In the vast majority of cases, metal entrance doors are quite heavy structures. However, not all manufacturers focus the attention of potential buyers on this particular parameter of their products. This is all the more surprising since the weight of metal entrance doors with a frame directly affects both the operational and technical properties of structures and the requirements for their installation and subsequent use. It is important to understand that the weight of the finished product can vary quite significantly, depending on its functional purpose, which must be taken into account when choosing and purchasing it.
Criteria for assessing product quality
Degree of home security. What does this mean? Firstly, the steel sheet has sufficient strength. The thicker it is, and the greater the weight with the frame, the more reliable the metal door. Secondly, the number and complexity of locks. This is already in the category of “intelligent” protection of the entrance to the home.
Possibility of installing a peephole. Not all models of steel doors are initially equipped with it. The absence of this is one of the signs of a low-quality product.
Correspondence between the weight of the door and the reliability of the hinges. Failure to comply with this rule may result in the fact that it will be easy for an attacker to knock out such a fabric. In addition, over time, some distortion will appear. And a violation of the general geometry will lead to problems with constant opening/closing. Therefore, extra kilograms for the canvas are an indicator of the fragility of the entire assembled box.
Thermal protection level. Any metal door, by definition, does not retain heat in a room well. Consequently, the fabric must be prefabricated, which must contain insulation material. Moreover, this practically does not affect the total weight in kg.
Numbers
The bare mass indicators of different types of structures speak for themselves:
| Plastic with glass up to 35 kg | Metal-plastic up to 40-45 kg | For an apartment 45-60 kg |
| With thermal break up to 80-85 kg | Fireproof up to 130 kg | Armored up to 150 kg |
Products from the Middle Kingdom can be very light - only 40-45 kg. However, you can open such a canvas with an ordinary can opener without much effort.
Disadvantages of massive metal structures
A heavy leaf is not only an advantage of a door in terms of its reliability, but also a number of disadvantages that you should be aware of.
- The significant weight of a steel product can significantly complicate its installation. When choosing a model, you need to focus on the material of the walls in the opening of which the box is supposed to be placed, as well as the degree of their wear. For example, if we are talking about a house made of foam concrete, then it is impossible to do without additional reinforcement. And this increases installation time and increases the overall cost of work.
- The unreasonably large weight of the door will create certain difficulties with transportation. Transporting it yourself, in a personal car, will be quite problematic.
How much does a metal door weigh?
The weight of metal doors ranges from 40 kg for the lightest models, to 150 for armored doors, and this figure cannot be considered the limit. Increasing mass does not always give the expected increase in strength. So, how much does a metal door weigh and how does its weight affect reliability?
What determines the weight of a metal door?
All of its elements contribute to the mass of a metal door:
- box,
- canvas frame,
- sheathing,
- locks and additional locks and interlocks,
- filling,
- cladding
Only the cladding and heat insulator that fill the voids of the door do not affect its strength and burglary resistance. All other parts must be strong enough, and therefore massive. But mass does not always mean strength or reliability. For example, if you replace a thin corner in a fabric frame with a thicker one, its rigidity and resistance to spinning and other methods of breaking will increase. But the same or even greater effect can be achieved by turning the corners with the edge towards the outer skin. In this case, the “frame-skin” connection will acquire box-shaped sections along the lines of application of forces and will become much stiffer without increasing mass.
It is also possible, instead of hot-rolled angles with thick walls, to use profile rolled steel sheets or rectangular pipes. With the right choice of materials, you can significantly reduce the weight of the door while ensuring sufficient strength.
Optimal strength and weight
Proper design of the door allows you to reduce its weight, but still its mass remains quite large, especially if high strength is required from it. How much does a metal door weigh that is strong enough? Here you need to decide what strength is considered sufficient.
GOST R 51072-97 defines four classes of burglary resistance of entrance doors
- I - the door can be broken in 5 - 7 minutes using physical force or a simple small-sized tool, such as an ax or a nail puller.
- II – opening requires a special tool, in particular an electric one.
- III – in order to gain access through such a door, you need a power tool with a power of 500 W or higher.
- IV – to break into a door you will need a powerful tool and at least half an hour of time.
Is a door of the fourth class of burglary resistance needed everywhere? Obviously, if it covers an apartment in a large house or is located in a protected area, then a third or second class of burglary resistance is sufficient, and then it is not necessary to install a powerful massive structure. How much does an entrance door weigh?
How much does a metal entrance door weigh? The weight of the door, of course, also depends on its size and layout. For example, a structure with two doors will be heavier than the same single door.
What affects weight
Purpose of products. An ordinary steel door installed at the entrance weighs about 45±5 kg. If it is installed in the openings of individual rooms inside the building, then it is much smaller. In such cases, canvases with a small thickness are used. But the weight of the fire protection structure is more significant, and can reach 120 – 130 kg. It is the purpose of the steel door that determines its weight. What does it depend on?
- Thickness of the sheet metal.
- Box weight.
- Number and design features of stiffeners.
- The specifics of the design are the thermal insulation material and its thickness, additional cladding, and the composition of the fittings set. In total, this adds several kg to the weight of the metal structure.
Factors influencing the weight of entrance doors
There are several main factors that determine how much the front door weighs. First of all, you should consider the most massive parts and parts of the structure, which form the mass of the product. These include:
- Door leaf and frame. Sheet and profile steel are used for their manufacture. At the same time, the minimum metal thickness, which is established by GOSTs in force in Russia, is 1.5 mm. Some manufacturers, mainly from China, often use steel sheets with a value of this parameter equal to 1 mm, and sometimes even 0.5-0.7 mm. Obviously their products are much lighter;
- Reinforcement elements and stiffeners. They are made of profile metal, and different models contain different numbers of similar parts;
- Locking devices and various accessories. In most cases, steel and its alloys with other metals are also used to produce these parts, which are necessarily present in every input structure. As a result, the weight of fittings and locks can be 8 or even 10 kg for some models, which is a significant share of the total weight of the product;
- Finishing and filling. It is difficult to call these parts of the iron door heavy, however, they also make up a significant part of the total mass.
It is especially great when using various decorative forged elements, mirror or glass inserts, as well as when cladding the entrance structure with solid wood or MDF panels.
The above factors should be considered first when determining what entry door weight is most appropriate. Naturally, there is no single correct answer to this question, since it depends on the operating conditions of the product, which can vary quite significantly.
Basic rules for choosing a steel door
By weight
- The lightest products are made in China. The weight of Chinese doors, as a rule, does not exceed 40 kg. Sheets of 2 mm with powder coating and without additional overlays are unlikely to provide reliable protection against unauthorized entry. Such doors are purchased mainly as an element of decorating the entrance to an apartment or office space. But for a private home this is not the best solution.
- We can talk about reliable protection if the weight of the metal structure is at least 60 kg. Veneer, laminate, and MDF panels are used to decorate the canvases. Elite models are finished with solid wood, but because of this their weight increases to 90 - 100 kg. Despite all the advantages of such products, they have a significant drawback - during operation it is impossible to do without adjusting the position of the sash. That is, you will have to systematically adjust the loops.
- The weight of the metal entrance door is more than 130 kg - evidence of its ultra-high strength.
By steel grade
Information about it is easy to find in the accompanying documentation.
- Hot rolled. Products made from such alloys are cheaper, which is why they attract buyers. Their disadvantage is that this steel is susceptible to destruction from corrosion, and therefore is short-lived. In addition, it also “reacts” to temperature, and is not used for the manufacture of high-quality fire-resistant metal doors.
- Cold rolled. The price is higher, but this disadvantage is compensated by good resistance to external factors.
By manufacturer
If you think about the durability of a metal door, then it is worth purchasing products from well-known brands. Small firms, to reduce costs, use low-quality raw materials, and instead of focusing on strength (which implies reliability), they unnecessarily make the structure heavier. And the excess weight of the metal is, as we know, an increased cost.
When choosing a metal structure, you should not evaluate only its appearance. To ensure that the purchase does not disappoint in the end, it is necessary to take into account all its indicators.
Interior doors
The weight of a structure made using plastic can be calculated by the ratio of the weight to the dimensions of the canvas. So, 1 sq.m of product contains 1.5 kg of material. If metal inserts are used inside the structure, the weight will be 2.5 kg per 1 sq.m.
The weight of wooden doors largely depends on the structure of the material used and the type of wood. The weight of the material made from solid elements of deciduous trees is more than 20 kg. per 1 sq.m. In the case of using light and soft, often coniferous, types of wood, the nominal weight of the wooden product is reduced to 15 kg per 1 sq.m.
Using these numbers, it is easy to calculate the severity of a solid-type interior door. So, taking into account the weight of all the accessories necessary for the product, including handles and locks, the approximate data will be as follows:
- Plastic construction about 5 kg;
- Glass about 20 kg;
- Wooden, depending on the species, from 25 to 40 kg.
However, it should be remembered that the weight of a wooden door with glass or plastic components can be very different from a solid type design. The same principle applies to door elements that have different design solutions, but are made from the same type of materials. Thus, a tall sliding door, when manufactured using natural elements, will not weigh less than 100 kg.
A door made of MDF material can weigh no more than 10 kg, if it is made hollow or if cardboard filling is used. If the interpanel space is filled with tempered glass to enhance the heat-insulating and sound-absorbing qualities, the weight of the product increases significantly.
The heaviest structures made using solid natural wood materials are oak doors. Their weight can significantly exceed the weight of a metal door. The use of such massive structures at home is justified only if it is necessary to give a respectable appearance and with the obligatory presence of large free space and strong walls. An alternative option, in which the same effect can be achieved, but with a significantly lighter design, is the use of lightweight products using decorative veneering.
Why know the mass of the sash?
This value is important for many factors:
- To open both swing and sliding doors, certain physical efforts must be made. The heavier the sash, the more difficult it is to do this, especially for a weak person - a child or an old man. This point must be taken into account;
- The opening mechanism affects the permissible weight limit. So, moving the sliding sash is much easier. Therefore, with the same degree of convenience, a larger mass is allowed in the latter case;
- Interior doors must be installed both in the main wall and in the interior partition. The latter do not always have sufficiently high strength parameters. Accordingly, a massive sash cannot be installed here;
- the same applies to old houses, where the walls of secondary importance are very light and cannot withstand heavy loads:
- The weight of the sash is important when choosing fittings: hinges, lock. The larger it is, the more durable and expensive hinges should be used, and the more massive the box should be installed.
How to take measurements
You may not understand all these tricks, since almost all sellers provide free services for taking measurements of openings, sending a measuring specialist to your home. He measures the width and height of the opening, the thickness of the wall, and only then, in the salon, they will offer you those doors that suit you best in terms of their parameters.
In addition to measurements, an experienced master will take into account many other nuances: the material from which the partition is made, the strength and correct configuration of the opening, the need to install a threshold. He will tell you which way it is better to open the door if it is swinging, or advise another installation option.
Basic dimensions for choosing an interior door
There are situations when it is advisable not to select a ready-made door to fit an existing opening, but to change the dimensions of the opening itself. For example, narrow it so that the swing door has a smaller opening radius and does not touch the furniture in the room. Or expand to install a double-leaf or wider one.
In a word, if the dimensions of the opening do not allow the desired doors to be installed in it, sometimes it is easier to redo the opening itself. Otherwise you will have to make it to order. Thanks to the technical capabilities of modern equipment, you can easily make a door of any size, but they will cost much more than standard ones, and the cost of their installation will be higher.
If you decide to do without a measurer, but don’t know how to measure, look at the picture.
To find out the width, you must first use a plumb line or building level to determine the verticality of its slopes on one side and the other. The distance between the found lines should be measured. The height is measured between the highest point of the floor (if the floors are not level) and a horizontal line drawn from the corner of the opening.
If the opening has a clearly incorrect configuration, it is better to try to correct it before taking measurements and adjust it to standard dimensions.
How to measure an interior door
Even if in the end you end up with not very high doors - a height of 1900 mm, this is better than non-closing ones. In any case, a standard standard solution is always more convenient and cheaper than custom-made.
If you purchase standard doors, you will not have to install extensions, select frame parts to match the size of the door leaf, separately select platbands that are suitable in size and color, etc. All this requires time, nerves and additional costs. Let's look at an example of how to determine the dimensions of the opening. Let's say you have chosen the following: height 2000, width 800, box thickness 30 mm.
- We determine the width of the opening: 800 + 2x30 + 2x15 = 890 mm. Here 15 mm is the size of the gap that must be left between the slopes of the opening and the frame in order to be able to level it.
- Determine the height of the opening. To do this, you need to decide whether your door will have a threshold or without it. If without a threshold, the calculation is as follows: 2000 + 30 + 15 + 10 = 2055 mm. Here 10 mm is the gap that must be left under the door.
If there is a threshold, then we add its height instead of 10 mm.
- We obtain the required opening dimensions: 890x2055 mm. They can fluctuate in one direction or another by a few millimeters - this is not critical.
If you decide not to touch the opening, but to order or select the ones you need for it, do the calculation backwards. Subtract the size of the technological gaps from the available dimensions and get the dimensions with the box. Otherwise, the size of sliding doors is calculated. They are not as dependent on the size of the opening as hinged ones. Usually they are made 5-6 centimeters higher than the opening and approximately equal in width to it
A lot of different doors, their advantages and disadvantages
Each of the materials has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Plastic has unsurpassed insulating properties. It retains heat perfectly, cuts out odors and noise. Models made from this material are light in weight and have a reduced risk of injury. Moreover, they are affordable. The main disadvantage of these models is their lack of environmental friendliness and even toxicity. Therefore, it is not recommended to install them in residential buildings. An exception may be products made from high-quality plastic, the cost of which is comparable to wooden models.
An interior door with glass looks laconic and attractive. These models allow you to give the room airiness, lightness to the interior, and let a large amount of sunlight into the room. Modern tempered glass or triplex is characterized by high impact strength and safety. However, their price makes you think about the feasibility of installing such a model.
Models made using wood processing products are considered a worthy replacement for solid analogues. They are more affordable, resistant to moisture and temperature changes. In addition, wood chip material weighs less compared to solid wood. Finishing from valuable wood veneer gives the product a respectable appearance.
Products of new technologies are alternative synthetic materials that cover the canvas to give not only an external gloss, but also to improve significant consumer qualities. New generation materials include artificial veneer (laminate), nanoflex and eco-veneer. They are considered a model of environmental friendliness and are highly resistant to moisture and temperature changes. The polymer coating ensures that the veneer door weighs less.
