ANSI Standards for Automatic Door Signage

Signage on Automatic Doors

Do you have automatic doors  in your building? If they are not labeled properly then people visiting your building may be taken by surprise if a door opens when they approach it.

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has detailed guidelines for the signage on automatic doors. These include standards for placement on the door, the size of the decal / sticker, and even the sign design such as the size and color of the print. It applies to both low energy and full power doors, as well as revolving doors.

Signage on Automatic Swinging and Folding Doors

For any swinging or folding door, a sign should be visible from both sides reading “AUTOMATIC DOOR” with letters of at least ½” tall.

Swinging Doors

• An arrow sign, portraying the direction of the swing, should be visible from the approach side of the door and be mounted on the door at a height 50 in. + 12 in. from the floor to the centerline of the sign. It should be a minimum of 6” in diameter and have a green circle surrounding a black arrow with a white background.
• To keep traffic flowing in the right direction, an international “DO NOT ENTER” sign should be visible from the side of doors that swings toward pedestrians at a height 50 in. + 12 in. from the floor to the centerline of the sign. It shall be 6” minimum in diameter with a red circle with the words “DO NOT ENTER” in the circle.

Folding Doors

• An arrow sign should be applied for one way traffic folding doors on the approach side of the door at a height 50 in. + 12 in. from the floor to the centerline of the sign. On the non-approach side, a sign reading “DO NOT ENTER should be visible.
• Folding doors that serve both ingress and egress should have an “AUTOMATIC CAUTION DOOR” sign.

Signage on Automatic Sliding Doors

If a sliding door contains swinging leaves, signs with a red background and contrasting 1” letters reading “IN EMERGENCY PUSH TO OPEN” should be located adjacent to the lock stile on a centerline of 36” to 60” from the floor applied to the side appropriate for egress.

If a sliding door slides alongside an adjacent wall then it should have a sign instructing the user to stand clear of the sliding door travel path. Letters on this sign should be 1” high minimum on a contrasting background and located at 36” to 60” from the floor.

Signage on Revolving Doors

There are three different types of signs for your revolving doors:

• Automatic Door Sign – For automatic revolving doors, a sign including the words “Automatic Door” should be visible from both sides of each wing. It should be located within 12”s of the door and all letters should be at least ⅝” tall.
• Slow Speed Activation Sign – The slow speed activation sign will have to follow the same standards as the automatic door sign with a ⅝” minimum height and a location of no more than 12” from the door. This sign should read one of the following: “Activate To Slow”, “Push To Slow”, or “Press To Slow”
• Emergency Stop Sign – For automatic revolving doors, a sign including the words “Automatic Door” should be visible from both sides of each wing. It should be located within 12” of the door and all letters should be at least ⅝” tall.

Signage on Power Assist and Low Energy Power Operated Commercial Doors

When it comes to power assist and low energy power operated commercial doors, signs should be visible from either side of the door to instruct the user of the function and operation of the door.

Power Assist Doors

• If there is a separate wall switch whose function is to initiate power assist, you should have a sign on both sides of the door reading “EASY OPEN DOOR – ACTIVATE SWITCH THEN OPEN DOOR”. This sign should contain a blue background and white lettering.
• If pushing, pulling, or remote devices are used to initiate power assist, a sign following the above standards should read:
  • “EASY OPEN DOOR – PUSH TO OPERATE” on the push side of the door.
  • “EASY OPEN DOOR – PULL TO OPERATE” on the pull side of the door.

Low Energy Doors

• Every low energy door should have signs on both sides of the door reading “AUTOMATIC CAUTION DOOR”. This sign should have a yellow background with black lettering and not be smaller than 6 inches in diameter. If there is additional information, it should be included as such:
  • If a Knowing Act Switch is used to activate the door operation, signs on each of the doors are required with the message “ACTIVATE SWITCH TO OPERATE”. These signs should have a blue background and contain white lettering.
  • If a push or pull is used to initiate the door operator, a sign on the push side should read “PUSH TO OPERATE”, while a sign on the pull side should read “PULL TO OPERATE”. A blue background with white lettering is required on these signs as well.