When you are ordering doors for your home or commercial purposes, determining the door swing direction and handing is crucial for correct installation and functionality. The door swing direction can be understood as the direction in which a door opens. Whether you are installing a new door or replacing an existing door, knowing the swing direction and whether it is right-handed or left-handed will help you explain it to the door builder. So, if you are willing to know how to determine door swing direction, then continue to read this article and follow the below-mentioned tips.
Steps to Determine Door Swing Direction
Stand Outside the Room:
If you are determining the door swing for an interior door, you should always stand outside the room. To determine the swing direction for an exterior door, you should stand outside of the house, facing the door.
Identify the Locations of the Door Hinges:
If you don’t know what the door hinges are then find the metal parts that connect the door to its frame and allow the door to swing. These metal parts are called door hinges. From your position (on the outside), identify whether the hinges are placed on the left side or right side.
If the hinges are placed on the right-hand side of the door, then the door swing is right-handed.
On the other hand, the door swing is left-handed when the hinges are on the left-hand side of the door.
Consider the Direction of the Swing:
The door swing is reverse-handed when the door opens by pulling towards you.
The door swing is not reversed when the door opens by pushing away from you.
Final Step: Determining Door Swing Direction
Left Hand:
![Left hand door swing](https://www.inhouseathome.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Left-HAnd.png)
The hinges are on the left-hand side of the door and the door opens by pushing away from you.
Left Hand Reverse:
![Left hand reverse door swing](https://www.inhouseathome.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Reverse-Left-Hand.png)
The hinges are on the left-hand side of the door and the door opens by pulling towards you.
Right Hand:
![Right Hand Door Swing](https://www.inhouseathome.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Right-Hand.png)
The hinges are on the right-hand side of the door and the door opens by pushing away from you.
Right Hand Reverse:
![Right Hand Reverse Door Swing](https://www.inhouseathome.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Reverse-Right-Hand.png)
The hinges are on the right-hand side of the door and the door opens by pulling towards you.
In Summary
If you follow the above-mentioned four simple steps, it will be easy for you to determine the door swing direction. To ensure proper installation, maintain safety and accurate functionality, you should know how to determine door swing direction. Hopefully, you can now easily recognize the swing directions of the doors of your home and install and replace them properly.