HES Electric Strike Comparison: Which Model Fits Your Door

"Which HES strike do I need?" has a knowable answer, and it comes from four questions: what kind of frame is the door in, what lock hardware throws the latch, which fail mode does the opening require, and do you need the strike to report latch status to your access control panel. This guide compares every HES model in our Door Hardware inventory on exactly those axes — using the same verified spec data shown in the "What It Fits" block on each product page.

If fail-safe vs. fail-secure is still fuzzy, read our plain-English guide to fail modes first — it's the one spec you can't get wrong.

The two families

Cavity-mount strikes (1006, 1500, 4500, 5000, 5200) install into the frame, replacing the standard strike plate. They pair with cylindrical and mortise locksets and need a frame you can cut — the classic ANSI 4-7/8-inch prep.

Surface-mount strikes (9400, 9600, 9800) bolt onto the frame with no cutting, and they exist for one job: releasing rim exit devices (panic bars). If your door has a panic bar, skip straight to the 9000-family section. No-cut mounting has a second advantage the manufacturer's own selector guide calls out: concrete-filled frames. A hollow frame cuts easily; a concrete-filled one can turn a cut-in install into a half-day fight. A surface-mount strike sidesteps the problem entirely.

Two more factors worth checking before you order, straight from how the manufacturer teaches strike selection: the health of the opening — a sagging door or twisted frame should be fixed before any strike goes in, because no strike fixes a misaligned latch — and preload, meaning pressure pushing the door against the latch (building HVAC pressure, weatherstripping, a slightly warped door). A strike under preload can fail to release even though it's wired correctly. If your door needs a firm pull to open when unlocked, mention it when you order — it changes the recommendation.

The comparison table

Two things to notice before choosing. First, the 1006 units we stock are configured per SKU — fail-secure or fail-safe is baked into the model you order, not a jumper you flip later. Everything else in the table is field-selectable. Second, voltage matters: the 1006 and the 9000 family are DC only; the 1500/4500/5000/5200 accept AC or DC.

Choose this if — model by model

HES 1006 series — the heavy-duty standard. Grade 1, outdoor rated, windstorm resistant, and fire rated in fail-secure operation, the 1006 is the strike integrators default to when the opening has to take abuse. The 1006CS handles cylindrical and mortise locksets including a deadbolt up to 1 inch; the 1006CLB covers cylindrical/mortise latchbolts. Both are fail-secure. Need fail-safe with latch monitoring — a monitored fire-alarm-release door, for instance — that's exactly what the 1006CLB-F-LBM is.

HES 1500C — the value pick. Low-profile, field-selectable, and Grade 1 with the 1LB faceplate kit included. When the opening is a standard interior door with a cylindrical or mortise latch and no unusual requirements, the 1500C does the job without the 1006's price.

HES 4500C — the fire-rated specialist. UL 10C 3-hour fire rated in fail-secure operation and built for metal frames — including drywall-filled frames, which it's specifically designed to work in. Field-selectable, ships as a Complete Pac with faceplates for both cylindrical and mortise locks. If the opening is rated, start here and confirm the assembly with your AHJ.

HES 5000C / 5200C-LBM — the storefront answer. Both ship with the 501 and 501A faceplates, and the 501A is the one that matters for aluminum storefront doors — the classic glass-and-aluminum commercial entrance. The 5000C fits cylindrical latchbolts from 1/2 to 5/8 inch; the 5200C-LBM takes 5/8 to 3/4 inch and adds a latchbolt monitor. Measure your latch throw before picking between them.

Choose the 5200 monitor package by what the panel must supervise. The 5200C-630 has no monitor switch. The 5200C-LBM adds one latchbolt-position switch. The 5200C-LBSM adds both the latchbolt switch and a separate strike-keeper switch so the panel can distinguish a projected latch from a secured keeper.

HES 9400 — the slim rim-device strike. Surface mounted, no frame cutting, outdoor rated, for rim exit devices with a Pullman latch up to 1/2 inch. The 9400-BSP is the same strike in black.

HES 9600 — the bigger-latch rim-device strike. Same job as the 9400 but takes a Pullman latch up to 3/4 inch and adds windstorm resistance. If you're not sure which your exit device throws, measure the latch — this dimension is the whole difference.

HES 9800 — the Adams Rite specialist. Low profile and made specifically for Adams Rite 8700, 8800, and EX88 rim exit devices, common on aluminum storefront doors with panic hardware. If that's your device, this is your strike.

What the ratings actually mean

The certifications scattered through the table map to specific standards: "fire-rated" refers to listings for fire-rated door assemblies under NFPA 80 (the 4500C carries a UL 10C 3-hour listing in fail-secure operation), "outdoor rated" is UL 1034 weatherized listing, "windstorm resistant" means tested to sustain high winds per the manufacturer's certification, and Grade 1 is the top duty tier of ANSI/BHMA A156.31 for electric strikes. Every rating we print on a product page comes from the manufacturer's published documentation for that exact SKU — and for any rated opening, your Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) has the final word on what the assembly requires.

Decoding the suffixes

The letters on HES model numbers are information, not marketing: C means Complete Pac (faceplates included in the box rather than ordered separately), F means fail-safe from the factory, LBM means latchbolt monitor — a switch that tells your access control panel whether the latch is actually captured, 630 is satin stainless finish and BSP black. So "1006CLB-F-12/24D-630-LBM" reads: 1006 body, latchbolt version, fail-safe, 12/24 VDC, satin stainless, with latch monitoring.

Every strike above is in stock in the RSH Warehouse — dispatch Monday, October 19 on business-day orders before 3 PM CT, covered by our 1-Year Guarantee. Not sure which model fits your door? Ask our tech team or browse Door Hardware.