What Size T Hinge Do I Need?

Traditional ledge and brace oak doors seamlessly complement cottages, barn conversions, period homes, and even modern dwellings, exuding a distinctive rustic character that stands the test of time.

Searching for the right heavy-duty T hinges for your barn door? Perhaps you are looking for black T hinges for your period home’s internal doors? Either way, if you stumbled upon this article it means that you have a few questions about this type of hinges.

Whether you are questioning “What size T hinge do I need?” – we have got the answers. To help you choose the right tee hinges for your required application, we have answered some of the most frequently asked questions about T hinges.

What are T hinges?

T Hinges, also called Tee Hinges or Cross Garnet hinges, are designed to be fitted to ledge and brace doors. T hinges feature a long arm that is installed along the door to evenly distribute the weight. These are often used on garden gates, cottage doors, barn doors and shed doors.

To precisely explain the meaning of tee hinges, we looked up the word in the dictionary. According to Merriam Webster, T hinges are hinges that have the appearance of a letter T when opened: “a strap hinge of which one leaf is replaced by a butt”.

The Tee hinge comprises a rectangular-shaped knuckle which fits to the gate post (or door frame) and has a tapered strap which fits to the gate (or door). These are available in several gauges of light, medium and heavy duty, and a couple of different finishes: Bright Zinc Plated, Black, Premium Black (black over galvanised) and Stainless Steel.

T Hinges are functional yet decorative, being able to give a cottage-style look or authentic period look to any property. This style of hinge distributes the weight of the door, and prevents putting too much strain on the actual hinge. But what is the best size for your door?

What size T hinge do I need?

As a rule of thumb, the hinge should cover just over half the width of your door. For instance, a 500mm wide gate will need a 250mm T hinge.

Standard internal doors, with a width between 26” and 32” will require 18” strap hinges. Be sure to choose the right tee hinge for your doors as these need to offer enough stability to function properly. The Tee hinges can be found in our Tee hinges section of our products.

Most doors are now made from a five random board construction. Historically, the hinge was used to fix all boards in place. Modern doors would therefore require a hinge that would almost cover the entire door. T Hinges today are used purely for aesthetic reasons, and the proportions are more important than any perceived mechanical advantage.

How to measure tee hinges?

Depends on the measurement you require. T Hinges are available in a variety of sizes.

You can identify length by fully opening the T hinge. With the hinge fully open, measure the distance from the outside of one end to the outside of the other hinge. This distance is the hinge’s length.

How Many Hinges Should I Use?

This is another question regularly asked, especially by customers with heavy doors, wondering if they should use 3 hinges.

Typically, a pair of hinges suffices for doors unless dealing with notably heavy ones.

Please bear in mind that there is very little difference in strength between 12”, 15” and 18” hinges. If you use 3 hinges, the top hinge will be in tension, the bottom hinge will be in compression, and the middle hinge will be mostly redundant. If, however, the door is truly a monster, go for a 4 hinge solution.

How To Fit The T Part Of The Hinge?

Not sure how to fit door hinges? There is often a dilemma in the fitting of the T part of the hinge on a gate. Should one cut away the architrave, revealing the hinge, or opt to chisel out the back of the architrave, partially concealing the T hinge?

The answer lies in flexibility – there’s no rigid protocol.

A suggested approach involves bending the hinge at a 90-degree angle and affixing it to the inner edge of the door surround, thereby mitigating the hinge’s intrusion into the architrave. However, this method demands careful chiseling and countersinking to ensure a seamless finish.

Where to buy T hinges?

At HingeSource, we have all the hinges you might require. So, whether you are searching for T hinges for doors, T hinges for cabinets or tee hinges for shed doors, search no further. Our tee hinges are available in a wide selection of finishes, this includes galvanised T hinges, stainless steel T hinges and more. Here are a few of our popular T hinges.

To view our full range of T hinges available in stock, browse our T hinges range. If you have any questions or require further advice, feel free to contact us at [email protected].