David Corson
December 18, 2022
SIMONSWERK, the leading manufacturer of adjustable concealed door hinges, announces that its TECTUS TE 526 3D, TE 527 3D, and TE 540 3D have passed a stringent third-party cycle test for heavy-weight hinges and its TECTUS TE 640 3D and TE 626 3D A8 have passed for triple-weight hinges.
BHMA created a new category for concealed hinges which was adopted in the latest ANSI/BHMA A156.1-2021 American National Standard for Butts and Hinges.
This new standard provides objective testing guidelines to categorize the performance level of concealed hinges, allowing for the correct hinge to be specified based on the application, such as door weight and anticipated frequency of usage.
The scope of the testing included cycle tests, lateral and vertical wear tests, friction tests, strength tests, material, and dimensional requirements.
Product certification to this standard provides specifiers confidence that these concealed hinges have been tested to uniform standards without relying exclusively on a manufacturer’s statement of performance.
Concealed hinges are categorized in the following grades based on weight and cycles:
| Hinge Type | Test Door Weight (lbs.) | Grade 1 Cycles | Grade 2 Cycles | Grade 3 Cycles | Double Weight | Triple Weight |
| Light Weight | 125 | 1,000,000 | 500,000 | 200,000 | ||
| Standard Weight | 175 | 1,000,000 | 500,000 | 200,000 | ||
| Heavy Weight | 250 | 1,000,000 | 500,000 | 200,000 | ||
| Double Weight | 325 | 200,000 | ||||
| Triple Weight | 400 | 200,000 |
This new guideline was used to evaluate and test the TECTUS hinge performance. INTERTEK, the leading provider of third-party testing and certification of hinges and locking door hardware, performed and evaluated the SIMONSWERK TECTUS adjustable concealed hinges. The SIMONSWERK TECTUS TE 526 3D, TE 527 3D, and TE 540 3D hinges were confirmed to be in compliance with the ANSI/BHMA Butts and Hinges standard requirements of Grade 1 for heavy-weight hinges, which requires 1,000,000 cycles. The SIMONSWERK TECTUS TE 640 3D and TE 626 3D hinges have met the requirements to achieve compliance of the standard for triple-weight hinges, which requires 200,000 cycles.
Rudy Kessler, CEO of SIMONSWERK North America, stated, “This extensive cycle testing was typically not performed on concealed hinges until now. The compliance to this tough ANSI/BHMA standard illustrates the extended usage of TECTUS hinges to a significantly wide area of applications.”
About SIMONSWERK
The SIMONSWERK Group, with its 850 employees, focuses exclusively on high-end adjustable hinge systems, as it has for more than 130 years. SIMONSWERK North America is headquartered in Whitewater, Wisconsin.
SIMONSWERK has supplied hinges to many high-profile projects throughout North America and other parts of the world.
For further information, visit www.simonswerk-usa.com.
*Featured Image Courtesy: SIMONWERK Group
