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- When is panic hardware required? Exit devices explained
When is panic hardware required? Exit devices explained
Panic hardware is required on swinging doors serving a Group H occupancy, and on swinging doors serving rooms or spaces with an occupant load of 50 or more in a Group A or Group E occupancy (2021 IBC section 1010.2.9, section 1010.2.8 in the 2024 IBC).
The trigger is the occupant load of the room or space the door serves, not how many people use that door, and your Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) makes the final call.
This answer was checked on against the sources listed on this page.
What decides the part number?
The device type, the door width, whether the opening is fire rated and the outside trim decide the part number.
Which type of exit device do I need?
Choose by how the door must latch: a rim device latches into a strike on the frame, surface and concealed vertical rod devices latch at the top and bottom of the door and suit pairs, and a mortise exit device works a lock case in the door edge.What is the difference between panic hardware and fire exit hardware?
Fire exit hardware is panic hardware that is also listed for fire doors, and it is made without mechanical dogging so the door latches every time it closes: on Sargent’s 80 Series, dogging comes only on devices that are not fire rated. They look similar and are not interchangeable.How is an exit device sized?
An exit device is sized to the door width: each device is made for a range of widths. Measure the door, not the frame, because a device sized for the wrong width will not mount correctly.What goes on the outside of the door?
The outside trim is blank, a pull or a lever. On night latch trim a key retracts the latch; on classroom or storeroom lever trim a key unlocks the lever.Which doors need panic hardware?
Panic hardware is required on doors serving Group A assembly or Group E educational spaces with an occupant load of 50 or more, and on doors serving Group H high hazard occupancies. The trigger is the occupant load of the space the door serves, not how many people use that door. We supply listed hardware and confirm in writing the part number and options you have chosen. We are not code consultants; your Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) makes the final call.Which electrical and energy rooms need panic hardware?
The 2024 IBC also requires panic or fire exit hardware on doors serving transformer vaults, battery or energy storage rooms and modular data centers, and on doors less than 25 feet from the working space of electrical equipment rated 800 amperes or more; those doors must swing in the direction of egress. We supply listed hardware and confirm in writing the part number and options you have chosen. We are not code consultants; your Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) makes the final call.What listing does panic hardware need?
The 2018 IBC required panic hardware listed to UL 305, and fire exit hardware listed to UL 10C and UL 305, with the push bar at least half the door width (section 1010.1.10.1).Can an electric lock go on a door with panic hardware?
BHMA reads the 2024 editions as not permitting a sensor release on a door that is required to have panic hardware. We supply listed hardware and confirm in writing the part number and options you have chosen. We are not code consultants; your Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) makes the final call.How do you work out if a room’s occupant load is 50 or more?
This section and those after it, unless dated otherwise, were checked on against the sources listed on this page.
For a room without fixed seats, divide its floor area by the occupant load factor for its use (2021 IBC section 1004.5). In the 2024 IBC’s Table 1004.5, an assembly room with chairs only, not fixed, reaches 50 occupants at 350 net square feet, one with tables and chairs at 750, and a classroom at 1,000. At 50 or more in a Group A or E occupancy, the panic hardware rule covers the swinging doors serving that room (2021 IBC 1010.2.9, 2024 IBC 1010.2.8).
| Use of the space (Table 1004.5) | Square feet per occupant | Floor area that calculates to 50 |
|---|---|---|
| Assembly without fixed seats: standing space | 5 net | 250 sq ft net |
| Assembly without fixed seats: concentrated (chairs only, not fixed) | 7 net | 350 sq ft net |
| Assembly: gaming floors (keno, slots and similar) | 11 gross | 550 sq ft gross |
| Assembly without fixed seats: unconcentrated (tables and chairs) | 15 net | 750 sq ft net |
| Educational: classroom area | 20 net | 1,000 sq ft net |
| Assembly: exhibit gallery and museum | 30 net | 1,500 sq ft net |
| Educational: shops and other vocational room areas | 50 net | 2,500 sq ft net |
| Assembly with fixed seats | See section 1004.6 | Not worked from floor area |
The last column is our arithmetic, 50 times the factor. Minnesota’s Department of Labor and Industry lists one 2024 change to the table, a new information technology row.
- Fewer by design: where the building official approves, the actual number a space is designed for may be used if lower (2021 IBC 1004.5, exception 1).
- The posted sign: 2021 IBC 1004.9 has an assembly room’s occupant load posted near its main exit or exit access doorway, so read that first.
- No threshold: Group H doors fall under the rule at any occupant load, and refrigeration machinery room exit and exit access doorways get panic hardware “regardless of the occupant load served” (2021 IBC 1006.2.2.2).
We supply listed hardware and confirm in writing the part number and options you have chosen. We are not code consultants; your Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) makes the final call.
When can a door that needs panic hardware be locked?
The panic hardware rule lists four cases in which its doors may be locked (2021 IBC 1010.2.9, 2024 IBC 1010.2.8): a Group A main exit with a key-operated lock and a sign, electrical locking, exit access doors from occupied outdoor areas, and courtrooms. Otherwise those doors “shall not be provided with a latch or lock other than panic hardware or fire exit hardware.”
| Exception | Section it points to | What that section allows |
|---|---|---|
| 1. A main exit of a Group A occupancy | 1010.2.4, item 3 | Key-operated locking from the egress side in Group A buildings with an occupant load of 300 or less, the lock readily distinguishable as locked, with a sign reading THIS DOOR TO REMAIN UNLOCKED WHEN THIS SPACE IS OCCUPIED in 1 inch letters; the building official can revoke it for due cause. The 2024 text adds: main exterior doors of the building or main doors of the tenant space only. |
| 2. Doors with panic or fire exit hardware, Group A or E | 1010.2.10 in 2024; 1010.2.11, door hardware release, in 2021 | Electrical locking, keeping the panic hardware. The 2024 exceptions do not cite sensor release (2024 section 1010.2.11). For the conditions, see fail safe vs fail secure. |
| 3. Exit access doors serving occupied exterior areas | 1010.2.4, item 8 | In the 2021 text, other than at egress courts: a key-operated lock, the maximum occupant load posted, a weatherproof telephone or two-way communication system outside at least one door, a clear window or glazed opening of at least 5 sq ft at each door, an unlock sign, and no more than 300 occupants outside. |
| 4. Courtrooms | 1010.2.13, item 3 in 2021 (1010.2.12 in 2024) | Delayed egress locking in Group A-3 and B courtrooms, on doors other than the main exit or exit access door, in buildings sprinklered throughout (section 903.3.1.1). |
Minnesota’s Department of Labor and Industry maps 2021 sections 1010.2.11 through 1010.2.13 onto 2024 sections 1010.2.10 through 1010.2.12. We supply listed hardware and confirm in writing the part number and options you have chosen. We are not code consultants; your Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) makes the final call.
What is fire rated door hardware?
This section was checked on against the sources listed on this page.
Fire rated door hardware is hardware listed by a testing laboratory for use on a labeled fire door assembly, on a door that has to close and latch by itself: the 2024 IBC says “Fire doors shall be latching and self- or automatic-closing” (section 716.2.6.1). Each part carries its own listing, and a lock’s ANSI/BHMA grade is not one: BHMA says hardware for fire doors is evaluated and listed to UL 10C by an accredited third-party testing laboratory.
| Part | What the maker or standard says | On this site |
|---|---|---|
| Door closer | ANSI/BHMA A156.4 (2019, section 1.3): a closer on a labeled fire door assembly is listed or labeled by a nationally recognized independent testing laboratory. Norton lists its 8000 Series to UL 10C positive pressure up to 3 hours and says hold open arm door closers “are not permitted to be used on fire door assemblies”. A fire door that must stand open takes a closer-holder, such as dormakaba’s 1800 Series, which closes the door when the current is interrupted or an alarm is signaled. | Types of door closers, Norton 8501 door closer |
| Exit device | Fire exit hardware: panic hardware that also carries a fire listing, with no mechanical dogging (next section). | Accentra 2100 rim exit device (2100F) |
| Lock or latch | BEST lists the 9K Series for 3 hour A label single or double swinging doors. Alarm Lock lists the Trilogy DL2700 latchbolt as UL listed and fire rated for 3 hours. | BEST 9K Series cylindrical lock, Alarm Lock Trilogy DL2700 |
| Electric strike | HES rates the 1006, 1500 and 1600 at 3 hours on a single door and 1.5 hours on a pair, fail secure only, under UL 10C. It lists the 9600 as non-fire rated. | Fail safe vs fail secure, electric strikes |
| Maglock | UL lists the Securitron M62 with the B, D, BD or F suffix as an auxiliary lock for fire doors rated up to 3 hours, and other versions up to 1 hour. A maglock does not latch, so the door still needs its own latching hardware. | Securitron M62 Magnalock |
| Hinges and pivots | Hager: steel and stainless steel hinges may be used on listed fire rated or labeled openings, brass may not, and its electric hinges are UL tested for them. Rixson: pivots for fire rated doors up to 3 hours include a steel top pivot and must have steel intermediate pivots. | Types of door hinges |
| Astragal on a pair | Pemko marks its fire rated, listed products with a symbol for UL 10B and UL 10C, and its split astragals carry it. | ADA threshold height, door bottoms, seals and astragals |
Sargent and Accentra both warn that field changes to a fire-rated opening can affect its rating (next section). Nothing on this page is quoted from NFPA 80, the fire door standard. Give the door’s fire rating with your quote request.
We supply listed hardware and confirm in writing the part number and options you have chosen. We are not code consultants; your Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) makes the final call.
Panic hardware vs fire exit hardware: what changes on a fire-rated door?
Fire exit hardware is panic hardware that also carries a fire listing, and it cannot be dogged with a key: Sargent and Accentra offer hex key or cylinder dogging only on devices that are not fire rated. The 2018 IBC called for panic hardware listed to UL 305 and fire exit hardware listed to UL 10C and UL 305 (section 1010.1.10.1).
| Point | Panic hardware | Fire exit hardware |
|---|---|---|
| Listing in the 2018 IBC | UL 305 | UL 10C and UL 305 |
| Maker’s marking | Accentra 2100: Panic Label, UL category FVSR. Sargent: no fire prefix | Accentra 2100F: Fire Label, UL category GXHX. Sargent: the 12- prefix |
| Mechanical dogging | Sargent: hex key standard, 16- for cylinder dogging, LD- for none. Accentra: a quarter-turn dogging key | None: Sargent’s 12- is not available with 16- or HK-; Accentra’s fire bars are non-dogging and its fire devices take a hole plug |
| Holding the latch back for traffic | Dogging, or an electric option | By an electric option: Sargent’s 56- latch retraction “can be dogged continuously on fire-rated devices that are tied into the building’s fire detection system”, and its 58- electric dogging is listed for panic and fire, the latches extending when power is cut |
| Fasteners (Accentra) | Sex nuts and bolts optional | Sex nuts and bolts furnished standard |
| Fire rating in the makers’ charts | None | Sargent on metal doors: 3 hours, single doors up to 4 x 10 ft, pairs up to 8 x 10 ft (1-1/2 hours for a rim pair on the 12-L980 mullion). Accentra 2100F: 3 hours, single 4 x 8 ft, pair 8 x 8 ft with the M200F mullion |
Parts do not cross over: Accentra allows only fire-rated components on fire-rated exit devices, and a component bearing the UL fire mark cannot be supplied separately and keep its rating without re-certification. Both makers warn that field changes to a fire-rated opening can affect its rating. See fire exit hardware and the Accentra 2100 rim exit device (2100 panic, 2100F fire).
We supply listed hardware and confirm in writing the part number and options you have chosen. We are not code consultants; your Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) makes the final call.
What are the types of panic bars?
There are four types of panic bar, named for how they latch: a rim device latches at one point into a strike on the frame, a mortise device works a lock case in the door edge, and surface and concealed vertical rod devices latch top and bottom, with the rods on the door face or inside the door. Sargent also makes a center and top latching variant.
| Type | Where it latches | Doors | Sargent 80 Series |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rim exit devices | One point: a rim latch into a strike on the face of the frame | Single doors; pairs with a mullion | 8800, stiles of 4-1/2 in or more; 8500 narrow design, stiles down to 2 in without trim, such as aluminum full glass doors. Also the Accentra 2100 |
| Mortise exit devices | One point: a guarded latch in a mortise lock case | Single doors; a pair, with a vertical rod device on the other leaf | 8900; 8300 narrow design |
| Surface vertical rod | Top and bottom, rods on the door face | Single doors and pairs | 8700; the NB8700 latches at the top only, with no bottom strike to trip on |
| Concealed vertical rod | Top and bottom, rods inside the door; NB- leaves out the bottom rod | Single doors and pairs | MD8600 for metal, AD8600 for aluminum, WD8600 for wood doors; MD8400 and AD8400 narrow designs |
| Center and top latching | A stainless steel center bolt and a concealed top bolt, no bottom rod | LS8600 single doors; LP8600 and LR8600 pairs | Factory prepped 1-3/4 in metal doors only |
Both rod types are on surface and concealed vertical rod, and the mullions rim pairs need are under alarmed exits, trim and mullions. Length follows the door width: Sargent’s rails come in E (24 to 32 in doors), F (33 to 36), J (37 to 42) and G (43 to 48), cut at the factory when the width is given; the LS, LP and LR8600 fit only 36, 42, 44, 46 or 48 in doors.
How high is a panic bar mounted, and how hard can it be to push?
The 2021 IBC puts door handles, pulls, latches, locks and other operating devices 34 to 48 inches above the finished floor (section 1010.2.3) and caps the force to unlatch push or pull hardware at 15 pounds (section 1010.1.3). The makers’ standard heights sit inside that band: 41 in to the centerline on Sargent’s 80 Series, 39-15/16 in on the Accentra 2100.
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Operating device height | 34 to 48 in above the finished floor | 2021 IBC 1010.2.3 |
| Sargent 80 Series centerline | 41 in (1041 mm); 38 in (965 mm) for elementary schools on the 8900 and MD8600 | Sargent catalog |
| Accentra 2100 centerline | 39-15/16 in (1014 mm) above the finished floor | Accentra installation instructions |
| Force to unlatch | 15 lb (67 N) for push or pull hardware; 28 inch-pounds (315 N-cm) for rotating hardware | 2021 IBC 1010.1.3; 2018 IBC 1010.1.10.1 for panic hardware |
| Force to open | 5 lb (22 N) on manually operated interior swinging egress doors that are not fire rated; otherwise 30 lb (133 N) to set the door in motion and 15 lb (67 N) to open it fully | 2021 IBC 1010.1.3 |
| Motions to unlatch | One, in a single linear or rotational direction, releasing all latching and all locking devices; the section lists exceptions | 2021 IBC 1010.2.1 |
| Push bar length | Actuating portion at least half the width of the door leaf | 2018 IBC 1010.1.10.1 (1010.2.9.3 in 2021, 1010.2.8.3 in 2024) |
| Balanced doors | Push-pad type, the pad no more than half the door width from the latch side | 2018 IBC 1010.1.10.2 (1010.2.9.4 in 2021, 1010.2.8.4 in 2024) |
Minnesota’s Department of Labor and Industry lists both 2018 sections as renumbered, with non-substantial or editorial changes only. Sargent offers a 5 lb pressure release (option 5CH-) on its 8800, 8500, 8600 and 8400 devices. On an accessible route, the 2010 ADA Standards also limit the force to work door hardware to 5 pounds (sections 404.2.7 and 309.4); see ADA door requirements.
We supply listed hardware and confirm in writing the part number and options you have chosen. We are not code consultants; your Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) makes the final call.
Which outside trim does an exit device need?
Pick the outside trim by what someone outside must be able to do: nothing (exit only, ANSI function 01), use a pull or dummy lever that does not work the latch (02), retract the latch with a key (night latch, 03), use a lever a key locks and unlocks (08), unlock the lever with a key and have it relock when the key is removed (storeroom, 09), or use a lever that always works (passage, 14). Sargent and Accentra print these ANSI numbers beside their own.
| ANSI | What the outside does | Sargent 8800 | Accentra 2100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Nothing: exit only | Function 10 | 620F blank plate, or no trim |
| 02 | Pull or dummy lever; the latch is not worked | 10 with pull-only trim, or 40 | 214F pull plate; 629F rigid dummy lever |
| 03 | Night latch: a key retracts the latch | 04 | 213F or 217F pull; 621F or 627F lever |
| 08 | Classroom: a key locks and unlocks the lever | 13 | 626F |
| 09 | Storeroom: a key unlocks the lever, which relocks when the key is removed | 06 | 626F, modified at installation |
| 14 | Passage: the lever always works | 15 | 628F |
Trim is ordered by the door’s hand (both makers’ examples show RHR): see the door handing chart. Sargent’s electrified trim comes fail safe, lever unlocked with the power off (73), or fail secure, lever locked (74), at 12 or 24 V DC: see fail safe vs fail secure.
What do we confirm before it ships?
Before anything ships we confirm in writing: hand, device type, device length against the actual door width, fire rating, trim, and the cylinder keyway if it must match existing keys.
Every figure in this guide comes from the documents listed below: manufacturers' catalogs, templates and installation instructions, standards bodies' summaries, and the published code text with its official guides. We supply listed hardware and confirm in writing the part number and options you have chosen. We are not code consultants; your Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) makes the final call.
Sources
The numbers and code sections on this page come from these documents, opened on the check dates shown above.
- International Code Council, 2021 IBC egress code change monograph: proposals E6-21, E11-21, E15-21, E41-21, E42-21, E44-21, E48-21 and E51-21 reprint IBC 2021 sections 1004.5, 1004.9, 1006.2.2.2, 1010.1.3, 1010.2.1, 1010.2.3, 1010.2.4, 1010.2.9 and 1010.2.13
- International Code Council, 2024 IBC egress code change monograph: proposals E7-24, E50-24 and E58-24 reprint IBC 2024 Table 1004.5 and sections 1010.2.4 and 1010.2.8
- International Code Council, BCAC proposal reprinting IBC 2018 sections 1010.1.10, 1010.1.10.1 and 1010.1.10.2
- BHMA, Codes in Context: doors with panic hardware (Summer 2024)
- Sargent 80 Series exit device catalog (07/26): UL fire door ratings, device specifications, functions and trims, options
- Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, TAG review worksheet: new changes in the 2024 International Code, chapters 7 to 10 (section numbers across the 2018-based Minnesota code, the 2021 IBC and the 2024 IBC)
- ASSA ABLOY ACCENTRA 2100 Series Economy Exit Devices catalog (42135-07/26, AADSS1010937)
- ASSA ABLOY ACCENTRA 2100(F), 2150(F) and 1800(F) installation instructions (80-9421-0000-000, 04/24, AADSS1015007)
- ASSA ABLOY ACCENTRA 2100 Series Economy Exit Device parts manual (42110-08/24, AADSS1015010)
- International Code Council, 2024 Group B Committee Action Hearings, proposal FS65-24, reprinting 2024 IBC section 716.2.6.1 (copy hosted by I Dig Hardware)
- BHMA, ANSI/BHMA A156.4-2019 Door Controls, Closers: scope, sections 1.1 to 1.3 (News from BHMA, 1 April 2019)
- BHMA, Hardware Highlights: ANSI/BHMA A156.2-2022, Bored and Preassembled Locks and Latches
- Norton Rixson Surface Closers catalog: 8000 Series certifications, page 88, and hold open note, page 90 (43506-07/26, AADSS1193131)
- dormakaba 1800 Series holder/release device with integral door closer, brochure (DHW_1742_BR_EN)
- BEST 9K Series Heavy Duty Cylindrical Locks, Levers catalog, certifications, page 2 (BA-0003, 03/24)
- Alarm Lock Trilogy T2 DL2700 spec sheet (ALA129K, 2025.11)
- HES 1006 Series product page, fire rating (read 18 October 2026)
- HES 1500 Series product page, fire rating (read 18 October 2026)
- HES 1600 Series product page, fire rating (read 18 October 2026)
- HES 9600 Series catalog page (AADSS1203093, updated 6/11/2025)
- UL certificate of compliance R-R13976, Securitron M32 and M62 auxiliary locks (AADSS1216834, 2022-11-28)
- Hager Companies, Commercial Hinges catalog, 2024 edition, pages 4 and 10 (Catalog-CommercialHinges-2024-v04)
- Norton Rixson, Pivots and Pivot Sets catalog (44041-10/19), page 6, fire rated pivots
- Markar and Pemko catalog, ASSA ABLOY (AADSS1015059): fire rated symbol, page 14; split astragals, page 154
Related buying guides
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You do not need a part number. Send a photo of the hardware and the door it sits on, plus the ship-to ZIP code, and we will identify it and quote it within one business day.