Lock and Security Equipment (C-28) · Lesson 1 of 7

Panic and Fire Exit Hardware: Where It Is Required and How to Size It

"Panic and Fire Exit Hardware: Where It Is Required and How to Size It" is lesson 1 of 7 in the Lock and Security Equipment (C-28) Learning Hub. It opens with "When Panic Hardware Is Mandatory" and works through 5 short steps, then a worked example you can check yourself against.

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Steps in this lesson

  1. When Panic Hardware Is Mandatory
  2. Special Rooms That Force Panic Hardware
  3. Listing, Width of the Bar, and Force
  4. Balanced Doors and Mounting Height
  5. What Cal/OSHA Adds for Workplaces

The worked example in the course applies this lesson to a realistic job in 5 steps, from "Decide whether panic hardware is required" through "Check the mounting height".

What you'll be able to do

  • Explain the main idea of "Panic and Fire Exit Hardware: Where It Is Required and How to Size It" in plain language you can use on the exam.
  • Apply this step with confidence: "Listing, Width of the Bar, and Force".
  • Apply this step with confidence: "Balanced Doors and Mounting Height".
  • Apply this step with confidence: "What Cal/OSHA Adds for Workplaces".
  • Test yourself on the worked example and the quick-check quiz inside the classroom.
Panic Hardware: Sizing the Actuating BarDOOR LEAF, FACE VIEW24 in barmin 18 in40 in above floor(34 to 48 in allowed)36 in leaf widthActuating portion24 in installedSIZE THE EXIT DEVICE (36 in leaf)Minimum actuating portion= 36 in / 2 = 18 inProposed device: 16 in16 < 18 FAILReplacement device: 24 in24 ≥ 18 PASSUnlatching force: 12 lb12 ≤ 15 lb PASSMounting height: 40 in34 to 48 in PASSPanic hardware listed to UL 305Fire exit hardware listed to UL 10C and UL 305Door must swing in the direction of egressSwitchgear room: 1,200 A (800 A or more), door 22 ft from working space (under 25 ft)No latch or lock other than panic hardware or fire exit hardwareRequired device: 18 in minimum | 24-in device passes2025 CBC 1010.2.8, 1010.2.8.2, 1010.2.8.3 and 1010.2.3 (CFC Ch. 10 reprints the same text)CC
The diagram for this lesson, exactly as it appears in the Learning Hub.

The first steps of this lesson

Step 1: When Panic Hardware Is Mandatory

2025 CBC §1010.2.8 says swinging doors serving a Group H occupancy, and swinging doors serving rooms or spaces with an occupant load of 50 or more in a Group A or E occupancy (the section also names assembly areas not classified as assembly occupancies, and I-2 occupancies), shall not be provided with a latch or lock other than panic hardware or fire exit hardware. That is a prohibition on every other kind of latch, not just a requirement to add a bar. The section lists exceptions, for example a main exit of a Group A occupancy may use a key-operated locking device under §1010.2.4, Item 3, and Group A or E doors with panic hardware may be electrically locked under §1010.2.10.

Step 2: Special Rooms That Force Panic Hardware

Two room types are named in the CBC. §1010.2.8.1: a refrigeration machinery room larger than 1,000 square feet needs at least two exit or exit access doorways that swing in the direction of egress travel and have panic hardware or fire exit hardware. §1010.2.8.2: exit or exit access doors serving transformer vaults, battery or energy storage rooms and modular data centers need panic hardware or fire exit hardware, and so do rooms with 800 amperes or more of overcurrent, switching or control equipment where the door is less than 25 feet from the equipment working space. Those doors must swing in the direction of egress travel.

The remaining 3 steps, the worked example and the quiz are in the course. This is a preview. The full lesson, with the step-by-step explanations, a worked example and a quick-check quiz, is inside the classroom.

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