ARE INTERCHANGEABLE CORE LOCKS RIGHT FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

The need to change locks and keys is a common reality in today’s business environment – whether due to personnel turnover, compromised keys, vandalism, scheduled security or key control measures.  As the frequency or immediacy of rekeying or the number of keyed cylinders increases, the associated costs in time and money can rise significantly.

Interchangeable cores (or IC) offer a convenient and flexible solution that can lower life-cycle costs that are associated with frequent or unplanned rekeying needs with traditional cylinders and keys.

Interchangeable Core in Interchangeable Housing 

There are two primary types of interchangeable cores, the Best-format, commonly known as Small Format IC (SFIC), and the various styles of Large Format IC called removable core.  Due to the special configuration of the locking cores’ figure-eight shape, interchangeable cores will not fit into conventional cylinder holes.

Interchangeable Core Cylinder     

Conventional Lever or Knob Cylinder         
 

Depending on the types of existing hardware, some or all of the devices may need to be replaced with IC-compatible locksets or IC-compatible cylinder housings.  Below are examples of hardware that can be easily converted to interchangeable core.

Screw-in cylinders in many panic bars, storefront aluminum doors and door alarms are the easiest and least costly to convert to IC without the need to replace the primary device.  Only the appropriate cylinder housing and keyed core are exchanged to integrate the devices into your updated access control system.  Almost all stand-alone access control hardware, such as the Schlage AD or Schlage CO lock is available to accept interchangeable core cylinders.

Interchangeable Core Housing

In the event most of the existing hardware is conventional knobs, levers or deadbolts, the initial costs will be higher to replace locksets with those set up to accept interchangeable cores.  However, only the initial installation and setup of the new locks and cores will require a New Hampshire locksmith service; in the future the security manager or property owner can exchange cores and issue new keys simply by keeping a spare set of cores and keys at hand and using a special control key to remove and replace each core.  Afterward, the old set of cores can be sent to, or dropped off at, NH Safe and Lock to be re-pinned with a new set of keys for future use.

New Hampshire Safe and Lock has the technical expertise as well as the installation and integration experience to match your security needs with the appropriate access control locks and associated hardware.  We are the premier full-spectrum New Hampshire locksmith company servicing traditional, commercial, governmental and high security DOD and GSA customers throughout New England for over 35 years.