Cabinet deadbolts are key-operated locks that keep a drawer or cabinet shut by sliding a solid bolt into the frame when you turn the key. You see them on reception desks, medication cabinets and file drawers. King Locksmith and Doors Inc. replaces, rekeys and installs them across Maryland, Washington DC and Northern Virginia, licensed, insured and bonded for 25 years.
Cabinet deadbolts fall under ANSI/BHMA A156.11, the cabinet lock standard. Unlike a cam lock, which swings a flat arm behind the door, a deadbolt slides a straight bolt half an inch into a strike. The body is a plug inside a threaded housing, pushed through a 3/4 inch hole and held by a rear nut.
Three details decide the fit. Cylinder length, 7/8 or 1-1/8 inch, must match drawer front thickness. Cylinder type, disc tumbler for light duty or 5-pin tumbler for security, sets how well the key holds up. Pin tumbler versions take standard keyways such as Schlage SC1, so we key drawers alike or into one master system.
A pried drawer stays shut: a square-ended bolt resists a screwdriver far better than a cam lock’s thin arm. On most models the key comes out only when locked, so an unlocked drawer is obvious at a glance.
It needs one 3/4 inch hole, so it drops into your existing drawer front. Pin tumbler versions key alike across a cabinet run or into your master system, so one key covers every drawer. Ready to upgrade a worn cam lock? We quote the swap for free.
We install cabinet deadbolts on reception desk drawers, medication and sample cabinets in clinics, pharmacy stock drawers, personnel file cabinets, retail display cases and church office cupboards, with District of Columbia medical suites calling most.
A cabinet deadbolt is the wrong choice for a sliding glass showcase, which needs a ratchet lock, and for a drawer that must lock itself when pushed shut, where a spring-latch lock fits. Not sure which lock your cabinet needs? We survey it for free.
Send a photo of the cabinet and tell us what it holds. We confirm whether a cabinet deadbolt, cam lock or spring latch fits, then price it free.
Five brands earned their place on our trucks by holding up on drawers and cabinets: parts we stock, keyways matching yours, bolts that resist prying.
Olympus deadbolts come in Schlage SC1 and interchangeable core versions, the keyed section a control key swaps out, so we key them into your system.
CompX National pin tumbler deadbolts master key cleanly, and we stock both common cylinder lengths, so a bank of file drawers is keyed alike today.
Medeco cabinet deadbolts use a restricted high security keyway, so no blank is cut without your authorization, the right choice for narcotics and cash drawers.
Hafele deadbolts ship with millwork and office furniture everywhere, and we carry matching bodies and strikes, so a worn lock is swapped without visible change.
The key turns but the bolt stays put: the drawer front swelled or the strike shifted, so the bolt binds. The whole lock spins: the rear mounting nut has worked loose, or the wood around the 3/4 inch hole has crumbled. No key at all: it left with a former employee, or snapped in the plug.
We check bolt throw against the strike, re-seat the housing, then read the keyway before picking or rekeying. Locked out tonight? Our mobile units respond 24/7. Call (240) 345-1455 in Maryland or (202) 800-2622 in Washington DC and NOVA.
Repair starts with the cheapest fix that lasts. A binding bolt gets its strike refitted; a spinning lock gets a new mounting nut or a repair washer for a worn hole. A lost or snapped key means we pick the lock, extract any fragment and rekey the plug with new pins, so the old key is dead. A cracked body means replacement.
Replacement means matching cylinder length to your drawer front, bolt throw to the strike and keyway to the keys you carry, so it drops into the existing hole, no drilling. We key it into your system on the truck, then test. Free estimates.
A failed lock on a cash or medication drawer is a liability, not a chore. Call (240) 345-1455 or book cabinet deadbolt service online.
Cabinet deadbolts secure medication cabinets, file drawers and showcases, 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 deadbolt Lock questions customers ask us most.
(240) 345-1455
A cabinet deadbolt slides a straight bolt into the frame; a cam lock swings a flat arm behind it. The bolt resists prying far better.
Yes, if it has a pin tumbler cylinder in your keyway. Most do, so one master key covers Maryland offices and drawers.
On a standard keyway, yes. We can fit a restricted keyway instead, so blanks go only to the locksmith on record.
Almost always. They mount through a standard 3/4 inch hole, and we carry every cylinder length, so NOVA retrofits take one visit.
