Knowledge base · Technical note
How many locks does a self storage facility need?
Order too few and you are back at the MOQ threshold in three months. Order too many and you tie up cash in a drawer. Here is a framework for getting close on the first pass.
Start with a real unit count, not a round number
Count units that will actually take a lock, not total rentable units. Exclude offices, restrooms, corridors and any unit already served by a different lock type.
Then split by door type. A site with 400 units may have 320 hasp doors, 60 cylinder doors and 20 roll-up doors — and those are three separate orders, not one.
Add a spare ratio
Spares are not waste; they are the difference between a five-minute fix and a three-week wait. A practical starting point:
- 5–8% over the unit count for a single-site facility.
- 8–12% where the site is remote, or where a second order would be slow to arrive.
Spares cover units you missed on the count, damage during fit-out, and the first few replacements before the next order.
Do not forget the non-tenant locks
These are the ones most often missed on a first order:
- Manager and staff keys — enough for normal rotation plus a documented reserve.
- Overlock hardware — for vacant units and delinquent accounts. Sized to your normal vacancy rate, not to the whole site.
- Gate, office and maintenance-room locks — usually on the same key schedule, so they belong in the same order.
- Model unit and show unit — small numbers, easy to overlook.
Worked example — 400-unit facility, hasp doors
| Item | Qty | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Tenant unit locks | 320 | Hasp-door units |
| Spares at 8% | 26 | Count errors, fit-out damage, early replacements |
| Manager / staff keys | 6 | Rotation plus a documented reserve |
| Overlock hardware | 20 | Normal vacancy and delinquency level |
| Office and gate | 8 | Same key schedule |
| First order total | ≈ 380 units | Plus the 60 cylinder doors and 20 roll-up doors as separate lines |
Plan the second order before you place the first
The number that actually matters is not the first order — it is whether the second order matches it. Record the model, cylinder size, finish and keying against the site before the first delivery arrives. A replacement cylinder bought two years later should open with the key the tenant is already holding.
Confirm it on your own doors
Send a door photo, the cylinder size or the mounting dimensions. We confirm fit with a physical sample before you commit to a quantity.
What readers ask next
The first count is done, and a second pass is needed.
Can a second order be smaller than the first?
The minimum comes from how the batch is produced, not from how you phase it. Tell us the second-order quantity when you place the first and both can be confirmed against one specification.
Can you help us count before the build is finished?
Yes. Work from the door schedule rather than the finished unit count, and count the non-tenant doors separately. Send the drawing at whatever stage it is and we will say what is still missing.
What happens if we over-order?
Locks do not expire, so the exposure is cash and storage space rather than waste. If the count is uncertain, order phase one plus spares and confirm the rest once the unit count is real.