Hardware Terminology

28 Degree Latch	A latch that requires less rotation on the handle to disengage the latch mechanism. Useful for people with ergonomic concerns, like users who suffer from arthritis.

ANSI	ANSI is short for the American National Standards Institute.

Backset	The backset is the distance from the edge of the door to the center of the 2-1/8" bore hole. In the U.S. there are two common backsets for residential locks, 2-3/8" and 2-3/4". We will pack your locks with a 2-3/8" or 2-3/4" latch depending on which backset you specify.

Bore	A round hole made using a drill, commonly used in reference to tubular door lock preparations.

Brass	An alloy of copper and zinc, brass is the mark of a high quality product

Bronze	A metal alloy consisting primarily of copper that is commonly used in decorative metal work. It was particularly significant in antiquity, giving its name to the Bronze Age.

Chassis	The body of the lock itself, without any trim.

Construction Master Key (CMK)	A key normally used for a temporary period during building construction. It may be rendered permanently inoperative without dissembling the cylinder.

Cylinder	The portion of a lock containing the plug with keyway and a body with the pin tumbler mechanism. The properly cut key allows the cylinder to rotate the driver mechanism which unlocks the lock.

Deadbolt Latch	A non-spring loaded locking mechanism that can only be disengaged by rotating the lock cylinder via key or thumb turn.

Door Pull	A fixed pull attached either directly to a door or with a backplate.

Door Prep	The dimensions that a door must be bored or mortised in order for a handle set to be installed.

Double Cylinder	A deadbolt featuring a key way on the exterior as well as a key way on the interior.

Dummy Function	Dummy sets have no latch and are surface mounted so you can install a dummy set wherever you choose on the door, but they are usually located to match the appearance of nearby operating locks.

Electronic Locksets	A lockset using a keypad input and a user code to engage or disengage the latch bolt.

Full Length Entry Set	An entry set with a plate that spans the entire length, from the deadbolt to the bottom of the handle grip.

Grand Master Key (GMK)	The key operating two or more separate groups of cylinders, each operated by a different master key.

Handing	Levers and some handle grips are either Right handed or Left handed depending on the orientation in which the door opens and the side the hinges are located. For more information click here.

Interconnect Device	The interconnect device provides an emergency egress function on tubular handle sets. When the deadbolt is in the locked position, simply turning the knob or lever will open both latches. It is especially handy in a fire or many other panic situations.

Keyed Alike (KA)	Two or more cylinders having the same combinations.

Keyed Different (KD)	Two or more cylinders, each combinated differently from the others.

Latchbolt	A spring operated bolt with a beveled face to permit a latching action when the door closes.

Lost Wax Cast	An ancient practice in which a bronze sculpture (in our case door hardware) is cast from a wax model. The wax model is dipped in a slurry of silica, then more ceramic material is added creating thick walls around the model. At this point the wax is melted out of the ceramic and you are left with an empty ceramic mould. Molten bronze is then poured into the ceramic mould creating a bronze reproduction of the original wax model.

Master Keyed (MK)	A cylinder or group of cylinders combinated so that all may be operated by their own change key and master key.

Monolithic Entry Set	An entry set with a plate that spans from the top of the deadbolt to the top of the handle grip.

Mortise Lock	A lockset that fits in a mortised door, featuring a rectangular hole that a mortise lock body slides into.

Multi Point Lock	Door locks that offer multiple latching points with one locking mechanism.

Passage	A handle set without an internal locking mechanism. A passage set is used on a door that doesn't require privacy, for example; between a living room and a kitchen or closet.

Passage/Privacy Latch	A spring loaded mechanism that slides it's bolt into a strike plate on a door jamb, securing the door shut and disengages when the attached knob or lever is turned.

Patina	An aesthetically pleasing sheen or coloration that signifies a bronze object's age. Patinas are produced by chemical action, oxidization or sulphurization, during the course of time.

Pin Tumbler Mechanism	Most key-operated locks provide limited access through the use of pin tumblers. Pin tumblers: Small sliding pins in a lock cylinder that work against coil springs. They prevent the cylinder plug from rotating until the appropriate length pin is raised to the proper height by corresponding notch depth cut in the key. Pin tumblers usually consist of bottom pins, top pins and master pins. Bottom pins: Usually a cylindrical shaped tumbler which is often bullet shaped and comes in a variety of lengths that correspond to the depth of the cut of the notch in the key. Top pins: Usually a cylindrical shaped tumbler which is often flat on both ends and is installed directly under a coil spring in the spring stack. Master pin: Usually a cylindrical shaped tumbler which is often flat on both ends, placed between the top and bottom pin to create an additional shear line.

Privacy	A handle set with a locking mechanism.

Privacy Pin	A pin that engages the privacy feature on the latch from the interior side of the rosette. Can be disengaged in an emergency by inserting a narrow object (like the end of a paperclip) into the emergency release hole on the exterior rosette.

Projection	The furthest distance and object extends off of a surface, like a door or cabinet.

Re-Keying	The changing of a lock’s internal pins in order to make the tumbler combination fit a different key.

Rosette	A decorative trim plate that goes between the knob/lever/handle and door, used in both door and cabinet hardware.

Sectional Entry Set	An entry set with separate plates for the deadbolt and handle grip.

Shear Line	The area where the top surface of the plug and the cylinder housing meet. The height which the bottom pins must be raised by the key in order to rotate the key cylinder.

Single Cylinder	A deadbolt featuring a key way on the exterior and thumb turn on the interior.

Spindle	The bar that connects knobs or levers through the door and operates the lock mechanism.

Spring Hinge	A hinge that has a built in spring that can facilitate the self closing of a door when it is not propped open.

Stainless Steel	A highly corrosion-resistant grade of steel containing Chromium.

Strike Plate	The metal plate installed on the door jamb that receives the latch bolt when the door is closed.

Thumb Press	The flat stub located above the handle on an entry set that disengages the latch bolt.

Thumb Turn	The turn piece located on the inside trim of a deadbolt that engages/disengages the latch mechanism.

Tubular Lock	A lockset requiring bored (round) holes rather than a chiseled rectangular mortise door preparation.

Wrought Steel	Steel that is worked to resemble the rustic hand craftsmanship of wrought iron, which is not commonly produced any more.