United States
Hong KongEgress doors and hardware
An egress door needs 32 inches of clear width, measured with the door open. Interior accessible doors have a common maximum opening force of 5 pounds, and panic hardware is required at certain occupant loads.
Egress rules exist for the worst moment, which is why they are strict about things that seem minor.
Clear width
Thirty-two inches minimum, measured with the door open at ninety degrees, between the face of the door and the stop.
Not the leaf width. A 34 inch door can fail the requirement once the stop and the open leaf are accounted for, and that is exactly the question.
Opening force
Five pounds is the common maximum for an interior accessible door. Enough that a child or somebody with limited strength can open it.
Closers set too firmly are a routine defect, and they are checkable with a gauge.
The principle behind panic hardware, single-action latches and the prohibition on keyed locks in the direction of egress. Somebody in smoke should not need to know how a door works, or to perform two separate actions to leave.
Panic hardware
Required on egress doors serving certain occupant loads, with the threshold set by the code and occupancy classification.
A lookup rather than a recall item. Tab the occupant load table.
Swing direction
Egress doors serving certain occupant loads swing in the direction of travel, because a crowd pressing against an inward-opening door cannot open it.
Rated openings
A door in a rated wall carries a rating, and the rating covers the whole assembly: leaf, frame, hardware, closer and any glazing.
Propping a rated door open defeats it entirely, which is why hold-opens release on alarm.
Common questions
What is the minimum clear width for an egress door?
32 inches, measured with the door open rather than as the leaf width.
What is the maximum opening force?
5 pounds is the common maximum for an interior accessible door.
When is panic hardware required?
On egress doors serving certain occupant loads, with the threshold set by the code and occupancy.
Why must egress doors swing outward?
At certain occupant loads, because a crowd pressing against an inward-opening door cannot open it.
What does a rated door assembly include?
The leaf, frame, hardware, closer and any glazing. Substituting a component breaks the rating.