What Goes Wrong With Hollow Metal Doors?
Hollow metal is tough, but only when it is specified for the job. An 18-gauge interior door used on a loading area dents in the first month. An uninsulated door on a heated warehouse sweats and frosts. A prime-coat door on an exterior wall rusts from the bottom rail up within a few winters. And a frame without proper anchors twists the first time a pallet jack clips it.
The other common failure is hardware prep. When doors are ordered without the right hinge reinforcement or strike prep, the hardware installer drills and patches on site, and those patches are where doors start to fail.
What Is Included in Hollow Metal Door Installation?
A hollow metal package is a steel door and steel frame installed together with the hardware set. As a commercial door contractor in Toronto, we specify each opening separately because a warehouse exterior door and an office corridor door have very different jobs.
The written CAD spec lists, per opening:
- Door gauge: 16-gauge galvannealed or 18-gauge cold-rolled steel
- Core: polystyrene, polyurethane or steel-stiffened
- Finish: galvanized or prime-coat
- Frame: welded masonry frame or knockdown drywall frame, with anchor type
- Preps: hinge reinforcement, lock and ASA strike prep, closer reinforcement
- Options: vision lite, louvre, kick plate, rated label
- Hardware set and weatherstrip for exterior doors
Doors and frames follow ANSI/SDI A250.8 and Steel Door Institute guidance. Technician confirms specs and price at your free on-site measure.
Types of Hollow Metal Openings We Install
Exterior man-doors
Galvanized, insulated, with drip caps, sweeps, thresholds and closers. Typical on warehouses, plants and plaza service corridors.
Interior corridor and office doors
18-gauge doors in knockdown frames with lever sets and closers, often with vision lites.
High-abuse openings
Steel-stiffened cores, heavy hinges and kick plates for schools, gyms, loading areas and service corridors.
Rated openings
Labelled hollow metal doors and frames for stairs and service rooms. Our fire-rated door installation service covers these in full.
How Much Do Hollow Metal Doors Cost in Toronto?
| Opening | Typical range | Main cost drivers |
|---|---|---|
| Interior 18-ga door, knockdown frame | $1,800-$2,800 | Lock function, vision lite |
| Exterior 16-ga insulated, welded frame | $2,800-$4,500 | Core, weatherstrip, closer |
| Exterior with exit device and closer | $3,800-$5,800 | Device, reinforcement, rating |
Multi-door and multi-site programs price lower per opening.
When Do You Need New Hollow Metal Doors?
- New construction or additions with steel openings in the schedule
- Warehouses and plants where old doors and frames are rusted or bent
- Change of use where insulation, security or rating needs have changed
- Standardizing doors and hardware across a portfolio of buildings
If the frame is fine and only the leaf is worn, a direct steel door swap is faster.
Hollow Metal vs Aluminum vs Wood
Hollow metal is the default for back-of-house, exterior service doors, stairs and anywhere durability or rating matters. Aluminum suits glass entrances and storefronts. Wood suits office interiors where appearance matters and abuse is low. Many buildings use all three, and the Division 8 schedule decides which goes where.
Codes and Standards
Doors and frames follow ANSI/SDI A250.8 and Steel Door Institute guidance. Rated openings meet NFPA 80 and CAN/ULC-S104, exits meet OBC egress, and hardware is ANSI/BHMA Grade 1.