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Quick Verdict

Electric latch retraction (ELR) pulls the latchbolt into the device, so the door opens with a push or pull and nothing on the outside has to turn. Electrified exit trim leaves the latch projected and only decides whether the outside lever will retract it. Choose ELR when the door has an automatic or low-energy operator, when it must stand unlatched during business hours, or when users cannot be expected to operate a lever. Choose electrified trim when the door is a card-access entry that must latch on every cycle and stay mechanically secure. On pairs with operators, on doors in push-and-go mode and on any opening where a latched door would block the operator, ELR is the only workable answer. Fire-rated, life-safety and electrical decisions remain subject to the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ).

What does each one actually control?

The difference is mechanical, not electrical. Both receive a 24 VDC signal from the access system; they move different parts.

ELR acts on the latch inside the device. On the Von Duprin QEL99EO, quiet electric latch retraction unlatches the door momentarily on a credential or holds the latch retracted for an extended period as an alternative to mechanical dogging. Sargent's 56- devices go further: a motor retracts the rail, the 56- circuitry monitors and adjusts the amount of retraction, and a digital timer holds it from 0 to 20 seconds (factory setting 5 seconds), per the Sargent 56-8810E specification.

Electrified trim acts on the outside lever. The latch stays projected until someone turns that lever. Powered (or unpowered, depending on fail-safe or fail-secure configuration), the lever retracts the latch; otherwise it spins or stays rigid and the door remains latched. The inside pushbar always works.

Attribute	Electric latch retraction	Electrified exit trim
What is controlled	The latchbolt inside the device	The outside lever or pull
Latch state when activated	Retracted, door swings free	Projected until the lever is turned
Typical opening	Operator doors, after-hours unlocked entries, push-and-go	Card-access entries that must latch every cycle
Power behavior on loss	Latch projects, device relatches (Adams Rite EL is fail-secure)	Fail-safe (lever free) or fail-secure (lever locked), per order
Works with a door operator	Yes, latch retracted before the door moves	No, a projected latch holds the door against the operator
Duty	Momentary or maintained	Momentary or maintained

Pick the column that matches what the opening must do when the access system fires, then order from the matching category: ELR devices from panic exit devices, trims from electrified exit trims.

Which openings need ELR, and which need electrified trim?

Read the opening schedule for three words: operator, hold-open hours and entry credential.

ELR openings. Any door with an automatic or low-energy operator: the operator cannot open a door whose latch is engaged, so the latch has to be out of the strike before the arm moves. Main entrances that run unlatched during business hours: maintained ELR replaces somebody walking the building with a hex key. Pairs of doors that must open together: SDC states its LR100 kits need no door sequencer on a pair of manual doors with a suitable power supply. Retrofit options for existing devices, brand by brand, are in our ELR exit devices and retrofit kits guide.

Electrified trim openings. Card-access entries on stair doors, corridor doors and secondary entrances where the door must latch on every close and stay secure if power fails or someone props the lever. The latch never leaves the strike unless a person turns the lever. Trim style (lever, pull, thumbpiece) is a separate decision covered in how to choose exit device trims.

Both on one door. Uncommon, but it exists: an entry with an operator for accessibility and a credential reader for after-hours control. ELR handles the operator; the access system decides when the operator and ELR may fire.

Opening scenario	Recommended choice	Why	Example product
Main entrance, unlatched 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.	ELR, maintained	No hand dogging, door free all day	Von Duprin QEL99EO
ADA entrance with low-energy operator	ELR, momentary	Operator needs a free latch	Sargent 56-8810E
Aluminum storefront, card reader plus operator	ELR on narrow stile device	Narrow stile rail with built-in solenoid	Adams Rite 8800EL
Stairwell or corridor door, card access	Electrified trim	Latch stays projected every cycle	Electrified exit trims
Secondary entry that must stay secure on power loss	Fail-secure electrified trim	Lever stays locked, egress unaffected	Electrified exit trims
Monitored door that reports every exit	ELR with RX	Push pad switch reports use	Von Duprin RXQEL99EO

Match the scenario, then order the device or trim in the right column.

How do fail-safe and fail-secure apply to ELR and to trim?

The terms mean different things on the two products, and mixing them up is the most common spec error.

On ELR, losing power simply drops the motor or solenoid: the latch projects and the device returns to normal mechanical exit hardware. Adams Rite states the 8800EL solenoid is fail-secure, relocks automatically on power failure, and can therefore be used on fire-rated as well as life-safety applications. Egress is unaffected: the pushbar always opens the door from inside.

On electrified trim, the choice is real and you must specify it. Fail-safe trim lets the outside lever retract the latch when power is off. Fail-secure trim keeps the lever locked when power is off while the latch still holds the door. The deciding factors (perimeter vs interior, fire alarm release, stair re-entry requirements) are laid out in fail-safe vs fail-secure for every electrified device. On stairwell doors, local code and the AHJ set re-entry rules; do not pick the configuration on price.

Fire-rated openings must latch when closed. An ELR device on a fire-rated door has to let the latch project when the fire alarm signals, and the wiring of that release is reviewed by the AHJ. Order fail-secure ELR devices from the panic exit devices category; specify fail-safe or fail-secure on every trim line.

What do the power numbers tell you before you order?

ELR loads vary by a factor of more than 20 depending on drive type, and the supply has to cover the worst case.

• Solenoid ELR, Adams Rite: the 8800EL draws 1.5 A inrush/hold at 12 VDC or 0.6 A at 24 VDC and runs on a simple transformer and rectifier or any DC supply. The 8600LR concealed rod solenoid draws 16 A inrush and 0.5 A hold.
• Motor ELR, Adams Rite: the 8600MLR draws 850 mA during retraction and 370 mA held, and requires 2 A at 24 VDC regulated and filtered.
• Motor ELR, Sargent 56-: 24 VDC regulated and filtered supply (3500 Series), continuous or intermittent use, UL listed for Class II circuitry, and a standard electric hinge with no special power transfer required.
• Motor ELR, Von Duprin QEL: power transfer, supply and controller are not included; PS902/914 with a 2RS, 4RL or 4R board is the minimum.

For electrified trim, read the draw on the trim sheet: the controlling figure is the sum of every device on the supply that can fire at once.

Order the supply in the same cart as the ELR device.

Which signals do you need: door status, REX, latch?

ELR and electrified trim answer "can the door open"; switches answer "did it". Access panels need at least a request-to-exit input to shunt the forced-door alarm, and many need latch or door position status.

• Von Duprin RX puts one SPDT switch on the push pad. It signals use of the opening to a console, or acts as a single-door alarm with a horn and supply. It is a signalling switch, 2 A resistive maximum, never a load switch. The RXQEL99EO packages RX with QEL and runs about $2,436 at NLS, against about $2,176 for the QEL99EO without it.
• Sargent 55- is a non-contact request-to-exit switch, available on 56- devices and on the 55-M56A and 55-R56A kits.
• Door position comes from a separate switch in the frame, not from the exit device.

How to choose the REX itself (PIR, pushbar switch, button) is in how to choose a request-to-exit device. Order the RX or 55- version of the ELR device whenever the panel expects a REX input.

What should the PO line say?

Write the PO so the order desk cannot read it two ways.

For ELR: brand and series, device type (rim, mortise, SVR, CVR), length, finish, function (EO or trim function), ELR designation (QEL, 56-, MELR, EL, MLR), switch option (RX, 55-), fire rating, voltage. Example: "Von Duprin RXQEL99EO, 3 ft, 26D, exit only."

For electrified trim: trim style, function, handing, fail-safe or fail-secure, voltage, finish, and the exit device series it mounts on.

For both: power transfer, power supply with the correct board, and who provides the controller. Adams Rite's 8800EL costs about $701 at NLS as a complete narrow stile ELR device; a missing supply or hinge still stops the job.

Order ELR devices from panic exit devices and trims from electrified exit trims.

Common mistakes

1. Specifying electrified trim on a door with an automatic operator. The operator pushes against a projected latch.
2. Writing "fail-safe" on an ELR line. ELR relatches on power loss; the fail-safe or fail-secure choice belongs on the trim.
3. Sizing the supply on holding current instead of inrush, which ranges from 0.6 A to 16 A across Adams Rite solenoid options.
4. Ordering QEL without the power transfer and supply, which Von Duprin does not include.
5. Ordering the non-RX device when the panel needs a REX input, then opening the rail again to add one.
6. Choosing trim configuration on stair doors without the AHJ's re-entry ruling.

FAQ

What is an electrified exit device? An exit device with an electrical function built in: electric latch retraction, an electrified trim, or monitoring switches such as RX. Mechanical egress from the inside is always preserved.

Is ELR or electrified trim better for card access? Electrified trim when the door must latch on every cycle; ELR when the door also has an operator or must stand unlatched for set hours. Many sites use trim on secondary doors and ELR on the main entry.

Can an automatic door operator work with electrified trim? Not reliably. The latch stays projected, so the operator pushes against the strike. Use an ELR device timed so the latch retracts before the operator moves.

Does ELR replace mechanical dogging? Von Duprin describes maintained QEL retraction as a convenient alternative to mechanical dogging. It is controlled by schedule or switch, not by a hex key on site.

Next step

Decide by the table above, then order ELR from the panic exit device category (start with the Von Duprin QEL99EO, the Sargent 56-8810E or the Adams Rite 8800EL) and trims from electrified exit trims. Orders by 3 p.m. ET ship the same day; $450 and up ships ground free. Send a full electrified schedule to the quote desk, or use government PO intake.