Door Knobs for Interior & Exterior Doors

Door Knobs for Interior Rooms, Entry Doors, and Commercial Openings

Door knobs are operating and decorative door hardware used across bedrooms, bathrooms, hallways, closets, offices, entry doors, service doors, and other residential or commercial openings. Individual knobsets differ by locking function, latch operation, trim design, knob shape, door preparation, grade, material, and finish family.

Keyed entry door knobs combine an operating latch with keyed locking from the exterior side of the door. They appear on exterior entries, offices, utility spaces, and other openings where keyed access is part of the lock function. Depending on the lock design, the interior side uses a button, turn control, or other locking arrangement associated with the individual knobset.

Privacy door knobs provide temporary locking for bedrooms, bathrooms, powder rooms, and similar interior spaces. They normally operate without a keyed cylinder for everyday access and use an interior locking control together with an exterior emergency-release provision appropriate to the individual lock design.

Passage door knobs operate a latch without a locking function. They are used on hallways, closets, pantries, interior rooms, and other openings where the door needs to latch and operate without privacy or keyed locking. Passage hardware can also appear on exterior doors when a separate deadbolt provides the locking function.

Dummy door knobs are fixed, non-turning trim without an operating latch. They appear on closet doors, pantry doors, French doors, inactive leaves of double doors, and other pull-only openings. The relationship between privacy, passage, and dummy hardware is described further in the Privacy vs. Passage vs. Dummy Door Hardware guide.

Commercial door knobs include lock functions associated with offices, classrooms, storerooms, entry doors, corridors, and other commercial openings. Commercial knobsets can differ from residential hardware in grade, cylinder format, keyway, latch configuration, trim construction, and the specific operating function of the lock.

Interior and exterior door knob classifications describe where the hardware is used rather than defining a single lock function. Interior door knobs can include privacy, passage, dummy, and selected keyed configurations. Exterior door knobs commonly include keyed entry hardware and can also include non-locking hardware when a separate deadbolt provides the locking function.

Door knob designs include round, ball, egg, oval, mushroom, and other profiles with decorative or commercial-style roses and trim. These configurations span traditional, transitional, contemporary, utility-oriented, and commercial door hardware across residential and commercial applications.

Door Knob FAQs

What types of door knobs are available?

Door knobs are commonly available in keyed entry, privacy, passage, dummy, and commercial functions. For a specific room or opening, choose the function first, then compare latch and backset, door thickness, knob and rosette size, grade, keyway when applicable, and finish.

How do I choose a replacement door knob?

Match the existing lock function and door preparation. Check the backset, cross-bore and edge-bore dimensions, latch faceplate or drive-in preparation, door thickness, strike, rosette diameter, and any keyway or cylinder requirements. Matching these details can reduce extra drilling or patching during replacement.

What is the difference between passage, privacy, and keyed door knobs?

Passage knobs operate a latch without locking, privacy knobs add an interior locking control for bedrooms and bathrooms, and keyed entry knobs add keyed access for exterior doors, offices, storage rooms, and other controlled openings. Dummy knobs are fixed trim without an operating latch.

Can door knobs be used with a separate deadbolt?

Yes. A passage or keyed knob may be paired with a separate deadbolt when the opening requires an additional locking point. Verify the door preparation and spacing between the knob and deadbolt before ordering.

Need a latch, cylinder, trim piece, screw, spring, strike, or other repair component? Browse our door knob, door handle, and lock parts collection for replacement hardware.