Editing Door (section)

=== Swing direction ===
Generally, '''door swings''', or handing, are determined while standing on the outside or less secure side of the door while facing the door (i.e., standing on the side requiring a key to open, going from outside to inside, or from public to private).

It is important to get the hand and swing correct on exterior doors, as the transom is usually sloped and sealed to resist water entry, and properly drain. In some custom [[Millwork (building material)|millwork]] (or with some master carpenters), the manufacture or installer bevels the leading edge (the first edge to meet the jamb as the door closes) so that the door fits tight without binding. Specifying an incorrect hand or swing can make the door bind, not close properly, or leak. Fixing this error is expensive or time-consuming. In North America, many doors now come with factory-installed hinges, pre-hung on the jamb and sills.

While facing the door from the outside or less secure side, if the hinge is on the right side of the door, the door is "right handed"; or if the hinge is on the left, it is "left handed". If the door swings toward you, it is "reverse swing"; or if the door swings away from you, it is "normal swing".

In other words:
* In the United States:
** '''Left hand hinge (LHH):''' Standing outside (or on the less secure side, or on the public side of the door), the hinges are on the left and the door opens in (away from you).
** '''Right hand hinge (RHH):''' Standing outside (or on the less secure side), the hinges are on the right and the door opens in (away from you).
** '''Left hand reverse (LHR):''' Standing outside the house (or on the less secure side), the hinges are on the left, knob on right, on opening the door it swings toward you (i.e. the door swings open toward the outside, or "outswing")
** '''Right hand reverse (RHR):''' Standing outside the house (i.e. on the less secure side), the hinges are on the right, knob on left, opening the door by pulling the door toward you (i.e. open swings to the outside, or "outswing")
* In Europe:
** One of the oldest [[Deutsches Institut für Normung|DIN]] standard applies: DIN 107 "Building construction; identification of right and left side" (first 1922–05, current 1974–04) defines that '''doors are categorized from the side where the door hinges can be seen'''. If the hinges are on the left, it is a DIN Left door (''DIN Links'', ''DIN gauche''), if the hinges are on the right, it is a DIN Right door (''DIN Rechts'', ''DIN droite''). The DIN Right and DIN Left marking are also used to categorize matching installation material such as [[mortise lock]]s (referenced in DIN 107). The European Standard DIN EN 12519 "Windows and pedestrian doors. Terminology" includes these definitions of orientation.
* In Australia:
** The "[[refrigerator]] rule" applies, and a refrigerator door is not opened from the inside. If the hinges are on the right then it is a right hand (or right hung) door. (Australian Standards for Installation of Timber Doorsets, AS 1909–1984 pg 6.)
** In public buildings, exterior doors open to the outside to comply with applicable fire codes. In a fire, a door that opens inward could cause a crush of people who cannot open it.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/remodeling/question584.htm |title=Why do the entry doors to most homes open inward, while in most public buildings, the entry doors open outward? |date=2001-03-02 |access-date=2017-09-19 |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920044229/http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/remodeling/question584.htm |archive-date=2017-09-20}}</ref>