Locks and Latches

The lock or latch is what actually holds a door shut, and the right one depends on the room it serves and on the handle set it has to work with. A bathroom needs privacy without a key, a bedroom or study may need a key, and an external or garage door needs a security-rated case.

Browse locks and latches by type

• Bathroom Locks
• Bathroom Turn and Release Cylinders
• Bedroom Lock Sets
• Sash Locks
• Dead Locks
• Magnetic Latches

Keyholes and cylinder openings are covered off with escutcheons, and for a bathroom it is usually simpler to take a complete bathroom door handle set so the lever, turn and release all match. See also door handles and flushbolts for door pairs.

Latch, lock or nothing at all

Every internal door that has to stay shut needs a latch. Beyond that, what you add depends on the room. A bathroom or WC needs a privacy function, which is a bathroom lock operated by a turn on the inside and an emergency release on the outside: see bathroom locks and bathroom turn and release cylinders. A bedroom or study that needs to be lockable with a key uses a bedroom lock set. Where a door is on an external opening or a garage, a sash lock combines the latch and the deadbolt in one case, while a dead lock provides the bolt only and is fitted alongside a separate latch.

Quiet closing and doors that will not stay shut

Magnetic latches are worth knowing about for bedrooms and nurseries: the latch bolt is drawn in magnetically rather than sprung, so the door closes without the click and without the rattle. On double doors and door pairs, flush bolts hold the passive leaf while the active leaf latches into it.

The parts that are always needed with a lock

A lock case is only half of the job. On the face of the door you still need handles or knobs, and the cover plates over the keyhole or the spindle, which are escutcheons. On the frame side you need the keep or strike plate that comes with the lock, and hinges rated for the leaf from door hinges. Ordering all of it as one line is what handlepacks are for.

Fire doors and self-closing

An FD30 or FD60 fire door must be able to close fully into its frame under normal use, so the latch has to engage reliably and any closing device has to be rated. Combine fire rated hinges, intumescent strips and pads and a door closer where one is required. If a fire door is slamming rather than closing, why fire doors slam and how to fix it explains what to adjust.

What lock does a bathroom door need?

A privacy set: a latch plus a turn on the inside and a release on the outside, so the door can be opened in an emergency without a key.

Do I need a lock on every internal door?

No. Most internal doors only need a latch. Locks are added where privacy or security matters, which in most homes is bathrooms, bedrooms and any room used for storage or work.