Ironmonger home introduces coordinated European lines to North American jobs. This page collects the questions our Chicago team asks before a suite of levers, pivots, or bath fittings gets locked into a schedule. Use it as a working draft while you compare Brands & Products listings against your door shop details.

1. Confirm handing and door type first

European roses and escutcheons assume a door thickness and bevel direction. Note whether each opening is single-acting, double-acting, or a pair with an astragal. Call out handing with the same terms your hollow metal vendor uses so lever returns, flush bolts, and panic devices do not fight each other in the same prep.

2. Map preps to ANSI steel and wood cores

Mortise lock cases, concealed closers, and pivot reinforcements need blocking that matches the template in the manufacturer PDF. If you are mixing a European mortise with a domestic exit device, mark which elevation carries the strike and where the coordinator mounts. Early markups prevent field welds that void fire ratings.

3. Pivots and oversized leaves

For tall doors, verify floor spring or pivot load charts against leaf weight and width. TECTUS-style hinges and FritsJurgens pivots each want different edge routs. Keep the spec paragraph next to the hardware group so bidders cannot swap brands without noticing the prep change.

4. Finishes and BHMA vocabulary

Match satin stainless, PVD brass, or dark oxide names to the finish code on the price list, not only the render swatch. When you need a written warranty statement, pull the current PDF from Technical Information rather than recycling an older submittal package.

5. Samples, shop drawings, and ordering

Loan samples ship with paperwork that ties them back to your project number. After selections firm up, ask for schedule support through Services so quotes hit every bidder with the same counts. Questions on lead times or substitutions go fastest through Contact Us with drawings attached.

When you specify the hardware, specify the source you want backing the order. The Ironmonger home page links back to showroom hours and mailing list updates whenever you need a quick refresher.