The Weight of a Key

The weight of a key can be important when you have to carry several keys in your pocket. It can also be really important when you need to ship a key somewhere. It is also something most people have never really considered.

How Much Does A Key Weigh

The average key used for most locks, like door locks and car keys weighs roughly 4.8 ounces or 0.3 pounds.

Types of Keys

Skeleton Keys

These keys were designed to unlock locks that were obstructed and when you think of them you think of the giant keys. It was a heavy key and most people left them in the house they were used in they did not carry them around in their pockets.

Another type of skeleton key is a barrel key. The difference between the barrel key and the traditional skeleton key is the lighter weight of the barrel style.

Barrel keys were made hollow so they weighed a lot less than skeleton keys and they could do the same thing the skeleton key could do.

Bit Keys

These keys are made from metal blanks. They are designed to work in cars, houses, and many other types of locks. You could at one time go to a hardware store or lock shop and have duplicates of keys made and the result was a bit key.

Bit keys normally weigh about the same amount as the original key that came with the lock.

Sewing Machine Keys

The antique treadle sewing machines came with a key that works like a skeleton key. These keys are small and they have a barrel but they lack the bit to make them fit a particular lock.

Skate Keys

Skate keys were used to unlock your roller skates so you could expand them and make them fit over your shoes. When the skate was fitted properly the key was then used to tighten the skate wheels to the shoe so they did not come off while you were skating.

Interchangeable Keys

There is some keys that are designed to fit more than one lock. These are very rare keys that were once owned by apartment building owners and office buildings that had several locks and needed one person to have a method of entering all of those locks.

Key Sizes

You will find that keys come in a lot of different sizes.

You can get a tiny little key that will open small locks on private journals and jewelry boxes.

Some cabinets and pieces of furniture have locks on some of the drawers and there is a small key that works these locks.

Keys continue to graduate in size according to the size of the lock they are required to open.

“Key” Components

Keys are not all made from the same metals. The most frequently used metal in key fabrication is steel. You can also find keys made of brass, iron, and other metals.

Many product manufacturers use nickel, aluminum, and zinc to create their keys from. Generally, price and metal availability are contributing factors that make a manufacturer choose one metal over the others for their keys.

Iron keys are not very popular because they are heavier and they have a tendency to rust. In the early days of lock and key formation iron was frequently used.

You will find keys made in different colors and even in different shapes. These unique alterations to the look of the common key help people to quickly identify which key fits which lock.

Fun Fact

The average person carries no less than three keys with them at all times.

FAQ‘s

How Heavy is A Key in Oz?

The average key weighs 0.3 pounds or 4.8 ounces.

What Is A Key Weight?

When speaking of a key weight you are referencing a piano key, not a lock and key. The keys are weighted or semi-weighted to reduce the amount of pressure needed when depressing the keys.

How Much Do Car Keys Weigh?

The average key weighs 4.8 ounces and the average key-fob for a car weighs 3.80 ounces.

How Much Does A Kwikset Key Weigh?

A Kwikset key averages a weight of 0.3 pounds.

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