What Affects the Cost of a Locksmith Job

Two lock jobs can sound alike on the phone and turn out very different at the door. Rekeying one deadbolt and fitting an exit device to a shop’s back door are both locksmith work, but they share little beyond the toolbox. What makes one job larger or smaller than another, and with it the cost, comes down to a short list of things.

Why One Lock Job Is Larger Than Another

Each factor can push a job either way.

Factors That Change the Size of a Job

Factor	Why It Changes the Job	Example
Type and grade of lock	A heavier lock has more parts and closer tolerances, and a high-security cylinder often takes restricted keys that only certain sources can cut.	A builder-grade deadbolt takes less work than a commercial mortise lock with a high-security cylinder.
Door material and condition	Steel, solid wood, hollow-core and aluminum doors each take different drilling and fixings, and a warped or split door has to be put right first.	A rowhouse door that has settled out of square needs its strike moved before a new deadbolt will throw cleanly.
Number of locks or doors	Every extra lock adds time and parts, though several locks done in one visit save separate trips.	One apartment door, or every unit door and the shared street door of a converted twin.
Vehicle make and key type	A plain metal key only needs cutting; a chip key, remote or push-to-start fob also needs programming, and some vehicles need dealer equipment.	A proximity fob for a recent model, matched to the car and programmed before it works.
Parts that must be sourced	Uncommon or discontinued parts have to be found and ordered, which can mean a temporary fix and a second visit.	A discontinued lockset whose replacement has to cover the old cut-outs, or a mortise lock body in an odd size.
Urgent call-out versus planned visit	An urgent call is fitted around the rest of the day and worked with what is at hand; a planned visit leaves time to order the right hardware.	Someone locked out and waiting on the step, versus a lock change booked for next week.
Access to the lock	Trim, a storm door, a tight corner or other hardware in the way adds steps before the real work starts.	A mailbox lock in a tight bank of boxes in a building vestibule.

Repairs That Keep the Existing Hardware

Plenty of lock problems are smaller than they look. A deadbolt that will not throw is often a strike that has shifted rather than a failed lock, and a stiff cylinder may need cleaning or new pins rather than a new lockset. Repairs like these keep the hardware already on the door, with no new holes to drill and no finishes to match. Faults of this kind are covered under lock repairs.

New Hardware and the Work Around It

A new lock is rarely just the lock. The door may need a new bore or a deeper mortise, the frame a new strike, and old holes may need covering. Locks keyed alike have to be pinned to one key, a keypad lock needs its codes set, and a panic bar has to suit the door’s width, its swing and the building’s exit rules. The choices behind each of these are laid out under installations and replacements.

Scoping a Job Before the Visit

A locksmith can only scope what is described or seen. A clear account of the door, the lock and the trouble narrows a job down a long way, and a brand name or a count of locks narrows it further. Some things only show once the lock is out of the door or the trim is off the frame, so the size of a job is sometimes settled at the door itself.

Describing the Job in Your Request

A few lines in a request cover most of what decides the size of a job.

• The kind of job: a repair, a rekey, a new or replacement lock, a lockout or a car key.
• The door or vehicle: a wooden front door, a steel back door, an aluminum storefront, or the car’s make, model and year.
• The lock brand if you know it; it is often stamped on the key or the edge of the latch.
• The number of locks, counting side, basement and mailbox locks as well as the front door.
• Any damage and how it happened, since a forced door often needs frame work as well as a new lock.

These details belong in the message when you Schedule a Visit, or in the first minute of a phone call.