Reference
A model number is three facts, not one name.
The letters after the number are the finish and the lock function, in that order. Once you can read them, a four-hundred-line price list becomes a short list of products and two suffix tables — and you can specify a variant we have never sent you a photograph of.
159 of 518 published models carry a finish in the number itself. The rest state it in the specification instead.
587 SSBK
- 587
- Base model — light-duty cylindrical lock
- SS
- Finish — stainless steel
- BK
- Function — privacy, turn button inside
Finish codes
| Code | Meaning | Models | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSS | Satin Stainless SteelWritten out in full on 42 catalogue records as “Satin Stainless Steel (SSS)”. Solid stainless, not a plating — the colour goes all the way through. | 59 models | — |
| PSS | Polished Stainless SteelSame 42 records. Mirror polish on the same base metal as SSS. | 49 models | — |
| SS | Stainless SteelThe older unqualified form, still on the panic-exit range. Where a record carries SS rather than SSS or PSS, the polish level has not been stated — ask before specifying. | 83 models | 3431 SSET |
| PB | Polished BrassFive records spell it out, as “PB=Polish Brass” and “PB=polished brass”. | 87 models | 587 PBBK |
| AB | Antique BrassWritten out as “Antique Brass (AB)”. | 90 models | 575 ABET |
| AC | Antique CopperAppears both as the code and spelled out as a finish value on the same families. | 85 models | 575 ACET |
| CP | Chrome PlatedWritten out as “Chrome Plated (CP)”. | 79 models | 575 CPET |
| SC | Satin ChromeWritten out as “SC= Satin chrome”. | 24 models | 70610 SC |
| SN | Satin NickelWritten out as “SN=Satin Nickel”. The most common finish in the lever and cylinder ranges. | 92 models | 45 SNIK |
| NP | Nickel PlatedAppears spelled out as “Nickel-plated” on records that also carry the code. | 14 models | — |
| BN | Black NickelOne record carries “BN Black Nickle” — the factory's own spelling of the expansion. | 11 models | 45 BNIK |
| GM | Gun MetalWritten out as “Gun metal (GM)” in the catalogue and confirmed by the client on 2026-09-13 for LH852 GMBK. A dark grey, not a black. | 1 model | LH852 GMBK |
| MB | Matte BlackRecords carrying the code also carry “Matte Black” and “Matt Black” as the written value. | 15 models | 1073D MB |
| BL | BlackUnqualified black. Where the record does not also say powder-coated or painted, the process has not been stated. | 11 models | DV05 BL |
| PVD | PVDA deposition process rather than a colour — PVD names how the layer is applied, and still needs a colour beside it. | 1 model | — |
| SB | Not confirmed — askIn use on the catalogue's finish lists. Satin Brass is the common industry reading, but nothing we hold states it, and Satin Bronze and Satin Black are also live codes elsewhere in the trade. | 15 models | — |
| BP | Not confirmed — askBrass Plated and Black Powder-coat are both plausible, and records nearby carry “Powder-Coated Black” written out — which argues for the second without settling it. | 7 models | — |
| NB | Not confirmed — askListed beside AB and CP on one record without an expansion. Nickel Brushed, Natural Brass and Nickel Black are all in trade use. | 11 models | — |
| GP | Not confirmed — askSame record as NB. Gold Plated is the likely reading; we have not been told. | 5 models | — |
| CB | Not confirmed — askAppears only inside dot-separated finish lists. | 11 models | — |
| BC | Not confirmed — askAppears only inside dot-separated finish lists. Not to be read as CB reversed — both codes occur on the same record, so they are two different finishes. | 11 models | — |
| BRN | Not confirmed — askThree letters rather than two, which is unusual in this scheme. Bronze and Brown both fit. | 3 models | — |
| SP | Not confirmed — askRecords using the code also carry “Spray Painting” and “Gray Spray Painted” as written values, which suggests a sprayed coating rather than a colour. A sprayed finish needs a colour named beside the code. | 9 models | — |
| BS | Not confirmed — askUsed in the cylinder range. One unrelated record carries “Brushed Satin” written out, which is suggestive and not evidence. | 7 models | — |
| ORB | Not confirmed — askFive records. Oil Rubbed Bronze is what ORB means everywhere else in the trade, and one record nearby carries “Bronze” written out — which is close enough to be suggestive and not close enough to print. | 5 models | — |
| N | Not confirmed — askA single letter, on five records. Too short to guess from — Nickel, Natural and Nylon are all live in this catalogue's vocabulary. | 5 models | — |
| WL | Not confirmed — askTwo models only. | none published | — |
Function codes
| Code | Meaning | Models | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ET | Entrance — keyed outsideThe most common suffix in the catalogue. Key outside, turn or lever inside. | 55 models | 023 ET |
| BK | Privacy — bathroom, turn button insideNot keyed. A turn button inside and an emergency release outside — see the LH852 GMBK rose, where the coin slot is visible in the product photograph. | 26 models | 578 SNBK |
| PS | Passage — no lockingLatch only. Specified for corridors and rooms that must never be lockable. | 9 models | 023 PS |
| CL | CommunicationNamed on model 5807 SSCL. | 1 model | 5807 SSCL |
| CC | Entrance and communicationNamed on model 5870 SSCC. | 1 model | 5870 SSCC |
| CR | ClassroomNamed on model 5807 SSCR. Keyed outside only; the inside lever is always free. | 1 model | 5807 SSCR |
| EL | Exit latchNamed on model 5807 SSEL. | 1 model | 5807 SSEL |
| DK | Not confirmed — askTen cylinders carry it. Double Key — key on both sides — is the standard reading in the euro-cylinder trade, and our records for these models carry no specifications at all, so we are not printing it as fact. | 11 models | — |
| KT | Not confirmed — askSixteen cylinders. Key-and-Turn — key one side, thumbturn the other — fits the pattern beside DK, and is not confirmed. | 16 models | — |
| IK | Not confirmed — askTwo cylinders only. | 2 models | — |
| PT | Not confirmed — askOne tubular lock. | 1 model | — |
| BS | Not confirmed — askOne cylindrical lock. Shares its letters with the finish code BS, which is why the parser reads position rather than letters — see src/lib/order-code.ts. | none published | — |
Door configuration
| Code | Meaning | Models | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| S | Single doorOn panic exit devices only — 316-S carries “Door Type = Single Door”. On other ranges the same letter marks a variant we have no statement for. | 3 models | 308-S |
| D | Double doorOn panic exit devices only — 316-D carries “Door Type = Double Door”, and 309-D is named as the double-door device. A double-leaf escape door needs the coordinated pair, not two singles. | 3 models | 308-D |
A finish code is not a BHMA number.
North American specifications are written in ANSI/BHMA numbers, and those encode the base metal as well as the appearance — 626 is satin chrome on brass, 652 is the same colour on steel, and substituting one for the other is a rejected submittal. So our finish code alone cannot be converted. Each product page carries the BHMA number where the material is stated and a dash where it is not.
The unconfirmed codes in these tables are on our own question list to the factory. If you are holding a quotation that carries one, send us the full model number and we will confirm the finish before you order a sample.