish it? Call 1800 329 028 — our team answers these questions every day.