Locksmith
Master Key Cost Calculator
Prices a master key system, where the design work matters more than the cylinders.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Time, cylinders and keys, and the call-out. The visible cost is per cylinder and per key, and the real work is the keying schedule: deciding which keys open which doors, laying out a hierarchy that can expand without being rebuilt, and generating the bitting so that no unintended key combination opens a door it should not. Cutting and pinning is mechanical once that exists. A system designed properly grows as the building changes; one designed by working outward from whatever cylinders were to hand has to be replaced when it runs out of combinations.
What moves the number
- Number of doors and levels of hierarchy, which determine how many combinations the design needs.
- Whether the keyway is restricted, since key control is most of the point of a master system.
- Room for expansion, because a design with no spare combinations is a rebuild waiting to happen.
- Whether existing cylinders can be repinned into the system or have to be replaced.
Where this one goes wrong
Master keying reduces the security of every cylinder in the system, and that is inherent rather than a quality issue: adding a second shear line to each pin stack makes a cylinder easier to pick and easier to decode, and increases the chance of an unintended key operating it. That is the trade for convenience, and it is worth stating to a customer rather than selling master keying as free. The other thing that decides whether a system survives is key control: a master system on an unrestricted keyway, where anyone can have blanks cut anywhere, provides the convenience without the control, which is usually the wrong half. Keep the bitting records securely, because they are effectively the keys.
Before you quote
- Design the hierarchy with spare combinations for expansion.
- Use a restricted keyway if key control is the reason for the system.
- Store bitting records as securely as keys, because that is what they are.
Questions
About this calculator
Does master keying make locks less secure?
Yes, inherently. A master keyed cylinder has an extra shear line in each pin stack, which makes it easier to pick and to decode and raises the chance of an unintended key operating it. That is the cost of the convenience, and it is worth weighing rather than assuming master keying is free.
What makes a master key system worth the money?
The design. A properly laid out hierarchy with spare combinations grows as the building changes, while one assembled ad hoc runs out and has to be rebuilt. The cylinders are the cheap part; the schedule and the bitting are what you are actually buying.
Should a master system use a restricted keyway?
If key control is the reason for the system, yes. A master system on a common keyway gives you the convenience of one key opening many doors while anyone can still have copies cut anywhere, which leaves the control problem unsolved. Restricted blanks are what limit who can hold a key.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
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How to use this calculator
- Hours on site (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 0.8 h.
- People needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $120.
- Parts and materials ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $35.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours on site | 0.8 h |
| People needed | 1 |
| Labour rate charged | $120 |
| Parts and materials | $35 |
| Call-out or diagnostic fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $226 |
| Labour | $96 |
| Before tax | $226 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $226: $96 of labour, $35 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only labour rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Labour rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $60 | $178 |
| $90 | $202 |
| $120 example above | $226 |
| $180 | $274 |
| $240 | $322 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on site (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 0.8 h.
- People needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $120.
- Parts and materials ($)
- A money amount, starting at $35.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.