Mortise Bolt Sets

Mortise bolt sets: a flush lock cut into cabinet hardware and doors

A mortise bolt disappears into a pocket routed along the door's edge, leaving only a strike plate and turn piece visible on the face, unlike a barrel bolt, which mounts entirely on the door's outer surface. The Round Metro Mortise Bolt and Rectangular Mortise Bolt anchor this group, alongside sized options like the Metro Mortise Bolt at 2 1/4" x 3 1/4" and a slightly larger 2 1/2" x 3 1/4" version. A Square Metro variant swaps the round plate for square corners, and the plain Round Mortise Door Bolt keeps things simplest of all, no backplate ornamentation, just a functional turn piece.

What a mortise bolt is actually for

French doors and double entry doors are the typical setting: one leaf stays fixed while a bolt at its top and bottom gives the active leaf something solid to swing shut against. Recessing the mechanism keeps sleeves and bag straps from catching on it, something a surface-mounted bolt simply can't offer on a door used daily. The tradeoff shows up in labor, since routing a mortise pocket is real carpentry, not a few screws through a bracket. That's why this generally suits new construction or a full hardware replacement, not a quick weekend swap on an existing door.

Picking a plate to match

Ellis and Maddox mortise bolts carry the molded, traditional detailing typical of this entry line, while the Mack Mortise Bolt at 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" and the Briggs variant read noticeably plainer by comparison. Plate sizes cluster around 2 1/4" to 3 1/4". Measure the bolt throw against actual door thickness before cutting anything: a throw sized for a thick door will bind or stick proud on a thinner one, and there's no adjusting it once the pocket has been routed. It helps to confirm the strike location on the frame at the same time, since both cuts need to line up exactly.