How to Check a Door Hardware Sample Before You Approve It

Updated 2026-11-09 · RAYEN 雷茵

Why does the sample stage matter so much?

It is the last point where a change is cheap. Hole positions are fixed the moment the tool is cut, and changing a part after production costs far more than changing it at sample stage. So the sample is the place to be strict. A day spent on it protects every container that follows.

What should you check against the paperwork?

Before the sample, you received a confirmation checklist. Lay the sample beside it and check each line.

• Material. Does the part match the material agreed? A finish does not tell you the base metal; see finish names.
• Backset, for locks and levers.
• Door thickness range. Will it fit your thinnest and thickest door?
• Plate or rose size, and every hole position, measured against the drawing.
• Finish name, against the one on the checklist.

Measure, do not eye it. Use calipers on holes and tubes, and a rule on plates. Read the drawing the way our drawing guide explains.

How do you check the fit?

Fit the sample to the door it is for, or to one built the same way.

• Do the screws reach, and bite into solid material?
• Does the plate or rose sit flat on the finished face?
• For a lever, does it turn freely and return, with the lock case it will ship with?
• For a hinge, does the door hang true and swing without binding?
• For a pull or a grab bar, is there room for a hand behind it?
• For anything in a wall, does the cutout and the depth work?

Use it the way your customer will. Open and close the door many times. A part that feels right in the hand on day one is the part you are about to buy in thousands.

How do you judge the finish?

Swatches on a screen are only indicative. Judge the sample under the light of the room it is for, beside the other hardware it must match. Look at it from the angle people will see it. If the project uses several finishes, check each one on its own sample, because a colour that matches in one finish may not in another.

What if something is wrong?

Say so now, and say it precisely. Mark the sample, photograph the problem against a rule, and write which figure on the drawing it breaks. We change it at this stage and send a new sample. Do not approve a sample on the promise that production will be different; production follows the approved sample.

What do you do once it is right?

• Sign it off, with the date and the drawing revision.
• Keep the approved sample. We keep a record of it too.
• Refer to the sample and its finish name on the purchase order.

When the part carries your name on the box, every dimension inside follows the sample you signed off. The part in the tenth container has to match the sample in your hand, so keep that sample where you can find it.

A worked example

A buyer receives a sample of AL-114 in Anodised Matt Black for an apartment project. The checklist says Ø54mm rose, 130mm lever, 5845 lock case, 35-50mm doors. They measure the rose, fit the lever to a door with the lock case they will use, and turn it until it feels familiar. They look at the black beside the hinges under the corridor lights. Then they sign the sample, write the date and drawing revision on its bag, and order against it.

Next step

Ready for a sample? Send your drawing or reference model to [email protected], or WhatsApp the factory owner. The number is on the contact page. The sample comes with the checklist you will approve it against.