The average do-it-yourselfer can approach lock installation with ease. Estimate about 15 minutes for the installation of an Entry, Deadbolt, Passage, Privacy, or Dummy. An Entry Handleset can be installed in approximately 30 minutes. When installing a handleset or an entry lock with a deadbolt on the same door, take the time to align the locks so that the deadbolt locks freely when the door is shut normally.

NOTE: Doors with pre-drilled holes contribute to ease-of-installation. If a door is not pre-drilled, it may be prudent to have a qualified vendor or installer drill and mortise the door for you.

Check the technical specifications for the product you wish to install. Doors have a variety of thicknesses. Standard thickness is usually 1 3/8” or 1 3/4”.

Most locks require only a Phillips head screwdriver for installation. A handleset will require a drill and drill bit in addition to the screwdriver. Please refer to the installation sheet supplied with the lockset to make sure you have all the necessary tools.

Installation Sheets for your Yale® Lockset, can be provided by Yale® Customer Service.

Yes, you can have all your locks keyed to one key. A locksmith, the installer or dealer can assist with this. Your new locks can even be keyed to work with your existing key.

We use a 5 pin KW1 (Kwikset) keyway as standard in our Yale® New Traditions™ and Yale® Design Elements™ product lines and a 6 pin KW (Kwikset) in our Yale® YH Collection™. Any of the products can be ordered with an SC (Schlage) keyway.

Each Yale® Lockset family is available in a large assortment of finishes: 

• YaleGuardGold™
• US3 – Polished Brass
• US5 – Antique Brass
• US26 – Chrome
• US26D – Satin Chrome
• US15A – Antique Nickel
• US15 – Satin Nickel
• TB – Textured Black
• GM – Gun Metal
• US10B – Oil Rubbed Bronze
• US10BP – Oil Rubbed Bronze Permanent

Consult the Yale® product families for the selections offered in that group.

YaleGuard™ Gold, a finish exclusive to Yale®, provides added beauty and luster by utilizing real gold in the finishing process.

PVD is the abbreviation for “ Physical Vapor Deposition”. The process takes place inside a vacuum chamber where plasma vapor consisting of reactive gases of Nitrogen and Argon combine with ceramic materials and condense onto the substrates. These dense, yet thin ceramic layers are 1 to 4 hundredths of a millimeter thick and have a high hardness, high resistance to abrasion and chemical attack. It also makes for a very evenly coated, smooth, bright and shiny surface.

In most cases, no. The chassis components are different in knob and lever products. Our levers contain additional springs to help avoid having the additional weight which causes the levers to sag downward or droop.

If you received your parts from Yale®, please contact:

If you purchased your product from a retail source, return them to the source for a refund or exchange, depending on store policy.

The handing of a door is always determined by facing the exterior of a door.

• If the hinge is on the left side of the door, the door is left handed (LH).
• If the hinge is on the right side of the door, the door is right handed (RH).

To order a handed product, specify LH or RH. Not all products are handed; only specify handing when required.

Most Yale locks are designed for use on 1 3/8” to 1 3/4” doors only. We do offer extension Kits for all Yale handlesets to allow operation on 2” to 2 1/4” thick doors.

A knob and lever are interchangeable for all of our handlesets. If a Yale® New Traditions™ or Yale® YH Collection™ handleset has a knob on the interior, the knob and rose will have to be changed to allow the use of a lever.

As long as the knob or lever is specified at the time the handleset is ordered, the cost will be the same regardless of knob or lever style.

The term “ Center-to-Center” generally refers to the measurement or spacing between 2 face bores on a door. This is for doors that will have a bore for a deadbolt a  well as an operating lock. It is referred to as “ Center-to-Center” because the measurement is made from the center point of the bottom bore hole to the center point of the top bore hole.

Yale only produces 2 latch lengths. These are 2 3/8” and 2 3/4”.

This depends on the Series of product and the type of latch that is being used.

Contact Yale® Customer Service at 1-800-542-7562, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Installation Sheets for your Yale® Lockset, can be provided by Yale® Customer Service.

Do not use solvents or abrasive cleaners on any components as this will destroy the protective clearcoat finish and void the warranty.

Please use a water dampened soft cloth to remove fingerprints, a mild soap solution applied with a soft cloth will remove oil or accumulated dirt build-up.

Note: Avoid products that state on the label that they remove tarnish and rust, contain acids or caustic agents.

Yale® offers specific warranty coverage on each product line as follows:

Yale® Design Elements™ - Lifetime Limited Warranty for original owner
Yale® YH Collection™ - Lifetime Limited Warranty for original owner
Yale® New Traditions® - Lifetime Limited Warranty for original owner
Yale® YE EDGE™ - 1 year finish & 5 year mechanical operation

Warranty details are available here.

The Yale® Lifetime Limited Warranty is one of the most extensive in the industry. It warrants against all defects in workmanship, materials and operation for our Residential line of products (Yale® Design Elements™, Yale® YH Collection™, Yale® New Traditions®, and Interconnected Series) for as long as such lockset is used by the original end user of the product.

YALE RESIDENTIAL SECURITY PRODUCTS, INC. does not warrant defects with respect to any products that we determine were improperly installed or were the consequences of uses for which our products were not designed. This warranty does not cover finish defects caused by the use of paints, solvents, or other chemicals which come in contact with the lockset or resulting because the products were otherwise operated, maintained, repaired or altered improperly or contrary to our applicable instructions. This warranty shall expire at such time as the original end user of the warranted product transfers ownership thereof to any other person.

Yale® will replace your lockset with a new lockset if it is still under warranty and it can’ t be repaired with replacement parts. Our warranty covers replacement of any defective parts whether function or finish is the issue. If we determine your lockset can be repaired with parts, then parts will be sent to you at no charge.

We will determine whether locksets returned for repair or replacement, qualify for repair or replacement under this warranty; if they do not, we will notify our customer of estimated cost of repair or replacement and will obtain authorization prior to proceeding. We have no liability to pay any costs to repairs performed by anyone other than us, unless in each instance we have given written approval to such repair.

Cosmetic claims will be replaced only one time at no charge.

No, labor charges are not included. Yale® shall not be responsible for any costs incurred for the removal or reinstallation of locksets under the terms of the warranty.

U.L. is an abbreviation for Underwriters Laboratories. U.L. is a testing and regulation organization that is generally associated with products designed to meet fire codes. U.L. listed product are available from Yale® upon request with a surcharge. Underwriters Laboratories tested products from Yale® require a special fire shield, latch, and the correct strike be used.

The Americans with Disabilities Act was established to provide equal opportunities for individuals with disabilities throughout all aspects of life and a major part of this is accessibility to public accommodations. To simplify this as related to locks, it requires hardware that does not require tight grasping, tight pinching or twisting of the wrist to operate or open a door. Many of the leversets that we offer will provide for ease of use as established by the A.D.A.Guidelines.

These are certification standards ratings developed for the U.S. that provide an easy reference to the strength, security, and durability of a lock. In other words, a Grade 3 lock is not as strong as a lock rated at Grade 2. As an example, for a lock to pass Grade 3 standards it must endure 200,000 cycles of opening and closing where as a Grade 2 lock must pass 400,000 cycles. The strength is also tested in increased severity as applied to forced entry through a door.

We are aware that an individual has demonstrated how he was capable of manipulating a Yale deadbolt, thereby creating a potential security lapse.  We take all such assertions and demonstrations regarding our products extremely seriously. As we all know, no lock/deadbolt is, or could claim to be, completely invulnerable to all forms of attack, especially when a person has the time, skill, and knowledge to do so. As part of our continuous improvement efforts, we have developed a part that adds an additional amount of security to the deadbolt . If you would like to see if your lock may be eligible  for this upgrade, please click here.