Aluminum/metal shop and office door locks

On most aluminum shop doors or metal shop doors, you will have a swing bolt, a hook bolt, or a latch deadbolt.

Swing bolt

(picture below shows screw in cylinder operated, can come in Euro style)

Hook bolt

(picture below shows screw in cylinder operated, can come in Euro style)

Latch deadbolt

(picture below shows screw in cylinder operated, can come in Euro style)

How to measure backset

They come in various sizes, depending on the size of the door, usually with a 35mm, 33mm, 38mm, or 42mm backset. (The backset measurement is from the edge of the lock case to the center of the lock.)

They are made by various manufacturers, including Adams Right, which is the most common, but there are a few others that do manufacture them. They come in the Euro style that uses a Euro cylinder, or they can come in the screw-in cylinder style that uses a screw-in cylinder.

There are a few vulnerabilities out there on both of them at the moment. You can look online or on our website for the vulnerabilities of the standard Euro cylinders.

A brief description of the most common vulnerabilities on most standard installations of these locks is that they can be snapped, bumped, pulled, or picked.

You can and should get some protective lock guards for the Euro style lock cases, which screw through and make it harder to snap.

Euro protection lock guard

There are high security Euro cylinders available and you should definitely consider getting one as they are a lot more secure than the standard Euro cylinders. You should have a minimum of a 1-star Euro cylinder or, even better and more secure, a 3-star rated Euro cylinder that makes the cylinder anti-bump, anti-snap, and anti-drill. To check what cylinder you have, look at the lock and see if it is stamped with a BS Kite mark or a 1-star or 3-star, as pictured below. If you’re not sure, feel free to contact us for free advice and help.

For the screw-in cylinder type, you can get protective surrounds that will protect the cylinder from a certain type of attack.

Screw-in cylinder protective cover.

You can also get high security screw-in cylinders that are anti-bump, anti-pick, and anti-drill. But you can protect against the main vulnerability of these types of cylinders with the protective surrounds, and this is actually the way that they screw into the lock case.

These locks usually come with a satin or chrome finish/ color faceplate, and most can come with a rounded or square faceplate.

You can get other parts that can be added on for use when you operate these locks, depending on how you want to use the door. You can get some mechanical coded locks that allow you to open the door when you push in the code and turn the knob. Also, other devices that operate with some of these locks are electrical keypad locks, proximity key tags, and proximity cards; these would release an electrical release that is mounted in the frame. On these locks, you can get paddle handles, and push or pull to open the lock and door, and other types of turn devices such as knobs and handles of various shapes and sizes.  You can get a reinforced keep that goes inside the frame, which makes the frame a lot more secure.

Screw in thumb turn

Screw in paddle handle

Screw in short handle

Screw in long handle

If we were going to fit one of these locks from new, we would probably take about an hour to two hours to fit one, depending on what other parts needed to be fitted. We always recommend that you have two locks on your door where possible, spaced equally on the door a third down from the top and a third up from the bottom.

You could have various combinations of these locks on your metal shop/office doors or aluminum shop/office doors; it all depends on how they need to be used on a day to day basis. One could be a latch deadbolt lock that automatically shuts behind you, and the other a swing bolt lock or a hook bolt lock that you lock last thing before you go home. You could have two hook bolt locks or two deadbolt locks. As previously mentioned, you can have it wired up to an intercom, entry phone, or an access control system,

There are many different setups for these types of locks and we can fit, help, advise, and deal with them all for you.

These locks can be and are fitted to various types of doors. They can be fitted on wooden doors, sliding doors, hinged doors, patio doors, and glass doors, but the most common uses are for shop and office metal, aluminum, and glass doors. They can be positioned in many places on the door, locking into the side part of the frame, the top part of the frame, the floor, or the bottom part of the frame.

If you need more information, email us or give us a call. We can help you.