Are you looking to get a master key system installed in your building? Contact The Locksmith Cardiff today to fit master key access at your house, apartment building or office buildings.

We install master key systems for all manner of customers, to offer the highest level of physical security for your family, tenants or employees. This allows the master key holder to use one key to access all the locks in the same building.

Master Keys from The Locksmith Cardiff

A master key system can be installed in new doors, or existing doors can be rekeyed to accept a master key. Master keying is the process of adjusting the pins within a lock to accept a master key, as well as one key which is cut for that specific lock. In this scenario, master keys would be held by facilities managers and the room-specific key held by tenants.

How Do Master Key Systems Work?

If you’re wondering how master keys work, here is a detailed explanation of how a master key system works.

How Locks Work

First, it’s important to understand how a lock works. A traditional lock – a pin-and-tumbler lock – consists of key pins and driver pins – or a bottom pin and top pins. These pins are designed to be displaced by the correct key and clear the plug (the main shaft of the cylinder lock).

This then allows the key to turn and open the lock. If a key is inserted which does not match the lock’s pins, the pins will obstruct the plug from turning to open the lock.

Master Wafers

To install a master key system, master wafers have to be installed between the key pins and the driver pins. These are small pieces of metal which create a separate shear line compatible with the master key.

Types of Master Key System

A common system in larger organisations, is to have multiple keys which act as a master key. There will be different keys serving different purposes within the master key system, with varying levels of access.

Great Grand Master Keys

A great grand master key has the highest level of access of all the keys and can open all the doors within a master key system. For example, if a landlord owns several apartment buildings, and this single key would access multiple doors, across locations.

Very few people should have access to this main key due to the security risk of having multiple users. Facilities managers should usually be the only ones with access to this master key.

Grand Master Keys

If the great grand master key has access to every apartment building owned by the landlord, a grand master key will open locks in just one apartment building.

Master Keys

If the grand master key has access to every lock in one apartment building, this master key would have access to just one floor of that apartment building.

These different levels of access help to control who has access to what areas within an organisation.