European Hinges by Brendan Mathews

Making Sense of European Hinges

by Brendan Mathews

Foothill CabinetWorks
2520 Foothill Drive
Vista, CA 92084
Phone: 760-941-7139
Fax: 760-941-7139
bmathews4@cox.net

The advent of frameless cabinetry brought with it several extremely important innovations in functional hardware. The modern hidden hinge was first developed in Europe and is currently manufactured by several different companies. Although each hardware company may have their own unique features, they are all designed to function within a certain set of standards, which is determined by the “system holes” that are used to attach hardware to cabinets.

There are two components to the “Euro” hinge. The actual hinge attaches to the cabinet door, while the hinge plate attaches to the cabinet side. Depending on the particular application, there are several combinations of hinges and hinge plates to provide the appropriate “overlay” and “swing”. There are very specific instructions for the machining of hinge mortises and “system holes” to facilitate the correct alignment of hinge hardware. These specifications will be covered later in this article.
	Even though most of the modern hardware is designed for use in frameless cabinetry, all of the manufacturers have created hinge mounting plates to allow traditional box builders to take advantage of the new technology. This allows us the option of choosing the style of construction that is appropriate for the type of project that we are building, while maintaining the flexibility and convenience of the latest technology.

Hinge manufacturers have adopted certain standard dimensions on the ever-increasing variety of options available. Primarily, hinge cup mortises are 35mm in diameter, hinge plate attachment screws are 32mm apart, and system holes to accommodate placement of hinge plates are set back 37mm from the front edge of the cabinet. Other aspects of each manufacturer’s hinge may have slight variations in their machining specifications, thus creating a need for a very specific setup to accomplish the hinge mortising operation. All of the companies have developed hinge boring and insertion machines to accommodate their own line of hardware. Once a particular machine is purchased, you will be committed to utilizing that brand of hardware. Since nearly all of the companies have developed a comparable line of hinge applications, this does not normally present a problem. The main issues in selecting a particular brand should be related to availability, customer service, product reliability, and price. Since I am most familiar with Blum’s line of hinge hardware, I will refer to specific details of their product, when discussing options and specifications.

Blum has 4 categories of concealed hinges in their product line that vary in price and features.

The Blum “Compact” hinges are designed as an entry level hinge that can be used only on face frame style cabinetry. The shortened hinge arm can be an advantage, in certain circumstances. They can either be mounted to the front or edge of the face frame, using different hinge plates, and they can provide a varying amount of door overlay.

The “Modul” line of hinges is the lowest price hinge with a full hinge arm. They come in a variety of configurations, to provide for most applications. They may not include some of the latest features, which allow for tool less insertion and easy adjustment.

The “Clip and Clip top” series provide for easy attachment and removal of doors, as well as easy adjustment features.

The Clip top Inserta hinges are the premier series, which incorporate the features of the “Clip top”, as well as a special tool-less hinge insertion feature.

In order to determine the appropriate combination of hinge and hinge plate, it is important to have access to a specifications manual, which will provide the necessary information. Each hinge application will be defined and the specific machining requirements will be listed in a series of tables printed on the spec chart.

It is important to understand the use of the charts and information provided. All measurements are indicated in millimeters. Abbreviations are defined, as follows:

“OL”- overlay, the amount the door overhangs the front edge of the cabinet.

“B”- the distance from the edge of the hinge cup mortise to the edge of the door.

“H”- the height of the hinge plate. Hinge plates usually come designated as 0, 3, 6, or 9; corresponding to their heights.

“R”- indicates the reveal desired, either from the edge of the cabinet or the door directly adjacent to the hinge side of the door.

“S”- The maximum intrusion of the hinge into the cabinet.

“W”- Side panel width/ thickness.

“P”- Door protrusion at maximum opening.

“X”- fixed cup distance.

Special hinges are also available, to provide for a wide variety of applications.

The following is a brief description of some of the hinge varieties available:

Blum 120 series - This is the most widely used hinge which works for most standard applications.
Blum 170 Series - This is used when a wide swing door is needed, as in lazy susan cabinets.
Blum Diagonal Series- This provides a range of different angled hinges for angle cabinets.
Blind Corner Hinge- This is used for extended end cabinets, where the hinge arm will be mounted parallel to the door.
Blum Bi-fold hinge- This is used in conjunction with a 170 for double door applications, like a lazy susan.
Blum Mini hinge - This hinge has a smaller diameter hinge cup ( 26mm) for doors with narrow stiles.
Blum Glass Door Hinge- For mounting hinges directly on glass doors. Glass should be bored by specialist.
Blum 165 degree Zero Protrusion Hinge- This hinge will keep the edge of the door completely clear of side of the cabinet or the edge of the face frame, when open to 90 degrees. Typically used when maximizing interior space for slideout trays.
Half Cranked Hinges- Available when inset doors or back to back hinges are required. Usually combined with hinge plates higher than normal.