What is a Keyhole Escutcheon? 

Architectural Ironmongery can be a confusing place, filled with different terminology and jargon that can get confusing fast. The More Handles ‘How To’ guides series aim to break down confusing industry jargon, and help explain the differences between similar items where confusion can easily occur.

Today we are looking at Keyhole Escutcheons. The word Escutcheon is an old French word, derived from the Latin ‘scutum,’ which means ‘shield.’ The escutcheon also has the dubious honour of being probably the most mispronounced word in the architectural ironmongery industry! Correct pronunciation is - ih-skuhch-uhn.

So, what is it? The Keyhole Escutcheon is essentially a keyhole cover. It is an item of ironmongery that surrounds a Keyhole or locking Cylinder. The purpose of the escutcheon is to offer protection to your door against damage from the key, help complete the appearance of a door set of ironmongery, prevent prying eyes seeing into a room, and aid in the prevention of draughts or the ingress of dust and insects. There are three basic different types of Keyhole Escutcheon:

Standard Profile, Euro Profile, and Oval Profile. The following will attempt to outline these three escutcheons different application, and a brief explanation of the type of lock they work with.

Standard Profile Escutcheons are currently the most common escutcheon type in the UK. They are designed to work with any standard British 'Chubb' style lock. The standard profile escutcheon is meant to be used with a standard profile Sash Lock or Dead Lock. As the standard profile format leave quite a large hole in the door, some standard profile escutcheons come with a sliding cover, which covers the hole and helps prevent draughts.

The Euro Profile Escutcheon is designed specifically to work with a Euro Profile Cylinder. Euro Cylinders are commonly used on Multi-point locking systems, and can be used with a freestanding Euro Profile Sash Locks. Originally used primarily in Europe, the Euro cylinder has recently seen widespread use across the UK. They are valued for their high security and their ability to be suited locks – Most Euro cylinders can be keyed-alike and master keyed quite easily. Euro Cylinders work via internal pins, and can have added security features such as anti-pick, anti-bump, and anti-drill technology. Another benefit of Euro cylinders is that the keys are much smaller than a standard profile lock, and as such, there are no draughts or visibility through the keyhole.

Oval Profile Escutcheons are very similar to Euro profile escutcheons, except that the shape is oval, rather than a traditional keyhole, or Euro shape. Designed specifically to work with an Oval Profile Cylinder, Oval cylinders are occasionally used on multi-point locking systems, and more commonly with Oval Profile Sash Locks. Oval cylinders are identical to Euro cylinders in function and security, and were used commonly in the 1980’s and 90’s. Since then, Euro cylinders have become the standardly used item, so most of the time Oval Cylinders are used today only to replace old broken Oval Cylinders.

And that’s it! The three basic types of keyhole escutcheon. Almost all escutcheons and keyhole covers you’ll come across are a variation on the above three profiles. You will find many variants on this theme, including covered escutcheons which feature a sliding cover that drops back over the keyhole when the key is removed, euro cylinder pull escutcheons with a finger pull for pulling or pushing the door, and many variants in shape, size, and fixing style.

Escutcheons and keyhole covers are available in a wide array of finishes, including popular finishes such as brass, chrome, black, and nickel. Almost all our door handles and knobs have matching escutcheons available.

If you are struggling to find the matching keyhole cover or escutcheon for your choice of handle or lock, or would like to talk through which of the three types of lock above will be most suitable you’re your project, please don’t hesitate to give our experts a call. We regularly help customers in both residential and commercial settings to find the right locking systems to suit their unique needs, and we will be happy to help specify the correct locks, escutcheons and over door suite hardware for your home or business.

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