The Von Duprin 88 Series is a wide-stile crossbar exit device that has been in continuous institutional use since the 1950s. It carries ANSI/BHMA A156.3 Grade 1 certification, which means it is tested to 2 million open and close cycles at rated performance. Every configuration in the series is UL listed for accident hazard installations, and fire-rated versions carry a 3-hour UL fire resistance listing. It runs in four distinct configurations covering rim, surface vertical rod, concealed vertical rod, and mortise applications across single doors, paired doors, and openings where the rod hardware must be concealed inside the door. Choosing the wrong configuration is the most common ordering mistake on this device. This guide walks through exactly which configuration applies to which opening.

What Sets the 88 Series Apart Before You Pick a Configuration

The 88 Series is the wide-stile version of Von Duprin's crossbar line. Its counterpart, the 55 Series, handles narrow-stile applications. The practical distinction is stile width. The 88 Series fits door stiles requiring wide-stile mounting, while the 55 handles narrower stile profiles. Parts do not cross between them. If you're working on a wide-stile opening and your application calls for a crossbar device over a push pad, you are in the 88 Series catalog.

What makes this series specifically different from the push pad dominated 98/99 Series is its lever-arm mechanism. The crossbar drives a simple, heavy lever-arm action to operate the latch, rather than the sliding mechanism used on push pad devices. Fewer moving parts across a mechanically robust assembly is why the 88 Series gets specified in correctional facilities, behavioral health units, historic renovations, and oversized institutional openings where the hardware faces sustained physical force and electrified options are neither required nor desirable.

The device ships field reversible with a 42-inch crossbar that is field-sizeable, meaning it cuts to exact door width on site. It is not handed from the factory. One unit services either a left-hand or right-hand opening, which eliminates stocking two separate versions on projects with mixed door swings.

Matching the Right Configuration to Your Opening

Single door to a fixed frame: 88 Rim or 88-F Rim

The rim device is the most widely installed configuration in the 88 Series. It mounts on the egress surface of a single active door and latches at the frame-side rim strike. It ships with the 299 strike standard. Non-fire-rated devices use 5/32-inch hex key dogging. Fire-rated 88-F devices remove the dogging function because a fire-rated assembly must latch positively every time the door closes. Available finishes include US26, US26D, US3, US4, US10B, US10, and SPBLK.

If the application is a standard single door egress point and the opening is not a double door pair, this is the model.

Double door pair without a center post: 8827 or 8827-F Surface Vertical Rod

The 8827 Series is the surface vertical rod (SVR) configuration for double door openings without a center mullion. The top rod engages a strike at the frame header, the bottom rod engages the floor or threshold, providing three-point latching across the door height. It fits door stiles as narrow as 3-1/2 inches on the standard version. The fire-rated 8827-F fits stiles as narrow as 3-3/4 inches (95mm) and carries the 3-hour UL fire rating required for fire door assemblies. The 8827-F ships with the standard 304L strike and all mounting fasteners.

One installation point that affects parts ordering: the fire-rated and non-fire-rated SVR versions use different top latch assemblies. The 8827-F requires the plunger release bracket (107765) to function correctly. Ordering the non-fire-rated center case for a fire-rated SVR device is the most common wrong-part error on this configuration.

Double door pair with concealed rods: 8847-F Concealed Vertical Rod

The 8847-F is the fire-rated concealed vertical rod (CVR) configuration. The rod hardware routes inside the door rather than running on the surface. It is specified when surface-mounted rods are architecturally unacceptable but a wide-stile crossbar device is still required. Hotels, healthcare interiors, and high-end office applications where the egress hardware needs to disappear into the door profile are the typical specification points. It fits door stiles as narrow as 4-3/4 inches (121mm) and ships with the 301L strike. This configuration is available fire-rated only.

High-security single or double door with mortise lock body: 8875 or 8875-F Mortise

The 8875 is the mortise device configuration, integrating the Von Duprin 7500 mortise lock body into the 88 Series chassis. It is specified when the opening requires the security depth of a full mortise lock combined with code-compliant panic egress. The 7500 body has been the Von Duprin standard mortise body since approximately 1977 and measures 5-7/8 inches high by 4-1/2 inches deep by 1 inch thick. The same body is used in the 98/9975 mortise device, so if the facility is already maintaining 98/99 Series mortise devices, the lock body components are consistent across both series.

Trim and Outside Hardware: What Ships and What to Add

Every 88 Series device leaves the factory with device hardware and the standard strike for its configuration. Outside trim is specified separately unless the device is ordered as a complete unit with trim suffix included.

The 880 trim plate is the standard outside trim for 88 Series rim devices, measuring 3 inches wide by 14-3/16 inches long with a 1-5/8-inch bore for cylinder. Function designations:

• EO — Exit only, no outside trim operation
• NL — Night latch, key locks and unlocks from outside
• TP — Thumbpiece outside trim
• L / L-BE — Lever with or without cylinder
• K / K-BE — Knob with or without cylinder (rarely specified now given ADA requirements on most commercial egress doors)
• DT — Dummy trim, non-functional aesthetic match

The 373 Series Control handles outside trim for 8827 SVR and 8875 mortise configurations. The 606, 608, and 609 trims cover specialty outside hardware requirements.

If no cylinder operation is required, add the BE (blank escutcheon) suffix. The trim is always operable without a cylinder when BE is specified. Matching dummy trim uses the DT suffix. On wood doors without sex bolts, specify the WDA cover plate. When sex bolts are used, the 889 cover plate is required.

Why Security Parts Is the Right Place to Source the 88 Series

The 88 Series has been in production for over 70 years. Buildings running this device today have units installed in 1988, 2003, and 2019 side by side. Part numbers have evolved across those generations, and a replacement component ordered without knowing the device generation can produce a part that does not fit the specific unit in service.

Security Parts has been in commercial door hardware since 2001 and carries the complete Von Duprin 88 Series catalog organized by model within the series. Every model has its own dedicated page with an interactive diagram of the full assembly. A technician can navigate to the exact device configuration, open the diagram, confirm the failing component visually, and place the order without a cross-reference step or a compatibility guess. The 8827 non-fire-rated center case and the 8827-F fire-rated top latch are on different model pages, which is what prevents that specific wrong-part order from shipping.

The catalog covers both current-generation and legacy hardware. The full Von Duprin brand catalog extends this model-specific organization across every active series for facilities managing mixed Von Duprin hardware across different opening types and security requirements. Same-day shipping on stocked components. Pre-order compatibility support at 845-935-0301 or sales@securityparts.com.

Conclusion

The Von Duprin 88 Series covers every wide-stile crossbar exit device application from a standard single door egress point to a concealed vertical rod double door fire assembly. Four configurations, ten active models, ANSI/BHMA A156.3 Grade 1 certification, 2 million cycle testing, and 3-hour UL fire ratings on rated versions. The configuration decision, rim versus SVR versus CVR versus mortise, is what determines which model, which parts, and which outside trim applies to the opening. Getting that decision right before the order is placed is what keeps a commercial or institutional door installation on schedule and code-compliant from day one. Browse the full Von Duprin 88 Series catalog at Security Parts by model with interactive diagrams and same-day shipping on stocked parts.

FAQs

What is the Von Duprin 88 Series? 

A wide-stile crossbar exit device in production since the 1950s. ANSI/BHMA A156.3 Grade 1 certified, tested to 2 million cycles, UL listed for panic exit hardware and 3-hour fire resistance on rated configurations.

Which 88 Series configuration is right for my door? 

Rim for single doors to fixed frames. 8827 SVR for double door pairs without a center post. 8847-F CVR for double doors where concealed rods are required. 8875 mortise when mortise lock security depth is specified alongside panic egress.

What is the minimum stile width for the 88 Series?

 The 8827-F SVR fits stiles as narrow as 3-3/4 inches (95mm). The 8847-F CVR fits stiles as narrow as 4-3/4 inches (121mm). The rim device requires minimum stile for the 86 or 161 hollow metal door cutout.

Does the Von Duprin 88 Series have electrified options? 

No. The 88 Series is a mechanical-only device line. Electrified options including QEL, MEL, and Allegion Connect are available on the 98/99 and 33/35A Series.

Is the 88 Series field reversible?

 Yes. All configurations are non-handed from the factory and can be set for left-hand or right-hand swing on site without additional parts.

What fire rating does the Von Duprin 88 Series carry?

 Fire-rated configurations (8827-F, 8847-F, and 8875-F) carry a 3-hour UL fire resistance listing for use on rated fire door assemblies.

Where can I find Von Duprin 88 Series parts with model-specific diagrams?

 Security Parts carries the complete Von Duprin 88 Series catalog organized by model with interactive diagrams and same-day shipping on stocked components.