Locksmith
Rekey Cost Calculator
Prices rekeying, which is usually the right answer when someone wants locks changed after a move or a departure.
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, crew, parts and the call-out. Rekeying replaces the pin stack inside an existing cylinder so the old key no longer works and a new one does, reusing the lock body and hardware. The labour is per cylinder and repetitive, so the second and third locks on the same visit are much quicker than the first, and the parts cost is pins and a new key rather than a lock. That makes rekeying a fraction of the cost of replacement for the same practical outcome, provided the existing locks are sound and are all the same keyway.
What moves the number
- Number of cylinders, since the call-out dominates a single lock and spreads across several.
- Whether the locks share a keyway, because mixed brands cannot all be keyed to one key without changing some.
- Condition of the existing hardware, as a worn cylinder rekeyed is still a worn cylinder.
- Whether the customer wants them keyed alike, which is usually the point and is worth confirming.
Where this one goes wrong
Rekeying does not change who already has access by other means. A departing tenant with a copied key is handled, but a spare key under a mat, a code on a keypad, a garage remote or an unlocked window is not, and a customer who asked for locks changed after a difficult departure is usually worried about access in general rather than about cylinders specifically. Walk the property and raise it. Where locks are different brands, be clear before starting that keying them all alike may mean replacing some cylinders, since discovering that mid-job turns a cheap visit into an unexpected quote.
Before you quote
- Check whether all the locks share a compatible keyway before promising one key.
- Ask about spare keys, keypad codes and remotes, not just cylinders.
- Confirm the hardware is sound enough to be worth rekeying.
Questions
About this calculator
Is rekeying cheaper than replacing locks?
Considerably, when the existing hardware is sound. Rekeying changes the pins inside the cylinder so old keys stop working, reusing the lock itself, and the parts are pins and keys rather than new locks. The outcome for security against an old key is the same.
Can all my locks be keyed to one key?
If they share a compatible keyway, yes, and that is usually what people want. Mixed brands often cannot be, and getting them onto one key may mean replacing some cylinders. Worth establishing before the work starts rather than discovering halfway through.
I've just moved in. Should I rekey?
It is the standard precaution, because you have no way of knowing how many keys exist or who holds them. It is also worth thinking beyond the locks: garage remotes, keypad codes and any spare hidden outside are access routes a rekey does not touch.
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.