Deltana DSH35R515
Spring Loaded Interior Door Hinge
TOP PICK: EAGLE CLAW
IN THIS GUIDE:
› BEST HEAVY DUTY DOOR: BERLIN MODISCH
› BUDGET PICK: AMAZON BASICS HINGE
› CABINET DOOR: RANNB 2-INCH
› GATE HINGE: GATE DOOR HINGE
From entry doors to cabinets, the best spring-loaded hinges fit your project’s weight and aesthetics. And while a spring hinge is unique as it will self-close a door of just about any size, they are no more complicated to install than a standard hinge if instructions are followed.
In this guide, we will cover:
- Spring-loaded hinges for interior and exterior passage doors
- Cabinet door spring loaded hinges
- Spring-loaded hinges for jewelry boxes
- Exterior gate hinges
- Piano hinges
- Safety door spring closers
Lastly, you’ll want to use a damper-assisted soft-close hinge for soft-closing cabinet doors. Why? Well, a spring-loaded hinge is self-closing (but not slam-free).
Page Contents
What is a Spring Loaded Hinge?
A spring-loaded hinge is a specialty hinge designed to return to a closed (or open) position automatically. The most common use of this hinge style is to close doors that should be closed automatically. A spring-loaded hinge can be used on doors, gates, lids, cabinetry, and more.
The most common use of a spring-loaded hinge is to assist passageway doors (the ones we walk through) to close. For example, garage doors to/from the house should all have a spring-loaded hinge.
And in many commercial buildings, a spring hinge is required for fire safety.
Best Spring Door Hinges
Let’s start with the most popular use of a spring door hinge: the interior or exterior passageway door (aka a standard house door).
First, these hinges range from a standard 3.5″x3.5″ for residential doors up to 4.5″ x 4.5″ for heavy-duty spring door hinges.
Need help determining how to measure? We’ll cover that shortly (including estimating the hinge corner radius).
A few things before we get started:
- You get what you pay for
- For doorways, you may only need one hinge per door.
- Or, you might need to replace all hinges on a heavy MDF / solid wood door
1. Deltana DSH35R515 Single Action Spring Door Hinge
See on Amazon: Deltana DSH35R515
Top manufacturer with excellent reviews, a massive selection of colors, and hinge corners.
Spring door hinges are available in fewer colors than the Deltana line. Haven't you heard of Deltana? They have been around since 1977 and are a leading door hardware manufacturer.
Leading the list of the best spring door hinges is the Deltana DSH35 line of hinges.
Why Deltana? We’ll get to the features of this hinge in a minute, but across their line of products, they feature high-end brass, stainless and other goods. And with that comes a reputation. You can learn more at deltana.net.
Key features:
- Available in 10 colors
- Three hinge corners to choose from square, 1/4″ radius, and 5/8″ radius
- Adjustable tension (included tool)
- UL Listed
PROS
- Wide range of color and radius options to fit most standard doors
- Tensions adjust to fit the size and weight of the door
- Simple to install
CONS
- Instructions are reported to be hard to use
- Common to all spring hinges, the barrels are more significant than a standard door and could rub nearby trim
2. Hager Spring Door Hinge
See on Amazon: Hager Radius Corner Spring Hinge
The Hager hinge manufacturer is one of the oldest around.
And with history comes quality and a broad selection of products. Hager offers hinges from standard 3.5×3.5″ to heavy-duty 4×4″ with various colors and features for spring door hinges.
Key features:
- Wide selection of colors and hinge edge combinations
- Adjustable tension (included tool)
- UL Listed
PROS
- Price (available in 2-packs)
- Tensions adjust to fit the size and weight of the door
- Simple to install
CONS
- None
3. National Hardware 4-1/2" Heavy Duty Spring Loaded Door Hinge
See on Amazon: National Hardware Spring Hinge (Square)
This 4" hinge will support up to 180-pound doors, is available in 6 colors, and is a stainless steel option for exterior/marine use.
This 4″ hinge is a name-brand, affordable option for taller and wider custom doors. Key features include:
- Patented ratchet adjustment
- Supports up to 180 pounds and door dimensions of 48×96″
- Right or left-handed doors
- Stainless steel option for exterior use
PROS
- Tension adjustable
- Larger 4″ size for heavier doors
- Comes as a pack of 2 for supporting larger, wider doors
- Rubber door stopper included to keep door open when desired
CONS
- Limited sizes available
4. AMAZON BASICS Interior Door Spring Door Hinge
See on Amazon: Amazon Basics Door Hinge
AmazonBasic’s entrant into the spring door hinge review is similar to the traditional manufacturer brands. Identical to other hinges, there are reviews with concerns about noise, missing or hard-to-follow instructions, and not closing the door as expected.
Key features:
- Available in 3 colors (black, oil-rubbed bronze, satin nickel)
- 5/8″ radius corners
- Adjustable tension (included tool)
- UL Listed
PROS
- Price
- Tensions adjust to fit the size and weight of the door
- Simple to install
- UL listed
CONS
- Instructions are reported to be hard to use
5. 3" Screen Door Spring Loaded Hinges
See on Amazon: National Hardware Spring Hinge
This compact spring hinge will keep doors closed for custom surface mount applications, including for screen doors.
Specialty Spring Hinges
1. Jewelry Box Rannb Spring Loaded Hinges
See on Amazon: Rannb Cabinet Hinge
These stainless steel, small spring-loaded hinges suit interior or exterior projects. While their compact form will yield less closing force, their size allows the use of more hinges on small doors.
2. Exterior Gate Spring Loaded Hinges
See on Amazon: 7Penn Gate Hinge
A spring-loaded hinge is almost a must for a garden or fence door. Rather than worry about the gate being shut, this style hinge will make your door self-closing when paired with a locking clasp.
3. Spring Loaded Piano Hinge
See on Amazon: Sentry Piano Hinge
Are you seeking a custom application with a more extended, continuous hinge? Then a spring-loaded piano hinge might fit your project needed. In a compact form, these hinges have a spring built through the entire hinge length.
4. Spring Hinge Door Closer
See on Amazon: Spring Assist
For an economical, discreet solution to closing interior doors, an add-on spring hinge door closer will assist with keeping your doors shut.
Due to a similar closing strength as a replacement hinge, this install typically on one hinge. Remove one of the door hinges and slip this over the pin to install. Then re-insert the door hinge pin and test the operation.
Concerned the hinge pin won’t operate on the entire door length? Well, if needed, you can order a longer pin as a replacement. Since most hinges are 3-1/2″, 4″, and 4-1/2″, door pins are available.
5. Safety Spring Door Closer
See on Amazon: Prime-Line Safety Door Closer
If removing a hinge isn’t an option, then a spring door closer is the next best option. And especially for heavy-duty doors where hinges might be hard to find (or expensive to replace).
However, this self-closing door option may work best in an office or industrial setting. Due to the mounting requirements, this hinge is somewhat intrusive, but in exchange, it will handle 180-pound doors and is UL listed for up to a 30-minute fire rating.
Top Manufacturers
Identifying who’s making your hardware can be problematic in the age of redistribution channels that re-brand the same hardware.
And that’s why I always look to brand-established vendors sold by their name.
Why does that matter? Well, brand reputation and ongoing, repeat sales require a quality product. While on the other hand, generic, re-branded hardware can change names (and reviews).
And not surprisingly, hinges have century-old suppliers focusing on this product as a core part of their business.
How to Choose the Right Spring Loaded HInge
In this article, we’ve touched on three major brands: National, Deltana, and Hager.
You’ll find just about any possible hinge within these brands, so to keep your search focused, stick within these brands.
Need help measuring?
Or you’re wondering how to pick the right hinge corner radius?
This section will answer the most common questions for ordering self-closing door hinges.
How to Measure Hinge Corner Radius
Generally, you can tell the hinge radius by looking at the hinge, as there are dramatic differences in the top 3 styles:
- Square edge
- 1/4″ radius is barely rounded off
- 5/8″ radius is almost an exaggerated radius edge
So how do you measure? Well, the easiest way is to take a tape measure and identify the radius (the distance from the circle’s center to the edge).
Selecting the Right Hinge Height
So only some have mortised a hinge or even installed one.
But finding the hinge height is an easy step. Measure from the top of the first hinge knuckle to the lower one.
See the pin sticking up in this picture? Please ignore it and base measurements from the knuckles.
How to install a spring loaded door hinge on a door
For interior doors, it’s best to start by replacing a single hinge in the middle of the door. A few considerations:
- Measure the height of your hinge first
- The radius is vital when ordering – and is found by measuring the “height of the curve.” Fortunately, most hinges are 5/8″ in height.
- Be sure to match the color of your existing hinge.
- When installing, unscrew the existing hinges using constant pressure on the existing screws to avoid “stripping” the heads. Why? Well, you may need them later if they are extra long for your door jamb
- Next, install the replacement spring-loaded hinge according to manufacturer instructions.
- Use the included adjustment wrench and pins to set the tension
How to remove spring loaded door hinge pins
The best way to do this is first to relieve the tension on the spring and then remove the hinge from the mounting plates. While not all of us would keep the adjustment levers, try to remove the tension spring or set it as low as possible first. Then, remove the screws from the door side (the screws will be shorter).
How to fix spring loaded door hinges
It is often easiest to replace the hinge for less than $10-15 per hinge. However, if you are in a bind, check the hinge carefully to see if the manufacturer is present on the hinge. Then you can look at their website to see if a replacement spring or tension pin is available.
How do you tighten a spring loaded door hinge?
If your spring hinge is adjustable (not all are), you can use a unique tool to increase or decrease tension on the spring. However, if the door is not closing as desired at maximum pressure, you can add another hinge to give added force.
Frequently Asked Questions for Spring Loaded Door Hinges
What is a spring loaded hinge?
A spring-loaded hinge is designed to hold a door or lid firmly shut. This hinge will attempt to close when opened using an internal, adjustable spring. While these hinges are typically used on interior doors and exterior gates, they are also found in furniture projects, jewelry boxes, and even piano lids.
How do you install a spring loaded hinge?
For full-size doors, these styles of hinges are commonly installed in the middle of the three hinges found on most doors. Using an adjustable tension mechanism, the closing force can be adjusted. However, for larger or heavier doors, multiple hinges can be used.
Can you adjust a spring hinge?
Most spring hinges can be adjusted by using a special wrench and pins to set the spring’s tension. However, not all hinges are adjustable, and there are limits to the maximum force of a single hinge.
Summary
Hopefully, this article helped explore the variety of spring-loaded hinges on the market. To learn more, check the name-brand manufacturer references I’ve included below.
As is familiar with a lot of hardware, not all manufacturers are US based, and the replacement parts can be difficult to find later. Therefore, I recommend a brand with a 25+ year history in the business.
Resources
Manufacturer information:
- About the Author
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Eric has been a professional woodworker for over thirty years and has worked in small cabinet shops making everything from kitchen cabinets to hand-made furniture. Now working from a home woodworking shop Eric is sharing his passion for woodworking, tool advice and how-to knowledge from his Minnesota-based woodshop.
Hi, Great informative website. I have a door between house and garage with 2 spring loaded hinges – one on top and one on the bottom. I have cleaned the regular hinge in the middle and added a small rubbing of lubricant to the pin. However, the door has an unbelievable LOUD squeak coming from the spring hinge. You only mention squeak once in your article. Am I to understand that there is not way to prevent a squeak? Does this mean I have to replace the spring loaded hinges? Thank you for your response.
Hi Mary –
Thanks for asking and this is a great question. Since a spring loaded hinge is larger than a standard hinge it isn’t uncommon for the hinge to rub on the trim and create a squeak. Try sliding a thick piece of paper behind the back of the spring hinge and the trim to see if this is a problem. To fix, I’ve used a paint stick and hammer to gently knock the trim back from the hinge.
If that didn’t work it sounds like you’ve oiled just the middle hinge. Try the same on the spring loaded hinges.
Let us know how it went!
Best,
Eric