PDQ GT175 Hospital Privacy Grade 1 Heavy Duty Cylindrical Lock

The PDQ GT175 is the Hospital Privacy function in PDQ's GT Series Grade 1 heavy duty cylindrical lever lock. It's built specifically for healthcare restrooms, patient rooms, and any facility where staff need emergency access to a locked room while wearing gloves and moving fast. The outside of the door has a turn piece - a coin-slot style emergency release on the escutcheon that rotates with a coin, a flat screwdriver edge, or even a fingernail - rather than the small hole release found on standard bedroom/bathroom privacy locks.

That distinction between a turn piece and a hole release is what makes the GT175 the Hospital Privacy specification and not just a privacy lock.

Hospital Privacy vs Bedroom/Bathroom Privacy: One Critical Difference

The GP176 Bedroom/Bathroom Privacy lock has a small hole in the outside trim. To release the push button from outside, you insert a thin tool through the hole and push a release tab. With bare hands in a non-emergency setting, it takes a few seconds and a small tool. In a clinical environment where a staff member is wearing nitrile gloves and needs to open a locked patient restroom in under five seconds, that thin hole and small tool become an obstacle.

The GT175 Hospital Privacy function replaces that mechanism with a turn piece on the outside escutcheon. Anyone can rotate it - with gloves on, with a coin, with a key tip, without stopping to find the right tool. The outside lever unlocks immediately. This is why healthcare hardware schedules specify Hospital Privacy (turn piece) for patient areas and standard Bedroom/Bathroom Privacy (hole release) only for non-clinical staff restrooms and administrative areas.

For all commercial cylindrical lever locks and hospital hardware, browse our commercial locks catalog.

Grade 1 and the GT vs GP vs XGT Hierarchy

The GT Series is Grade 1 Heavy Duty under ANSI/BHMA A156.2. Grade 1 means 250,000 full operating cycles minimum for the latch mechanism under the A156.2 specification. The GP Series (GP176 privacy, GP126 passage, GP116 entrance) is Grade 2. The XGT Series is Grade 1 Extra Heavy Duty - the highest PDQ tier.

For standard commercial applications, the GP Series at Grade 2 is sufficient. For healthcare facilities, the combination of Grade 1 cycle rating and the Hospital Privacy emergency turn piece function makes the GT175 the correct specification. The XGT175 is the Extra Heavy Duty step up for the highest-traffic clinical environments.

All three share the same lever profiles - Philadelphia, Boston, and Miami - and the same visual trim aesthetic, so they can be mixed across a building's hardware schedule without mismatched lever styles.

Healthcare-Specific Specs Worth Knowing

The GT175 handles doors up to 2-1/4 inches thick - compared to 1-3/4 inches maximum on the GP Series. Thicker hollow metal frames in healthcare construction, soundproofed exam room doors, and fire-rated pairs in clinical corridors often fall in the 1-3/4" to 2-1/4" range where the GT Series handles the prep and the GP Series doesn't.

The 9/16-inch deadlocking latch is heavier than the 1/2-inch latch on the GP Series - more throw depth, deadlocking plunger that prevents shimming, and a 3/4-inch latch projection option for pairs of fire-rated doors where larger latch projection is required by the door assembly.

Antimicrobial coating is available on the GT175 in finish 626 (Satin Chrome) only. This is the most commonly specified finish in healthcare because satin chrome resists both the visual appearance of tarnish and the chemical exposure from cleaning agents used in clinical environments. The antimicrobial coating on the lever and rose surfaces meets surface hygiene requirements without affecting the lock's mechanical function.

The GT175 carries Florida HVHZ (High Velocity Hurricane Zone) approval (PDQ Product Approval: FL 21376) and a design load rating of 70.0 PSF for a standard 3' x 7' single door - relevant for coastal healthcare facilities required to meet Florida's hurricane-resistant door hardware standards.

PDQ GT175 Specifications

• SKU: GT175

• Also known as: PDQ GT175, GT175 PDQ, PDQGT175, gt 175 pdq, pdq gt series 175, hospital privacy lock grade 1 pdq, pdq gt175 hospital privacy cylindrical

• Series: PDQ GT Series, Grade 1 Heavy Duty

• Function: Hospital Privacy; push button inside locks outside lever; emergency turn piece outside unlocks without tools; inside lever unlocks; auto-unlocks when door closes

• Emergency release type: Turn piece (coin-slot) on outside escutcheon - operable with gloves, coin, screwdriver edge, or fingernail

• Grade: ANSI/BHMA A156.2, Grade 1

• Door thickness: 1-3/4" to 2-1/4" (preset for 1-3/4")

• Door prep: ANSI A156.115 (161), standard cylindrical lock prep

• Backset: 2-3/4" standard; 2-3/8", 3-3/4", 5" optional

• Latchbolt: 9/16" throw deadlocking; 3/4" latch projection option (for fire door pairs; factory order)

• Front: 2-1/4" x 1-1/8"; stainless steel or wrought brass; beveled 1/8" in 2"

• Rose: 3-3/8" diameter wrought brass

• Levers: Philadelphia (PHL), Boston (BSN), Miami (MIA)

• Lever rotation: 41 degrees standard (2-3/4" backset); 65 degrees with 3/4" latch or non-standard backsets (factory order)

• Handing: Non-handed

• Strike: ASA 4-7/8" standard; T-Strike or Full-Lip optional

• IC: LFIC available for Philadelphia lever only; SFIC all levers; 6 or 7-pin; Best, Falcon, Arrow compatible

• Keyway: SCC (Schlage C Compatible) standard; multiple manufacturer keyways available

• Keying: KD, KA, MK, CMK, GMK, KO

• Antimicrobial coating: Available in 626 Satin Chrome only

• Finishes: 605, 606, 612, 613, 622, 625, 626

• UL: 3-hour fire listing for single doors up to 4'0" x 8'0"; 3/4" FRL latch available for fire door pairs

• ADA: Compliant, ICC/ANSI 117.1

• Florida HVHZ: Approved, FL 21376; 70.0 PSF design load rating

• Federal Spec: FF-H-10C (superseded by A156.2)

• BAA: Compliant; assembled in Lancaster, PA, USA

• Warranty: 5-year limited

• Resources: GT Series Brochure PDF in Resources section