Buying a new lock cylinder? Read our guide.

Lock cylinders play an important part in your home or office security. This straightforward guide will tell you all you need to know before you buy.

Anti-Snap

Some cylinders are quite easy to snap, and burglars know how to target the weakest point to break into a house. So it's worth making sure you're well protected.

Standard

The weakness of a standard cylinder is the screw hole that secures the cylinder in your door. If a cylinder sticks out further than 5mm (see measuring a cylinder) from the edge of your door, someone could apply force, snap it and expose the locking mechanism, making entry easy.

Anti-Snap

An Anti-Snap cylinder has a line cut into the cylinder body, known as a sacrificial snap line. When force is applied, the cylinder snaps at this 'weak point' but the actual mechanism stays intact. The sacrificial snap line must face the outside of your door.

If you want the best security available, choose cylinders with the TS007 Kitemark.

An alternative is to strengthen the cylinder by running a laminate or steel core through the entire body of the cylinder. This makes it virtually impossible to snap.

An advantage with this type of cylinder is that either side can face the outside of your door.