Center Hinge

A center hinge is a flat steel hinge that bolts to the center stile (the vertical member at mid-section) of a garage door panel at the joint between two sections. As the door travels through the curved track, adjacent sections must bend relative to each other. The center hinge is the pivot point at the middle of that joint.

Amarr defines center hinges as "flat hinge located on all intermediate stiles to allow for section break as door operates." Raynor adds that the center hinge "is generally located on the intermediate stiles to allow sections to pivot as door opens."

How center hinges differ from edge hinges:

Edge hinges (also called roller hinges) mount at the left and right ends of each section joint. They carry the door roller on a stem and are numbered from the bottom up (No. 1 hinge between the bottom and second section, No. 2 between the second and third, and so on). Center hinges do not carry rollers. They provide the pivot connection only.

A standard 9-foot wide residential door has one center hinge on the center stile at each section joint. A wider two-car door may have two center hinges per joint, one on each intermediate stile between the edge hinges, to keep the section from bowing at mid-span.

For example, a four-section 16-foot door with sections 21 inches tall has three joints. Each joint carries two edge hinges with rollers plus one or two center hinges. That is 9-11 hinges total on the interior face of the door.

Center hinges are made in different gauges: 14-gauge steel for heavier or commercial doors, 16-gauge for most residential doors. A bent or cracked center hinge is usually visible as a joint that does not fold cleanly, causing the door to bind in the track near the curve.

The center hinge connects to the door section and door stile and is part of the overall hinge system that allows a sectional door to bend through the horizontal radius.