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Pinning calculator for Kwikset and Schlage

Type the cuts on the key and get the pin for every chamber. Add a master key and it works out the master pins too, checks MACS, draws the stacks and prints a pinning card.

Lock and keys

Example keys from the maker's manual

Depths 1 to 7, MACS 4. Cuts read bow to tip.

5 digits, first cut nearest the bow. Spaces or dashes are fine.

Kwikset 5-pin (KW1) specs
Depth step
.023"
Depths
1 to 7 (#7 for builders' and master keys only)
MACS
4
Progression
Single-step allowed
Cut spacing
.247", .397", .547", .697", .847" from the shoulder
Root depths
1: .329", 2: .306", 3: .283", 4: .260", 5: .237", 6: .214", 7: .191"

Pins for each chamber

Pins for each chamber, first chamber nearest the bow
ChamberCuts (key 1 / key 2)Bottom pinMaster pinTop pin
15 / 3#3 (.218")#2 (.046").160"
24 / 4#4 (.241")None.160"
36 / 2#2 (.195")#4 (.092").160"
43 / 5#3 (.218")#2 (.046").160"
55 / 2#2 (.195")#3 (.069").160"

Chamber 1 is nearest the bow. Master keyed, so every chamber takes a .160" top pin, not the standard .180".

Check against your manufacturer's pinning chart before you load the plug.

Chamber diagram

13+22432+443+252+3
Bottom pinMaster pinTop pinShear line with key 1Where the master key lines up

Pinning card

Pinning card

Date: ______________

Door or job
Unit 4, front door
Lock
Kwikset 5-pin (KW1)
Key 1
54635
Master key
34252
ChamberBottomMasterTop
1#3#2.160"
2#4None.160"
3#2#4.160"
4#3#2.160"
5#2#3.160"

Chamber 1 is nearest the bow. Check against your manufacturer's pinning chart. Made with the free pinning calculator at lockcommand.com/tools.

Snap the printed card and add it to the job with before and after photos, so the next tech knows how that lock is pinned.

Keep job photos in LockCommand

How to use it

Rekeying a residential cylinder comes down to one rule. The cut number on the key is the bottom pin number. A 4 cut takes a #4 bottom pin, in both Kwikset and Schlage. The calculator does that lookup for every chamber, adds master pins when two keys must work, and catches the keys that can't be cut in the first place.

How to use it

  1. Pick the lock: Kwikset or Schlage, 5 or 6 pins.
  2. Type the customer's key, first cut nearest the bow. Read it with a key gauge or from the code. 54635, 5-4-6-3-5 and 5 4 6 3 5 all work.
  3. For a master keyed cylinder, add the master key. For a lock that two different change keys must open, pick "Second change key".
  4. Load the pins from the table, test both keys, then print the card or save it as a PDF for the job file.

What the numbers mean

With two keys, the smaller cut in each chamber is the bottom pin and the difference between the two cuts is the master pin. No difference means no master pin. Kwikset steps are .023" and Kwikset sells master pins #1 to #6. Schlage steps are .015", and Schlage makes no #1 master pin because its systems use two-step progression, so two keys whose cuts are one apart in any chamber can't share a Schlage cylinder. The tool stops you there.

Top pins differ by brand. Kwikset uses one .180" top pin, and .160" top pins in every chamber of a master keyed cylinder. Schlage picks the top pin by the chamber's bottom plus master number: 0 to 3 takes a #1, 4 to 6 a #2, and 7 to 9 a #3.

MACS is the biggest difference allowed between two cuts side by side. Go past it and the pins can't ride over the steep step, so the key may not go in, or won't come back out. Kwikset is 4 and Schlage is 7.

A worked example from the Kwikset manual

Tenant key 5-4-6-3-5, master key 3-4-2-5-2. The smaller cut in each chamber gives bottom pins 3-4-2-3-2. The differences give master pins 2-0-4-2-3. Chamber 2 has no master pin because both keys have a 4 there. That's the example the tool opens with, so you can check it against page 20 of the manual.

Specs used

SpecKwiksetSchlage
Depth step.023".015"
Depths1 to 7 (#7 for builders' keys)0 to 9
MACS47
Bottom pins#1 .172" to #6 .287"#0 .165" to #9 .300"
Master pins#1 to #6#2 to #9

Sources

Last checked October 2026.

Check against your manufacturer's pinning chart before you load a plug. Specs can change between product lines.

Questions

Does the cut number always match the bottom pin number?
For Kwikset and Schlage residential cylinders, yes. Kwikset's rekey manual says the key cut numbers correspond to the numbered bottom pins in the kit, and Schlage numbers its bottom pins 0 to 9 to match its depths.
Why won't it let me master key two Schlage keys that are one cut apart?
Schlage doesn't make a #1 master pin. Its systems use two-step progression, so the cuts on two keys in the same chamber should differ by 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8.
Which top pins go in a master keyed Kwikset?
Kwikset's manual says to use the .160 inch top pins in a master keyed cylinder, not the standard .180 inch ones.
Can I use a #7 cut on a Kwikset key?
Kwikset reserves the #7 cut for builders' keys, so it shows up on master and construction keys. The tool warns you if a customer's key has one, because Kwikset kits don't include a #7 bottom pin.
Does it handle 6-pin locks?
Yes, Kwikset and Schlage 6-pin. On a 6-pin Kwikset key the extra cut sits one space ahead of the first 5-pin cut, nearest the bow. Kwikset calls it the 0 position.

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