Yale Cylinder Lock Types Guide

March 9th, 2023

Written by Jeff Seymour

Yale as a company was founded in 1844 by Linus Yale. He was a very skilled engineer and was the first engineer to produce the pin tumbler locking mechanism.

Yale’s pin tumbler system is still used today in cylinders throughout the world. I will talk about the different types of cylinders and the levels of security each type of modern Yale cylinder achieves.

Yale Rim Cylinder

The Yale rim cylinders are a pin and tumbler system. They are used on doors and operate with a key and knob from either side of the door.

Yale produces three types of rim cylinders, and they come in two finishes, Brass or chrome.

The standard rim cylinder Yale produce is part of their essential range and can be found throughout the United Kingdom.

The second is the 1109-rim cylinder. This is an upgrade to the standard rim cylinder to make it resistant to bumping, a common practice used to gain entry without using the key supplied with the cylinder.

The third rim cylinder Yale produce is the X5 6-pin rim cylinder. This cylinder is anti-pick, anti-drill, and anti-bumping and carries the British Kitemark, showing it is insurance approved.

Yale Euro Cylinder

The euro cylinder is a different size and shape than the rim cylinder.

These types of cylinders can be seen throughout Europe. They are part of a Multipoint Locking System. Most Euro cylinders are designed to resist picking and lock snapping to bypass the cylinder and gain entry without using a key.

The standard Yale Euro cylinder is part of their essential range and produces a basic level of security.

Yale Platinum 3 Star Euro Cylinder

Yale's Platinum range of Euro cylinders is part of their high-security range.

As with all Yale cylinders, they come in two different finishes, Brass and chrome

The euro cylinder comes in many different sizes. A standard size would be 45/45, meaning from the middle of the cylinder, you can measure 45mm to each end. These cylinders still operate using the old pin and tumbler system but are engineered in a way that makes it very difficult to bypass without the key. In addition, they come with the highest certification in the United Kingdom for locks and security, this being TS007:2014.

They carry the British kitemark and are insurance approved.

These cylinders have several lines of defence, Anti-Snap, Anti-Pick, Anti-Bump, Anti-Screw, Anti-Pull and Anti-Drill.

These cylinders replaced the Superior range of Yale Euro cylinders. The Superior range and the Superior 3 Star had problems where the cylinder would jam or the key would not go into the cylinder, making it impossible to use. These can be replaced using the new Platinum cylinder.

Keyed Alike Yale Cylinders

What does keyed alike actually mean?

Keyed alike means two or more cylinders can be operated using the same key. The cylinder pins must match each cylinder. It is achieved by dismantling the cylinders and using a pinning kit to re-pin the tumbler.

Keying alike a cylinder is always a job for a professional locksmith with the experience to carry out this type of locksmithing work. If you require a locksmith in Winchester to key alike your cylinders please get in touch.

Yale Replacement Cylinders

All Yale cylinders can be replaced. Sometimes, this is known as barrel replacement.

It is always good practice to use a professional locksmith because using the locksmith's experience will ensure that the cylinder is upgraded to a better security standard and the cylinder will be fitted correctly. At the same time, the British Standard certificate is still held.