13 Types of Door Latches and How They Work

Doors date back to 3000 BC when Ancient Egyptians had the idea of doors to the afterlife where they were part of tomb paintings. The earliest doors were made by Europeans and Chinese with doors in Europe being made of wood while those in China were made of stone.

In the region that belongs to modern-day Iraq, there were also doors found from stone. Today doors are primarily made from metal and wood but you can also find PVC doors and stone ones. But it's not just doors that have progressed over time, one simple part that makes them work as they should has as well while they also come in different designs.

Types of Latches

Compression

A compression latch is made of a cam lever and body that together helps prevent vibrations and rattling. Moisture and dust also can't enter because of the design of the latch. You should buy a compression latch if you want to reduce any damage to the door and reduce maintenance costs. Also, compression latches have a long lifespan because of their design.

Twin Roller

Twin roller latches for sale are made up of two small cylinders that roll thanks to a tapered metal plate that slides between them separating them. When separated the cylinders help hold the plate in place. You'll know when a door has a twin roller latch as there's going to be some resistance when opening it.

Night

With a night latch, you can just leave your door and it will lock on its own. These latches are therefore installed in the door's face and it thus can be used with a 5-lever deadlock to make the door is installed on even more secure. But night latches still don't make for the most secure doors.

Magnetic

Many times more secure than night latches, magnetic ones don't have any moving parts and that's why they are also more reliable. Magnetic latches rely on the power of electromagnetism as two magnets are placed, one in the frame and one in the actual door. When the magnets are close to each other they close the door hence why most modern doors come with magnetic latches since they make for a more seamless solution.

Tubular

Tubular latches come made of a bolt attached to the door and a striker plate attached to the frame. This is quite a common solution as a tubular latch is used with cylindrical knob holes that can be used both with or without a key.

Spring

If you want to buy a latch that has both a simple and well-known mechanism inside it then a spring latch is the way to go. Spring latches are made of a bolt and a spring with the bold going through the plate and the spring then helps it keep it into position until you open or close the door. Once closed or open the spring brings back the bolt into position.

Cabin Hook

Much simpler than spring latches but not as secure a cabin hook latch relies on a metal hook that attaches to the end of a looped keep plate. Cabin hook latches are able to keep a door closed or open but they don't allow you to lock which is why they are often found on gates too.

Deadbolt

With a deadbolt latch, you have a solid bolt that moves in and out of the strike plate which is placed in the door frame. When used together with a night latch or tubular latch a deadbolt acts as an additional locking point, However, on its own, it's not as secure.

Sliding Bolt

A sliding bolt latch mounts on the door's surface and has a bolt that slides into a hole or slot instead of a strike plate. The bolt performs the movement in a track and a lever or handle is what helps move the bolt in and out. Again, like spring latches, sliding bolt latches are rather simple but not the most secure.

Chain

Although a more rudimentary solution than most latches, a chain latch only keeps a door closed. There's a strike plate on the door itself and a chain on the frame which tightens when you have the door closed and thus keeps it there until you open it.

Roller Bolt

With roller bolt latches for sale you have something similar to a sliding bolt latch. Instead of the bolt sliding though, the bolt rides the track it's on. This way you can have the door closed and the bolt will get pulled in the frame and it will prevent you from opening the door from the outside.

Loft

A loft latch is made to be used on a loft hatch. This is where you push up the hatch and the latch releases it from its closed position which is what allows it to be opened. For the hatch to the n be closed you need to push up once again so that the latch engages.

Rim Flat

A rim flat latch is one that is installed on the door's surface. It's made of a bolt and a strike plate which seems like it's like any other latch. However, a rim flat latch is more secure than most other latches.