Nylon Frame Plug

Door frame fixing: jambs, door frames and window frames

A frame plug is a long nylon plug supplied with its screw already fitted. You drill through the frame and into the wall in one go, push the plug and screw through, and tighten. The frame does not have to be taken away to mark and drill the wall, which is why frame fixings are used for fixing door frames and jambs, window frames, timber battens and subframes to brick and concrete.

Mungo makes three families, from its product guide: MB plugs for softer materials, MBR plugs for solid materials and MQL plugs as universal plugs. K in a code means a collar plug, F a hot dip galvanised screw and R a 316 stainless screw. The Onego plugs (GBD, GRD, GQK and GRK) come with hex head, flange hex or countersunk Torx screws; Hobson publishes no installation data for them in the documents we have, so check the pack.

Frame fixing drill size, drill depth and maximum frame thickness

For the Mungo 10mm plugs, the European Technical Assessments give the installation data below. The length is shown as plug length / maximum fixture thickness: an MB-ST 100/30 is a 100mm plug that fixes through up to 30mm of frame, leaving 70mm in the wall. Add any packing behind the frame to the frame thickness.

Mungo lists these plugs for multiple use in concrete and masonry for non-structural applications only, under ETA-15/0068 (MB and MBR) and ETA-11/0008 (MQL), designed under the responsibility of an engineer experienced in anchorages. Hobson publishes no load figures for the Onego plugs or the 8mm MB-ST. For anything structural, use the fixing the designer specifies.

Frame fixing edge distance, spacing and wall thickness

The same ETAs only apply when each plug sits far enough from the edge of the wall or slab, far enough from the next plug, and in a wall or slab thick enough. Closer than this, or in a thinner member, the ETA does not apply. Door and window jamb fixings often sit closer to the edge of the brick than these distances, so check your fixing positions against the table before you drill, and ask the designer where they cannot be met.

Every frame plug we carry

Select a row to open that frame plug in the selector, then pick the length.

How to fit a frame fixing

From Mungo's MB data sheet and the ETA installation instructions:

1. Pack and square the frame, then drill through the frame and into the wall at the drill diameter, to at least the hole depth. Mungo's MB sheet says no hammer drilling in hollow brick or aerated concrete.
2. Clean the dust out of the hole (not needed in hollow brick).
3. Push the pre-assembled plug and screw through the frame until the plug's collar meets the frame.
4. Tighten the screw until the collar is drawn tight against the frame, without over-tightening.

Which screw finish: zinc, galvanised or stainless?

The ETAs set the screw by exposure: zinc coated (or stainless) screws for dry internal conditions; stainless for external exposure, including industrial and marine environments, and permanently damp internal conditions, unless conditions are particularly aggressive, such as seawater splash or indoor swimming pools. A galvanised screw can be used outside only where the head is protected from moisture and driving rain by cladding or a rainscreen and the head is coated with a soft, permanently elastic sealant.

So for an internal door frame, zinc plated is fine. For window frames, external door frames and anything that stays damp, the ETAs point to a stainless screw: the 316 stainless MQLK-STBR, or a stainless Mungo frame fixing from the wall plug page. Mungo's temperature range for the MB, MBR and MQL plugs is -20 to +80°C (+50°C long term), with installation between -20 and +50°C. ETA-15/0068 also limits an MB or MBR plug left unprotected in sunlight to no more than 6 weeks of UV exposure.

The Onego GQK-FO also comes with a 316 stainless screw (10 x 100). Onego plugs are not covered by these ETAs, and Hobson publishes no installation or exposure data for them in the documents we have.

Frame fixings in Adelaide

Allmat supplies frame fixings, masonry drill bits, packers and screws to builders, carpenters, window and door installers and trade across Adelaide and South Australia. Add them to a quote with the rest of your list, and we will price the lot.

Questions