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While it may seem odd to some, cabinet hinges are a passion of ours here at Häfele—whether they be for kitchen, bath, furniture or outdoor applications—we appreciate the simplicity of a quality hinge as well as the value this essential hardware can bring to one’s everyday life.

Simply put, your cabinets work as well as they do because of the hinges you choose. And these sturdy, durable pieces of hardware pack a whole bunch of functionality into a small package—everything from full adjustability to soft close settings which can be personalized to your liking. We carry a wide variety of cabinet hinge styles and options from top-tier manufacturers such as Salice, Grass, Aximat and many others—all at a variety of price points.

They’re also commonly referred to as gas struts, rams or dampers, although some of these terms imply a specific set of gas spring components, configurations and intended uses. Technically speaking, a standard gas spring is used to support objects as they move, a gas damper is used to control or limit that motion, and a damped gas spring tends to handle a bit of both.

With this in mind, how exactly do gas struts and dampers work in practice? Which types are most appropriate in which roles, and what’s the ideal setup for the job you have in mind? In the sections below we’ll explore these and other questions about gas springs, starting with a closer look at how most lifts, struts and dampers function.

How do Gas Springs work?

To better understand how gas struts work, it’s helpful to picture a standard bicycle tyre pump. Like most manual hand pumps, gas springs and dampers feature a piston and rod mechanism passing back and forth through a tight-fitting tube. Unlike the open-ended tube of a pump, though, the cylinder of a gas spring is sealed, so the volume of gas inside remains constant.

The piston in a gas strut allows a certain amount of this gas to pass around or through it, maintaining a balanced internal pressure while creating two varying pockets of different volumes and surface areas. By limiting the ease of gas flow through the piston one way or the other, manufacturers can adjust the force required to move it in a given direction.

The extent to which this ease of flow is balanced or biased, along with the overall pressure of gas and fluid contained in the tube, is what makes different types of gas strut better suited to either supporting, accelerating or damping movement.

What are Gas Springs used for?

Gas springs for doors

Given the myriad door types that benefit from gas spring applications, it’s no surprise that there are almost as many options for which sort of strut will fit which scenario.

Household, school or workplace doors usually incorporate some sort of traction or pull-type gas spring, to help them open easily under pressure but return quickly to a closed position when not in use. Conversely, cabinet doors and access hatches often require the exact opposite function, allowing considerable weight to be lifted easily, and remain fully open until manually pulled shut again.

In either scenario, a locking gas spring might also be useful, enabling the door to hold itself in place midway between fully open or closed. Certain doors – such as those with folding mechanisms – may even require a variable speed gas strut, to allow for smooth operation as different parts of the door move at different rates, and to dampen movement as partitions slide into one another.