Actuating Portion of Panic Hardware

I always thought this was pretty clear...the actuating portion of panic hardware (the touchpad or crossbar) has to measure at least half the width of the door. For a 3-foot door, that's 18 inches. For a 4-foot door, 24 inches. For a door that's in between 3 feet and 4 feet wide, we use panic hardware for a 4-foot door and cut it down.

There is an alternate interpretation that keeps popping up when someone has a door that's just slightly over 3 feet wide...that the actuating portion...

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