Front Door Hardware: Handlesets, Deadbolts and Security Grades
The front door carries the most important hardware in the house. It sets the first impression and it is the main line of security. Here is how to choose it well.
Handleset or entry lever?
A handleset has a tall exterior grip with a thumb latch, often with a deadbolt built into the same plate, and a lever or knob inside. It suits traditional, Colonial and many transitional facades, and it scales well to a large front door. An entry lever or knob with a separate deadbolt is simpler and suits modern homes and secondary exterior doors.
Deadbolts
A deadbolt is the part that actually secures the door. A single cylinder deadbolt has a key outside and a thumb turn inside. A double cylinder needs a key on both sides. Check your local code and fire safety guidance before choosing double cylinder locks, since they can slow exit in an emergency.
Security grades
In the US, residential locks are commonly rated to ANSI/BHMA standards. Grade 1 is the highest, built to commercial standards. Grade 2 is common for good residential locks. Grade 3 meets basic residential needs. For a front door, look for Grade 2 or better on the deadbolt, and check the strike plate is fixed with long screws that reach the wall framing.
Electronic and keypad locks
Keypad and smart locks are convenient and many are available in designer finishes. Check the security grade, battery access and what happens if the battery fails, and confirm the exterior trim suits the rest of the door hardware.
The details that finish an entry
- A door knocker and house numbers in the same finish.
- Hinges on an outswing door should have non-removable pins.
- A kick plate protects the bottom of a painted door.
- A finish suited to the weather: in coastal or harsh climates, solid brass or marine-grade finishes hold up better than plated steel.
Measure first
Exterior doors are usually 1-3/4 inches thick with a 2-3/4 inch backset, but check before you order, especially with handlesets, which also need the distance between the latch and deadbolt holes, commonly 5-1/2 inches center to center.
Recommendations in our guides may link to retailers. See our affiliate disclosure.