Titus
How Titus tests hinge performance – and what that means for your furniture
Every hinge Titus supplies goes through a structured testing programme before it reaches production. That process covers safety, functionality and performance, and the results are what give manufacturers confidence in the components they specify.
What performance testing covers
Performance testing looks at how a hinge behaves under conditions that reflect real use. For cabinet hinges, that means three things:
- Durability – how the hinge holds up over repeated open-and-close cycles. This is a direct measure of long-term reliability, and the one that most directly affects how a product performs over its lifetime. The T-type 110 has been tested to 200,000 cycles, which equates to 25 years of consistent performance on a cabinet door.
- Closing force – the force required to bring a door to close, measured across varying closing speeds. Soft-close consistency is measured directly during this test and the lifespan test, confirming that the T-type’s ConfidentClose action – rapid deceleration and a quiet landing in the final four degrees of closure – performs reliably regardless of how fast the door is pushed.
- Sag – whether the hinge allows the door to drop over time under load. The T-type carries a 25% heavier door than comparable alternatives from a drilling depth of just 11.7mm, and sag testing is part of how that capacity is verified.
How the testing process works
Each product has a Product Specification Sheet, prepared by Titus’s R&D team. This document sets out exactly what acceptable performance looks like, detailing what is and isn’t acceptable for each specific product. It’s approved by the relevant Product Manager before testing begins.
From there, the process runs in three stages:
- Sample preparation – samples are sourced either from the R&D proto shop during development, or pulled directly from the production floor
- Testing – each test is run against the criteria defined in the specification, using specialist equipment in our own in-house lab
- Reporting – results are documented and assessed against the specification before the product is approved
Equipment used for hinge testing
Hinge testing requires specific kit. For the T-type, the testing setup includes:
- A hinge life cycling jig for durability testing
- Calibrated weights for sag testing
- A ruler for measuring sag displacement
- A digital force gauge to record closing force
At Titus, we run this testing at our own lab, used both for new product development and to check consistency across every production batch.
Standards Titus tests against
Titus’s testing criteria draw on two sources: internal engineering knowledge built up over years of product development, and the national and international standards that apply to furniture hardware.
For UK and European supply, products are tested against BS EN 15570, the primary standard for hinge strength, durability and corrosion resistance, and BS 6222, which sets performance requirements for domestic kitchen furniture. For international markets, Titus also tests against the relevant standards for cabinet construction and hardware performance.
What the results mean in practice
T-type hinge key performance figures
- Tested to 200,000 opening and closing cycles (T-type 110)
- Equates to approximately 25 years of everyday use on a cabinet door
- Carries a 25% heavier door than comparable alternatives
- From a drilling depth of just 11.7mm
- Soft-close consistency across varying closing speeds
- Every production batch tested in Titus’s own lab
“The testing process exists to remove uncertainty from the specification decision. When a manufacturer selects a Titus hinge, they’re not relying on a general claim about quality – there’s a documented result behind it.”
– Phil Beddoe, General Manager, Titus UK
For manufacturers producing at volume, a hinge that’s been tested at load, over cycles and against sag, on every production batch, is one that can be specified with confidence.
