Types of Door Locksets

by Renee Miller Google
Your choice of lockset depends largely on where it will be used and your design preferences.


Homeowners have a wide range of options when choosing a door lockset, including color, finish and lever or knob styles. However, most door locksets can be categorized as cylinder, mortise, rim, deadbolt or electronic types. Some of these types may be further categorized as either privacy or entry locksets.


Cylinder locksets are sometimes referred to as keyed entry locksets. This type is the most commonly used for residential doors. It consists of two knobs and typically uses a pin and tumbler system, which utilizes a locking mechanism that has a series of spring-loaded pins. These pins are loaded into small cylinders, each with a bottom part called a pin and a top part called a driver. When the right key is inserted into the exterior knob, the springs are compressed because the key is lifting the pin and pushing the driver into the upper chambers of the cylinder.


Mortise locksets are typically installed in older homes or institutional and commercial doors. They require a pocket, called a mortise, to be cut into the door. The lock case is fit into the pocket, where it is hidden, and the knobs are installed on the outside of the door. If the door is locked, the deadbolt inside the lock case prevents it from opening. Mortise locksets require some skill to install, so installation is usually best left to professional locksmiths.


Rim locksets are ideal when you cannot modify the door to fit the lock. The rim lock is mounted to the door's surface, instead of drilling a hole into the door, and the strike plate is mounted to the door frame. There is no exterior door handle on these locksets. While there are rim locksets with a keyed knob or handle, they’re typically installed with a thumb-turn mechanism that is intended to lock the door from the inside instead of a key.


Deadbolts are installed about 6 to 12 inches above a keyed entry lockset or non-locking handle set. They are typically operated with a key on the exterior side and a thumb-turn on the interior side. These are intended only for locking the door and are used as an added measure of security on exterior doors.


Electronic locksets can be opened with a key, but also have a digital keypad that uses batteries so that the lock can be operated by inputting a digital code. Most electronic locksets have a warning alarm that lets you know when the batteries are low. If the batteries die, you can use the key to manually unlock the door. Most electronic locks allow you to program separate codes for each user and some may be operated via remote control.

Privacy or Entry

Locksets are often labeled as privacy or entry, which helps homeowners decide where the lockset will be used. Privacy locksets are designed for use on interior doors because their locking mechanism is not keyed. Typically the exterior side of the handle has no keyed slot, but the door can be locked with a push-button or by pushing the knob inward from the interior side of the door so that no one can get into the room. Entry locksets have a keyed knob that is installed on the exterior side of the door and a push-button locking mechanism on the interior side. These are typically more durable than a privacy lockset and are sometimes sold as a set with a deadbolt lock as well.

About the Author


Photo Credits

  • Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
Suggest a Correction

Have Feedback?
