Guide · New
Multi-Site Lock Rollout: Phasing, Delivery and Handover
A specification says what to buy; a rollout decides when each site gets it. Phase dates, per-site delivery, handover packs and version control.
Knowledge base
Self-storage lock buying guides and notes
34 practical guides for the people who specify, order and install self-storage hardware — from choosing a lock type to planning a multi-site key system.
Recently added3 guides
Published in the last update cycle.
Guide · New
Compliance Documents for a US Self-Storage Project
What a US specification usually names, who is entitled to issue each document, and what a supplier outside the United States can and cannot provide.
Guide
Electronic Padlocks for Self Storage: What Actually Fits
Temperature range, radio approval and app integration decide whether an electronic padlock belongs on a unit.
Sourcing by Buyer Type: Operators, Distributors & OEM5 guides
Who you are changes what you need. Playbooks for multi-site operators, single-facility owners, distributors, door manufacturers and store brands.
Guide
Working with Multi-Site Operators: One Spec, Every Site
Standardising a lock specification across sites, and the decisions that must be written down.
Guide
Working with Single-Facility Owners: The First Order
The three numbers to settle first, how many spares to hold, and how small orders work.
Guide
Working with Distributors: Repeat Supply and Private Label
Repeatable parts, resale packaging and private label without the cost of a new mold.
Guide
Working with Door and Hardware Suppliers: Components
Locks and latches as door components: fit, keying, bulk packing and documentation.
Guide
Working with OEM and Store Brands: Logo to Production
What OEM covers, when tooling is justified, and how change control protects your brand.
Custom Orders, Samples & Quality Control4 guides
How a custom or coded order runs: logo proofs, serial number files, fit samples, pre-shipment records — and why two quotes for the same lock differ.
Guide
From Logo File to Approved Sample: How a Custom Order Runs
The five steps of a custom order, and where custom orders most often go wrong.
Guide
Confirming Door Fit Before Production: Sample, Not Drawing
What a physical sample proves that a drawing cannot, and how fit is confirmed.
Guide
What You Receive Before the Goods Ship: Records and Photos
Specification, proof, photographs and inspection records before the goods leave.
Guide
Why Two Quotes for the Same Lock Differ — and How to Compare
The five variables inside a lock price, and how to compare two quotes properly.
Choosing a Lock: Type, Size & Material6 guides
Disc lock or cylinder, 17 mm or 19 mm, SS201 or SS304, keyed or combination — chosen by the door, not by a catalogue.
Guide
Disc Lock or Cylinder Lock? Choosing by Door Type
How unit doors, corridor doors and roll-up doors each change the hardware decision.
Guide
SS201 or SS304 for Outdoor Storage Units?
Corrosion behaviour in exposed and coastal sites, and how to specify it.
Guide
How to Measure a Storage Cylinder Lock (17 mm vs 19 mm)
Identify 17 mm vs 19 mm, and what to photograph for an accurate quote.
Guide
Combination or Keyed Padlock for Storage Units?
How each option changes key management, onboarding and staff workload.
Guide
Shrouded vs Standard Padlocks: The Exposed Shackle
How a shrouded body changes attack resistance, and what it does not fix.
Guide
Electronic Padlocks for Self Storage: What Actually Fits
Temperature range, radio approval and app integration decide whether an electronic padlock belongs on a unit.
Facility Planning & Key Systems6 guides
How many locks to buy, how to key them, master-key hierarchy across sites, overlock hardware and multi-site rollout.
Guide
Planning a Storage Key System Before You Order Locks
Keyed alike, keyed different and manager keys — the five answers we ask for.
Guide
How Many Locks Does a Self Storage Facility Need?
Unit count, spare ratio, manager keys and replacement stock in one framework.
Guide
Master Key Hierarchy: Designing Multi-Site Access
Tenant, group, site, regional and group keys — and what must be decided first.
Guide
Standardising Locks Across Multiple Sites
Writing a lock specification that survives staff changes and re-orders.
Guide
Overlock vs Lockout: Which Hardware for Vacant Units
How each works, how to choose, and why fit is verified on a sample door.
Guide
Multi-Site Lock Rollout: Phasing, Delivery and Handover
How a rollout differs from a specification: phase dates, per-site delivery and handover packs.
Day-to-Day Operations & Repairs4 guides
Lost tenant keys, replacing cylinders without rekeying everyone, securing vacant units, and fixing a roll-up door that will not latch.
Guide
What to Do When a Tenant Loses a Storage Key
Rekey, replace or accept the exposure — cost and risk of each option.
Guide
Replacing Cylinders Without Changing Every Tenant's Key
Keeping the existing key working, and when a full rekey is unavoidable.
Guide
Securing Vacant Units: A Facility Checklist
Hardware, inspection routine, record keeping and shift handover.
Guide
Fixing a Roll-Up Door That Won't Stay Latched
Four checks in order, so you replace the right part the first time.
Buying, Pricing & Supplier Comparison4 guides
MOQ and how to phase a first order, landed cost from EXW to DDP, sample evaluation, and the questions that separate a supplier from a trader.
Guide
How to Evaluate a Self Storage Lock Supplier: 9 Questions
Nine questions that separate a manufacturer from a trader.
Guide
Landed Cost: EXW vs FOB vs CIF vs DDP for Storage Hardware
What each term covers, what it hides, and how to compare on landed cost.
Guide
Sample Evaluation Checklist Before a Bulk Order
Dimensions, keying, finish, function, packaging and documentation.
Guide
MOQ and How to Phase a First Self Storage Order
Phasing by model, validating with samples, and what to do below the threshold.
Compliance, Testing & Site Types5 guides
US standards versus ISO/CE/RoHS, what salt-spray testing does and does not prove, compliance documents, and how climate-controlled or converted sites change the spec.
Guide
ISO, CE and RoHS vs US Standards: What Actually Applies
What each certification does and does not mean for a US project.
Guide
Salt Spray Testing: What It Does and Does Not Tell You
Why hours are not a service life, and what to ask about a report.
Guide
Converting a Building to Self Storage: Hardware Checklist
Door survey, locking points, key plan, overlocks, spares and phasing.
Guide
Climate-Controlled vs Drive-Up Units: How the Spec Changes
Corrosion exposure, door types, lock access and key management by unit type.
Guide
Compliance Documents for a US Self-Storage Project
What a US specification names, who can issue each document, and what we cannot provide.
Reference tables
The parameters buyers ask about most often, in one place.
| Decision | Option A | Option B | How to choose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lock type | Disc padlock (hasp door) | Cylinder lock (cam / mortise door) | Look at the door preparation, not the product photo. |
| Material | SS201 | SS304 | Indoor and covered → SS201. Exposed and coastal → SS304. |
| Keying | Keyed alike | Keyed different | Groups under one operator → alike. Maximum tenant separation → different. |
| Access | Keyed | Combination | Facility issues locks → keyed. No key management → combination. |
| Fit confirmation | Drawing | Physical sample | Use the sample. It is the only method that catches a 1 mm hole offset. |
Project experience
How we have supported facility and door-manufacturer projects. Customer names and volumes are shared under NDA, so this page describes the work rather than naming clients.