Understanding Hinges

(click here for glossary of hinge terms)

Ball Tip

An exposed tip of the pin of a butt hinge that is shaped like a ball.

Barrel

The part of butt hinge where the two halves come together and are joined with a pin.

Butt Hinge

A hinge composed of two plates attached to abutting surfaces of a door and cabinet and joined by a pin.

Clip On

A concealed hinge that allows you to attached the two parts of the hinge together by simply snapping them together. Makes finishing the doors a breeze!

Concealed Hinges

This refers to any hinge that does not show from the outside of the cabinet.

Cup

This refers to the door portion of a concealed hinge(such as the Blum hinges) that requires a hole to be drilled in the back of the door. The cup portion of the hinge is inserted into this hole.

Degree Of Opening

This refers to how far or to what angle a door will open. Some hinges will allow the doors to open farther allowing for better access to the contents of the cabinet.

270 Degree Hinge

This refer to a hinge that allows the door a full movement of 270 degees which allows it to open all the way to the outside side of the cabinet wall. This can only be achieved on a frameless full overlay cabinet design.

European Style Cabinets

Frameless cabinets which use a concealed hinge.

European Hinges

Hinges that are concealed and which use a hole bored into the back of the door.

Exposed Hinges

Hinges that show on the outside of the cabinet. Hinges that are not concealed or hidden.

Face Frame

A cabinet is in essence a box. A face frame is a narrow piece of wood, usually about 2" wide that is attached to the front of this box, framing the opening where the doors go.

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Finial Tip

An exposed tip of the pin of a butt hinge that has a fancy turned shape.

Frameless

A frameless cabinet is one that does not have a face frame. A frameless cabinet is made like a simple four sided box. This is sometimes called European style.

Free Swinging

This means the hinge can move freely along its path from open to closed. There is no sort of catch feature to keep the door shut.

Fully Concealed

Will not show at all from the outside of the cabinet.

Full Overlay

In frameless cabinet construction the box is typically made from ¾" thick stock. A full overlay will cover the complete front edge or just slightly less than this stock. A full overlay hinge is typically used on the outsides or ends of a cabinet.

Half Overlay

In frameless cabinet construction the box is typically made from 3/4 inch thick stock. A half overlay is commonly used in the middle of a run of cabinets where the doors share a common single partition wall. This hinge will allow the door to cover up half of the partition wall (or approximately 3/8"). Not to be confused with 1/2 inch overlay which will allow a door to cover up the cabinet or face frame by 1/2 inch.

Inset

A door that sits within the cabinet opening such that the front face of the door is flush with the front of the cabinet or face frame.

3/8 inch Inset

This is a door that has a 3/8" x 3/8" rabbet cut all the way around the door on the back edge. This cut allows half the thickness of the door to go back into the cabinet and leaves the front half of the door overlaying the cabinet or face frame. It is also sometimes called a lipped door.

Knife Hinge

Shaped like scissors. One half of hinge mounts to top edge (or bottom edge) of door. Oher half mounts to horizontal cabinet member directly above (and below) door.

Lipped

This is a door that has a rabbet cut all the way around the door on the back edge. This cut allows part of the door to go back into the cabinet and leaves the remaining part overlaying the cabinet or face frame.

Mounting Plate

The part of a concealed european style hinge (such as a Blum hinge) that mounts on to the cabinet or face frame.

No-Mortise

A style of hinge that can be mounted directed to the cabinet and the door without any mortises or special cuts being made into the wood surfaces.

Overlay

A door which sit in front of the cabinet and covers or overlays a portion of the cabinet or face frame.

Pin Hinge

A hinge that pivots on a single point. Offers a very low profile as only the pivoting knuckle is visible from the outside of the cabinet.

Pivot Hinge

A concealed hinge for inset doors which uses a bushing placed into the horizontal cabinet members above and below the door, with a pin coming down from the hinge into the bushing.

Reverse Bevel

A door edge that is angled backwards allowing the door edge to serve as the pull. This gives a much simpler,cleaner looking design of cabinets.

Self Closing

This type hinge will have a design feature to help pull the door shut and keep it closed when the door is brought within a few inches of being closed. Sometimes called snap-closing.

Semi-Concealed

This term is applied to a hinge where some of hinge shows on the outside of the cabinet, but a portion of it is hidden behind the door.

Slip On

A concealed type hinge where the two parts of the hinge are fastened together by slipping one half on the the other and then tightening a screw.

Snap Closing

This type of hinge will have a design feature to help pull the door in and keep it shut when the door is brought within a few inches of being closed. Sometimes called self-closing.

Soss Hinge

A specialty concealed hinge used for inset doors. Requires mortises into the door and cabinet for the bodies of both hinge halves.

Surface Mounted

A hinge that does not need a hole or mortise drilled in the door or cabinet in order to mount it. In a concealed hinge it simple mounts with screw. In an exposed hinge it also means the entire hinge will show on the outside of the door and cabinet.

Wrap Around

A style of hinge where the plates of the hinge are formed around the back edge of the door and/or the face frame. A partial wrap around hinge will wrap around the door and have a plain flat leaf for the cabinet so it can be used on a frameless cabinet. A full back-to-back wrap around hinge with wrap around on both halves of the hinge so it can be used on a face frame cabinet.