Diagram of a door handle: Glossary and explanations

Are you planning to install or replace a door handle and finding yourself faced with incomprehensible terminology for an accessory that seems so simple? Rest assured: the specialists at Milla Poignées are here to help you decode every component of your door handle.

We review the different categories of handles and their mechanisms, illustrating our explanations to make them easier to understand. After reading this, all those terms that seemed complex will become clearer and more comprehensible.

The common elements of a door handle

Whatever the model, certain parts are common to all door handles. Understanding these elements will help you make the right choice when purchasing or installing.

Lever

The door handle lever is the part you grip to operate the door. It consists of two elements:

• Bar: The horizontal part that you hold in your hand.
• Neck: The zone connecting the bar to the plate or rose. The neck can be raised to adapt to doors with mouldings. Conversely, it can be lowered to allow, for example, the passage of a roller shutter. Handle sets fitted with a lowered neck are commonly referred to as "reduced projection sets".

Some models are fitted with a return spring, allowing the handle to return automatically to its initial position after use. On certain references, this spring also allows a 45° lever lift, compatible with specific locks.

Spindle

The door spindle is a square-section metal rod that passes through the door and connects the two levers. It operates the lock mechanism. Standard dimensions vary: 7 mm in France, 8 mm according to the European standard, and 6 mm for certain renovation projects.

Plate or Rose

These two elements serve as a support for the lever and protect the door against fingerprints and dirt. To tell them apart, you should know that:

• The plate is a rectangular or oval support to which the handle lever is attached.
• The rose is a circular or square support, more discreet, often used in contemporary designs.

The different types of door handles

Door handles are not all alike: they come in a variety of configurations, designed to meet specific uses, styles, and technical constraints. Two main families stand out: plate-mounted handles and rose-mounted handles. Each has its own characteristics in terms of fixing, drilling, and compatibility with locks.

Plate-mounted door handles

This is the most common type of handle in homes in France. Its simple appearance nevertheless conceals a great variety of models, particularly in terms of shapes, finishes, and fixing systems.

What is a plate?

The plate refers to the metal support on which the handle rests. It can be rectangular, rounded, or take on specific decorative shapes such as wrought iron. This piece ensures the connection between the handle elements on the same side of the door, and may include an opening (drilling) for a lock or cylinder.

Some models incorporate a sub-plate in plastic (ABS, polyamide) or metal, sometimes fitted with a sealing gasket. This additional piece enhances stability and improves the airtightness of the door, particularly in well-insulated buildings.

Drilled plate-mounted handles

In this configuration, both plates are drilled to allow fixing screws to pass through. These screws pass through the door and connect the two plates together, ensuring a stable fixing. The screw heads remain visible on both sides of the door. This system is particularly suited to interior doors.

Plate-mounted handles with pillars

In this case, only one of the two plates is drilled. The other has threaded pillars (two or sometimes three) that receive the screws from the first plate. This method conceals the screws on the exterior side, which enhances security. This is why it is often used for front doors or doors leading to the outside.

Rose-mounted handles

Unlike plate-mounted models, the rose-mounted handle consists of two circular elements: one for the handle, the other for the lock or cylinder. This minimalist design visually separates the opening and locking functions.

This format allows greater flexibility of adaptation, particularly on doors drilled to unusual centre spacings. It thus avoids having to modify the door to install the handle. Fitting may however require a little more precision, depending on the model.

Beware of confusion: handle, lock, and cylinder

It is common to confuse the handle with the lock or the cylinder. Yet these elements are distinct and sold separately. The handle provides the grip, the lock provides the mechanical locking, and the cylinder enables the use of a key. It is therefore essential to choose a handle compatible with the type of lock installed.

Types of drilling for plates and roses

Depending on the door's locking system, the plate or rose of the handle must be fitted with a specific drilling. Here are the main variants:

• Door handles with plates for latch lock: No key drilling. Intended for doors with a simple half-turn latch (WC doors, cupboards, etc.).

• Door handles with plates for L key: Drilling intended for classic key or lever tumbler locks.

• Door handles with plates for I key: Designed to accommodate a European cylinder.

Note: there are also door handles with plates for I key and cylinder reinforcement. These models incorporate a specific opening allowing the passage of a cylinder reinforcement, used in particular on multipoint locks to strengthen security against the tearing out or drilling of the cylinder.

• Door handles with privacy lock plates: One of the plates has an interior locking button, the other has an emergency release hole accessible from outside the room.

• Door handles with indicator lock plates: Same configuration as above, with a two-colour indicator (red/green) showing whether the door is locked or not.

• Landing plates with thumb turn: One plate has a standard handle, the other a fixed handle (thumb turn), allowing opening only by key from the outside.