Replacing a Door Pull Handle: Measure the Old One, Match the Holes

Updated 2026-11-09 · RAYEN 雷茵

A replacement pull handle is usually ordered to fit holes that already exist, in a door nobody wants to patch. This guide shows what to measure on the old handle and how to find a match in our door pull handles.

What should you measure on the old handle?

• Centre distance: centre to centre of the two fixings. With the handle off, measure between the hole centres. With it on, measure from the left edge of one foot to the left edge of the other.
• Hole diameter in the door, on both faces. Some doors have a different hole on each side.
• Door thickness at the handle.
• Overall length and bar size, only if you want the new handle to look the same.
• Projection, if the door opens against a wall or a second leaf.

Write all of them down before you order. The centre distance is the one that decides.

How do you find a handle with the same centres?

Here are our pull handles sorted by centre distance, with the screw and hole for each.

In the Fixing hole column, the figure is the hole in a timber door for the M6 models. A model may list more than one centre distance: T790 comes at P=360mm, P=560mm and P=760mm in three lengths, and T52 at P=425mm and P=800mm. Read the whole row.

What if the centre distance matches but the length does not?

That is normal and often useful. P=425mm fits T2640 at 450mm long, T1170 at 600mm long and T720 at 800mm long. The shape changes, the holes do not. Our guide to D pull or bar pull handles shows how to tell them apart from the numbers.

What if the screw is different?

Check the screw before you order. T2640 uses M8 and T1170 M6, at the same centres. In a timber door an M6 hole is φ8mm and an M8 hole φ10mm; on glass they are φ12mm and φ16mm. A new handle with a larger screw means opening the hole; a smaller one may need a sleeve. Ask us before you drill. The full table is in back-to-back pull handle fixing.

What if no model matches the old centres?

There are three options, in order of preference.

• Send us the old handle or a dimensioned drawing. We work from drawings and samples, and the copying a door hardware sample guide explains what to send.
• Choose a handle with a longer bar that covers the old holes and fix it on new ones. Only on a door that will be refinished.
• Choose a backplate handle: T1263 sits on a 122mm-wide plate that can hide old marks.

What about glass doors?

On glass the holes cannot be moved or widened after toughening. Match the centre distance and the hole exactly, or replace the glass. Our glass door handle hole size guide lists every glass hole.

What to write on your order

Old centre distance, old hole size, door thickness, door material, and the new model: for example, T1170, 600mm long, P=425mm, M6, φ8mm timber door, 1 pair, replacing a handle at P=425mm.

Next step

Send a photo of the old handle beside a tape measure, with the centre distance and door thickness, to [email protected]. We will reply with the models that fit the old holes. For a quick check, message the factory owner on WhatsApp from the contact page, or search by centre distance in the pull handle finder.

Open the selection tool：Pull Handle Finder by Centre Distance→