Cam locks secure the small openings every property depends on: file cabinets, mailboxes, display cases, desk drawers and server racks across Maryland, Washington DC and Northern Virginia. A cam lock is a keyed cylinder that rotates a flat metal cam behind the frame to hold the panel shut. We replace, rekey and install them, backed by 25 years in business.
A cam lock is the simplest chassis we service: a plug and cylinder body, a threaded barrel with mounting nut, a stop washer that sets rotation, and a straight or offset cam that turns behind the frame. Most run disc tumbler wafers; pin tumbler and tubular versions cover higher duty, all governed by ANSI/BHMA A156.11.
Fit comes down to two measurements: the 3/4 inch mounting hole, double-D punched to stop spin, and cylinder length matched to panel thickness, from 5/8 to 1-3/4 inch. Keying ranges from keyed-alike disc tumbler families to Olympus housings running SC1 cylinders or SFIC cores, which is how DMV facility teams fold cabinets into master systems.
The advantage is economy of motion: one cylinder and one cam secure a panel in a quarter or half turn, with no latch, strike or edge prep to cut. That makes cam locks the lowest-cost keyed opening on any property.
Because the 3/4 inch prep is near universal, upgrades slide into existing holes: swap wafer cylinders for pin tumbler, or move to SFIC housings so one control key manages every core. Fifty drawers keyed alike is an afternoon’s work. Ready to standardize? Book us.
We service cam locks daily on file cabinets and desk pedestals in District of Columbia office suites, mailbox banks in multifamily lobbies, retail display cases, medication and supply cabinets, and locker doors, most of them standard 3/4 inch, double-D preps.
A cam lock is the wrong answer on any entry or passage door, where a deadlatching bored lockset belongs, and basic wafer cylinders underprotect high-theft cases better served by pin tumbler upgrades. Not sure which fits your opening? We survey it free.
Tell us the panel thickness, the keyway and the count of openings. We match the correct cam lock from stock and install it same visit.
We stock CompX National disc tumbler and pin tumbler cam locks in multiple cylinder lengths, so most cabinet replacements are matched and installed same visit.
Olympus cabinet housings accept Schlage cylinders and small format interchangeable cores, letting us key drawers and doors into the master system your building already runs.
When a wafer cam lock keeps getting picked or pried, we step the opening up to Medeco's hardened, key-controlled cam cylinders without changing the prep.
Three calls dominate. The key turns but nothing opens: the cam retaining screw has backed out or the cam has stripped off the plug’s tail. The cylinder spins in the panel: the mounting nut has loosened or the double-D washer is missing. And lost keys, the most common cabinet lockout.
On arrival we check cam engagement and rotation stops first, then wafer wear against a code-cut key, then the nut and washer stack behind the panel. Locked out? Our mobile units respond 24/7. Call (240) 345-1455 in Maryland or (202) 800-2622 in Washington DC and NOVA.
Repair starts on our trucks: replacement cams in straight and offset patterns, retaining screws, mounting nuts, stop washers and wafer pinning kits. We re-secure a spinning cylinder, refit stripped cams, cut keys to code, and rekey wafer or pin tumbler plugs. When the plug is worn oval, repair loses to replacement.
We recommend replacement after pry damage, for discontinued keyways, or to run one key across every cabinet. We match panel thickness, cylinder length, cam offset and finish, so installation reuses the existing prep with no new drilling, keyed alike or into your master system, fully tested before we leave.
A cabinet that will not lock is an open drawer to anyone passing by. Call (240) 345-1455 now or book cam lock service online.
Cam locks secure mailrooms, file cabinets and display cases, but every door has its match. Browse our lock type resources below to see each function, its applications and our services.
Straight answers from King Locksmith Technicans to on Cabinet Locks questions customers ask us most.
(240) 345-1455
A 3/4 inch hole, usually double-D, with cylinder length matched to panel thickness.
Yes. Interchangeable core housings take small format cores, swapped with a control key.
Yes, where the housing accepts your keyway; we key cabinets under your existing door master.
Cabinet locks grade under ANSI/BHMA A156.11; high-traffic commercial cabinets deserve the highest grade the budget allows.
