How to write a door closer specification clause
Covers DC 2000 and FS 3000
A clause that names only a model number is easy to substitute and hard to check. These are the fields that make it enforceable, with a worked clause for a door closer and one for a floor spring.
- Written by
- Sterling
- Published
- Updated
A door closer specification clause has to work for three readers who never speak to each other: the estimator who prices it, the supplier who has to match it, and whoever checks the delivered unit against it on site. A line reading "door closer, EN 3, ISI marked" fails all three, because many products satisfy it and none can be verified against it. Below are the fields a clause needs and two worked clauses.
The guide assumes the door is already measured and sized. If not, start with the five measurements a closer specification needs and how EN power sizes map to door width and mass.
What a clause has to do
Treat each line as a test someone will run. The estimator tests it against a quotation, so it needs a model, a finish and an order code. The supplier tests it for substitution, so every limit must be explicit, not implied by the model number. The site team tests it against the product label and the papers in the box, so the standard, licence number and cycle figure must be the ones published for that model. A line none of them can test is description, not specification.
Two rules follow. Write performance first and the model second, so that "or approved equivalent" has something to be equivalent to. And never carry a figure from the range onto a model: certification, cycle rating and hold-open are published per model.
The fields
| Field | What to write |
|---|---|
| Door limits | Maximum door mass (kg), leaf width (mm), door height (mm) where published, door material, minimum leaf thickness for concealed models |
| Closing force | EN band as an adjustable range, written "EN 3-4", and how it is set; Sterling floor springs have no published EN rating, so write the rated mass range |
| Standard and licence | The Indian Standard and BIS licence number published for that model; CE marking where published |
| Cycle rating | The figure published for that model, in the manufacturer's wording |
| Mounting | Surface (on-door or on-frame), concealed, or floor-recessed; arm type; handing |
| Speed control | Two-speed control for closing and latching; front control adjustment where the model has it |
| Hold-open | Required or not, and the degree range if published for that model; on fire doors, as the fire consultant directs |
| Finish and body | Housing material, finish and colour, body dimensions, order code |
Fields that change per model
Standard and licence. All eight Sterling door closers are ISI marked to IS 3564:1995 under BIS licence CM/L 7700126309: the DC 1500, DC 1800 LA, DC 1820, DC 2000, DC 2600, DC 2700, DC 2800 and DC 2900. Five of those are also CE marked: the DC 1800 LA, DC 1820, DC 2000, DC 2600 and DC 2900. The concealed DC 2700 and DC 2800 are not published with CE marking, so a clause that demands CE marking and names either of them contradicts itself. The FS 1000 and FS 3000 floor springs are BIS certified under a separate licence, CM/L 7700249814, with no Indian Standard number published: write the licence number, ask the manufacturer which standard it is issued against, and do not write IS 3564, which is the door closer standard. What the ISI mark certifies is covered in the guide to ISI marking and IS 3564.
Cycle rating. The company-level figure is "tested up to 5,00,000 cycles in a government-approved lab", and the "up to" matters. Per model: 5,00,000 for the DC 2000, DC 2600, DC 2900, FS 1000 and FS 3000; 4,00,000 for the DC 1800 LA, DC 1820 and DC 2800; 3,00,000 for the DC 2700; no published figure for the DC 1500. Write the model's own figure, or nothing.
Hold-open. The DC 2600 holds from 10 to 90 degrees. Both floor springs hold at 90 degrees. The DC 1820 is a hold-open pelmet arm model with no printed range, so write "hold-open pelmet arm" and no figure. Where hold-open is not wanted, say so: the DC 2000 and DC 2600 have the same published door limits, EN range and body dimensions, but only the DC 2600 holds open.
Door limits. Mass, width and, where published, height are ceilings the door must sit under. The DC 2000, DC 2600 and both floor springs are published for doors up to 2100 mm high; where no height is published, write none. Floor springs also have a lower limit: the FS 3000 is rated for 90 to 120 kg and the FS 1000 for 60 to 80 kg. Concealed models need a minimum leaf thickness (32 mm for the DC 2700, 38 mm for the DC 2800) and are published for wooden doors only.
Worked clause: surface-mounted closer, Sterling DC 2000
| Field | Clause |
|---|---|
| Product | Surface-mounted overhead door closer, rack and pinion |
| Basis of design | Sterling DC 2000 LA by MM Efficient Gadget LLP, BIS licence CM/L 7700126309; order code DC-2000-LA-PU SR (silver) or DC-2000-LA-PU BLK (black), the two codes the brochure prints; for brown, gold or rose gold, confirm the order code with Sterling; body L202 x W40 x H55 mm. Approved equivalents must meet every other line |
| Door limits | Wooden or aluminium door leaf up to 80 kg, up to 1100 mm wide and up to 2100 mm high |
| Closing force | EN 3-4, set by adjustable lever arm |
| Standard and licence | ISI marked to IS 3564:1995; CE marked. Copy of the BIS licence to be submitted |
| Cycle rating | Tested to 5,00,000 cycles in a government-approved lab |
| Mounting | On-door or on-frame as scheduled; universal mounting for left and right hand doors |
| Speed control | Two-speed control for approach and latching, adjusted from the front of the closer |
| Hold-open | None. Where hold-open is scheduled, specify the DC 2600 HPA, which holds from 10 to 90 degrees |
| Finish and body | Extruded aluminium alloy housing, PU painted; finish as scheduled: silver, black, brown, gold or rose gold |
Worked clause: floor spring, Sterling FS 3000
| Field | Clause |
|---|---|
| Product | Floor-recessed floor spring, cam action body |
| Basis of design | Sterling FS 3000 by MM Efficient Gadget LLP, BIS licence CM/L 7700249814; order code FS3000 - UV - SSM or FS3000 - UV - SSM-WF, variant to be confirmed with the supplier; floor box L275 x W82 x H54 mm; gross weight 3.5 kg. Approved equivalents must meet every other line |
| Door limits | Wooden or glass door leaf from 90 to 120 kg, up to 1100 mm wide and up to 2100 mm high |
| Load setting | Load adjustment from 90 to 120 kg by load adjustment screw; EN size not specified |
| Standard and licence | BIS certified. Copy of the BIS licence to be submitted, stating the Indian Standard it is issued against |
| Cycle rating | Tested to 5,00,000 cycles in a government-approved lab |
| Mounting | Set in a floor box, with left-right, front-back and top-bottom adjustment inside the box; top and bottom pivot accessories for wooden doors where scheduled |
| Speed control | Two-speed control for approach and latching |
| Hold-open and action | Built-in hold-open at 90 degrees; double action to prevent door and wall damage |
| Finish and body | Aluminium pressure die-cast housing, black powder-coated zinc-plated tin box, stainless steel matt top plate |
What to leave out, and how to check
Prices, lead times and warranty terms belong in the commercial section. Sterling publishes none of them and quotes against a door schedule, so ask for all three in writing with the quotation; preparing a door schedule for a quote covers what to send. Leave out anything the product page does not say: asking for a feature or mark the model is not published with gets the submittal queried or rejected.
On site, check three places. The label on the body should carry the ISI mark with the Indian Standard and CM/L number alongside it, where the clause named them. The supplier's papers should include the BIS licence and, if asked for, the cycle test report. And the door should sit within the written limits, whichever model turned up. Each product page lists that model's limits, markings and cycle figure; the Sterling door closer range and floor spring range pages compare limits and dimensions across models.
Questions
Can one clause cover every door on the project?
Only if every door sits within the same limits. Group the doors by mass, width and mounting and write one clause per group. The Sterling surface-mounted range runs from EN 1-2 on the DC 1500 to EN 4-5 on the DC 2900, and no single model covers that span.
What if the project requires ISI marking on every door?
Specify from the eight door closers, all published with it, which between them cover doors up to 100 kg and 1100 mm. The FS 3000 floor spring is BIS certified under its own licence, not IS 3564, so where a door needs a floor spring, agree with the specifier before tender whether that licence is acceptable.
Do Sterling floor springs need an EN size in the clause?
No EN rating is published for them, so writing one invents a figure. Specify the rated mass range, width and height limits, hold-open point, double action, BIS licence number and cycle figure, as in the FS 3000 clause above.
