Dead Locks

A dead lock has a bolt and nothing else: no latch, no handle, no spring. The bolt is thrown only by turning the key, which is why it is fitted as a second lock on a front or back door rather than as the lock you use to hold the door shut day to day.

How a dead lock is used

Standard practice on a timber external door is a nightlatch or a latch for everyday use, plus a dead lock lower down the leaf for security when the house is empty. Check the case size and backset against the door thickness, and fit a matching escutcheon on each face.

Where you want latch and deadbolt in one case, use a sash lock instead. Bathroom privacy is handled by bathroom locks, and the rest of the range is in locks and latches and door hardware.

When a dead lock is the right choice

A dead lock has a bolt and nothing else. There is no sprung latch and no spindle, so the door is held shut by a separate latch, a magnetic catch or a closer, and the dead lock adds security on top. That separation is useful on a door where you want the handle to work freely at all times and the lock to be a deliberate, occasional action, and on doors where the handle and the keyway need to sit at different heights.

Fitting and measuring

Match the case size to the depth available in the door edge and the backset to the position you want the keyway. Because there is no spindle, a dead lock needs less solid timber than a sash lock and will often fit a stile that a combined case will not. Cut the mortice square, fit the striking plate so the bolt enters cleanly without forcing, and check that the bolt throws fully before you fit the escutcheons.

Pairing with the rest of the ironmongery

A dead lock is almost always specified with a separate latch, so browse locks and latches for the matching tubular latch, and use escutcheons to finish the keyway on both faces. Where a single case has to do both jobs, use a sash lock instead. Carlisle Brass supply the dead locks stocked here. On certified leaves add an intumescent pad behind the case, use fire rated hinges and follow our fire door guide. The full ironmongery range is in door hardware.