Reference
Finish codes. 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.
156 of 535 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 catalog records as “Satin Stainless Steel (SSS)”. Solid stainless, not a plating — the color goes all the way through. | 85 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. | 84 models | 3431 SSET |
| PB | Polished BrassFive records spell it out, as “PB=Polish Brass” and “PB=polished brass”. | 86 models | 587 PBBK |
| AB | Antique BrassWritten out as “Antique Brass (AB)”. | 86 models | 575 ABET |
| AC | Antique CopperAppears both as the code and spelled out as a finish value on the same families. | 80 models | 575 ACET |
| CP | Chrome PlatedWritten out as “Chrome Plated (CP)”. | 76 models | 575 CPET |
| SC | Satin ChromeWritten out as “SC= Satin chrome”. | 22 models | 70610 SC |
| SN | Satin NickelWritten out as “SN=Satin Nickel”. The most common finish in the lever and cylinder ranges. | 93 models | 45 SNIK |
| NP | Nickel PlatedAppears spelled out as “Nickel-plated” on records that also carry the code. | 13 models | — |
| BN | Black NickelOne record carries “BN Black Nickle”, our own spelling of the expansion. | 11 models | 45 BNIK |
| GM | Gun MetalWritten out as “Gun metal (GM)” in the catalog, and confirmed for LH852 GMBK. A dark gray, not a black. | 1 model | LH852 GMBK |
| MB | Matte BlackRecords carrying the code also carry “Matte Black” and “Matt Black” as the written value. | 52 models | 1073D MB |
| BL | BlackUnqualified black. Where the record does not also say powder-coated or painted, the process has not been stated. | 13 models | 8829 BL |
| PVD | PVDA deposition process rather than a color — PVD names how the layer is applied, and still needs a color beside it. | 1 model | — |
| SB | Satin BrassBrass, brushed rather than polished. The satin counterpart to BP/PB. | 16 models | 803 SBET |
| BP | Polished Brass⚠ Same finish as PB, with the letters reversed — and PB is the form written out in full on five catalog records. BP/PB and NB/BN are the two reversal pairs in this table; they are the most likely place for a finish to be ordered wrong. | 6 models | — |
| NB | Black Nickel⚠ This is the same finish as BN, two rows above, with the letters the other way round. Both are in use on catalog records. Quote the model's own code as printed and do not normalise it. | 10 models | — |
| GP | Polished GoldA bright gold plate. The only gold in the range — nothing else here shares it, so GP is unambiguous on an order. | 5 models | — |
| CB | Bright Chrome⚠ Same finish as BC. One record lists both CB and BC; read it as one finish written twice. Confirm against a sample before a first order. | 11 models | — |
| BC | Bright ChromeSame finish as CB; see that row. Both spellings appear in the catalog and neither is being retired, so read whichever the model prints. | 10 models | — |
| BRN | Black⚠ Read this one carefully if you know the letters from elsewhere: in general trade use BRN reads as brown or bronze, and here it does not — we use it for black. ORB and BL are also black in this catalog. Three codes, one color. | 3 models | — |
| SP | Polished Stainless SteelSame finish as PSS at the top of this table, on a shorter code. Solid stainless, not a plating. | 9 models | 607 SPET |
| BS | Satin⚠ It states the polish level and not the metal — satin stainless and satin brass carry the same factory term and are not interchangeable. Where a model prints BS alone, ask which base metal before specifying, exactly as with SS. | 8 models | 592 BSET |
| ORB | Black⚠ In North American usage ORB is oil-rubbed bronze, a dark brown with copper showing through the wear points. It does not mean that here. If a drawing calls for oil-rubbed bronze, this code will not supply it — ask. | 3 models | — |
| N | Not confirmed — askA single letter, on five records. Too short to guess from — Nickel, Natural and Nylon are all live in this catalog's vocabulary. | 3 models | — |
| WL | WhiteA coating, so the color is on the surface — treat it as you would MB for wear at the strike and around the fixings. | none published | — |
Function codes
| Code | Meaning | Models | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ET | Entrance, keyed outsideThe most common suffix in the catalog. 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. | 11 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 | Double keyEight cylinders and one lock case carry it (counted 2026-09-22). Factory-confirmed: DK is the cylinder that opens with a key from both sides. Buyers use this code in different ways and there is no industry-wide standard for it, so if you write DK on an inquiry, state the function you need in words as well — we confirm it with you before quoting, because the code alone does not settle it. | 10 models | 54 DK |
| KT | Not confirmed — askTwelve cylinders, on the 60, 65, 70, 80 and 90mm lengths (counted 2026-09-22). Key-and-Turn — key one side, thumbturn the other — fits the pattern beside DK, and is not confirmed. | 16 models | — |
| IK | Not confirmed — askThree cylinders (counted 2026-09-22), and all three are the shortest in the range — 45, 45 and 47mm. A 45mm overall is below what a double euro cylinder needs, so the pattern is consistent with a single-sided cylinder. That is a pattern, not a confirmation, and it stays unconfirmed until we confirm it in writing. | 2 models | — |
| PT | Not confirmed — askOne tubular lock. | 1 model | — |
| BS | Not confirmed — askOne cylindrical lock. It shares its letters with the finish code BS, so read the code by position: the function comes after the finish. | 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. | 4 models | 306-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. | 4 models | 306-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 color 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 still being checked against our production records. 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.