Deadbolt Installation Cost: What Goes Into the Quote

Why the price on the box is the wrong place to start

Most people price a deadbolt job by looking up the lock. That number is real, but it is often not the biggest line on the bill. The trip, the labor and whatever the door needs to accept the new lock can add up to more than the hardware.

So the useful question is not "how much is the lock" but "what work does my door need." Once you can answer that, you can predict your deadbolt installation cost far better than any average on a cost website, and you can read a quote and see whether it makes sense.

The five lines in a deadbolt installation cost quote

Every honest quote we have seen, ours included, breaks down into the same few pieces. Some companies show them separately and some roll them into one number, but the parts are always there.

1. 01

   Trip or service call

   Getting a technician and a stocked vehicle to your door. Often a flat fee or a minimum charge.

2. 02

   Labor

   Time on site to remove the old lock, fit the new one, adjust the strike and test the bolt.

3. 03

   Hardware

   The deadbolt itself, plus any strike, reinforcer or extra keys.

4. 04

   Door work

   New bores, enlarging old holes, chiseling the jamb or reinforcing the strike.

5. 05

   Timing

   After-hours, weekend or emergency rates applied to the labor line.

Text version of this diagram

1. Trip or service call: the cost of getting a technician and vehicle to the address.
2. Labor: time spent removing, fitting, adjusting and testing.
3. Hardware: the lock, strike, reinforcement parts and keys.
4. Door work: drilling new holes, enlarging old ones or reinforcing the jamb, only when needed.
5. Timing: higher rates outside regular hours, only when applicable.

When two quotes for the same job differ a lot, compare them line by line. Usually one company has assumed door work the other has not, or one has quoted the lock and the other has quoted a better one.

Factors that move a deadbolt quote up or down

This table covers the variables we ask about before giving a price. Each one changes a specific line of the quote, which is why deadbolt installation cost can differ so much for the same lock on two different doors.

Lock rating and type

Residential deadbolts certified to ANSI/BHMA A156.40 are rated A, B or C separately for security, durability and finish, with A the best. A lock like the Schlage B60 lists Grade AAA under that standard and Grade 1 under the older A156.36 auxiliary lock scale. Our explainer on ANSI and BHMA deadbolt grades covers how to read those labels.

The rating mostly changes the hardware line. High security locks with UL 437 listed cylinders, such as Schlage Primus, also change future costs, because their keys are tightly controlled and cannot be copied at a hardware store kiosk.

Smart vs mechanical

A smart deadbolt carries a higher price on two lines at once. The hardware costs more, and we spend time on pairing, codes and testing the motor against the strike, not just fitting the lock. Alignment matters more with a motorized bolt, so a door that needed a hard push to lock before will need adjusting before the job is done.

New holes vs existing holes

This is the biggest single swing in deadbolt installation cost. A standard residential deadbolt needs a 2-1/8" cross bore through the door face, a 1" edge bore, and a backset of 2-3/8" or 2-3/4", according to Schlage's installation instructions. If those holes already exist and match the new lock, there is no drilling at all.

If the door has no deadbolt, we have to bore both holes, cut the bolt mortise, and cut a strike pocket into the jamb. That is the work covered on our deadbolt lock installation page, and it is why a first-time install is quoted higher than a straight swap.

Door material

On an existing prep, the door material barely matters. When new holes are needed, metal and fiberglass doors take different cutting care than solid wood, and a glass panel close to the lock limits where a bore can go. Expect a locksmith to ask what the door is made of before quoting new holes.

Number of locks and keying

The trip charge is paid once per visit, so a second and third lock spread it out. Keying is the hidden extra: Schlage notes that locks bought together each need a different key by default unless they are ordered keyed alike. Setting them all to one key on site is a separate step, covered on our keyed alike deadbolts page.

After-hours rates and travel minimums

Locksmith Ledger's 2024 reader price survey put average labor at $104 per hour during regular hours and $151 per hour for emergency or after-hours work. The magazine describes the survey as not scientific, so treat the gap as an indication, not a rule.

The same survey averaged $94 for a service call. Many companies also have a minimum charge, so a small job such as tightening one lock may cost the same as a longer one.

Published national figures and their limits

These are the only national figures we found from sources we could read and verify. They are typical figures from cost publishers, they vary by location, and they are not our price list. Your local market can sit well above or below them.

Notice what is missing. While researching this guide, we at Deadbolt Fixers found no reliable national figure for installing a deadbolt on a door with no existing holes, for rekeying, or for a deadbolt-only replacement. Several well-known cost sites could not be checked, so we left their numbers out rather than repeat them secondhand.

The two smart lock rows also show why averages disagree. Fixr's range covers the whole installation, with labor only about $50 to $100 of it, while the Homewyse figure is an install estimate that leaves out tax, permits and markup. Neither is wrong; they measure different things.

What related deadbolt jobs cost, and why

Most deadbolt calls are not first-time installs. These are the related jobs we quote most often and what drives each one.

Replacement in the same holes. The cheapest way to get a new lock, as long as the new deadbolt matches the existing bore and backset. The cost is mainly hardware and a short labor line. See replacing an existing deadbolt for how we match the new lock to the old prep.

Rekeying. Hardware is just new pins, so the quote is mostly the trip plus a small amount of labor per cylinder. Restricted keyways cost more because blanks come through controlled channels. Our page on rekeying a deadbolt you already own explains when that beats buying new.

Lockout. Priced mostly on timing and travel, since a lockout is an unscheduled call that cannot wait for a regular slot. The one national source we checked gives two different ranges for this job on the same page, so we do not quote either. The deadbolt lockout service page covers what the visit involves.

Smart lock installation. The published figures above are the best guide, and our smart deadbolt installation page covers retrofit versus full replacement. Door alignment is the cost wildcard: a bolt that drags will trigger jam errors, so strike adjustment is often part of the job.

Strike reinforcement. Consumer Reports found that swapping the stock strike for a box strike with 3-inch screws improved kick-in resistance for most locks it tested. The parts are inexpensive, so reinforcing the strike plate while the technician is already at the door costs far less than a separate visit.

How to avoid bait-and-switch quotes

The pattern consumer agencies warn about is simple: a very low price on the phone, then a much higher bill once the technician is at your door. ALOA lists a "too-good-to-be-true" price that rises after arrival as a classic scam sign, and Wisconsin's consumer protection agency names the price changing after arrival as a warning sign too.

Use these checks, drawn from Wisconsin DATCP and ALOA guidance, before work starts:

• Get an estimate for all work and parts, in writing if you can. For lockouts, legitimate locksmiths usually quote the total over the phone.
• Ask about extra charges up front: after-hours rates, mileage and any service-call minimum.
• Ask for the company's legal name if the phone is answered with a generic phrase like "locksmith services."
• Check that the names match. The company you called, the business card, the vehicle and the invoice should all show the same name.
• Never sign a blank form or pay in advance, and ask for an itemized invoice when the job is done.
• Be wary of instant drilling. ALOA says a technician who goes straight to drilling a lockout is often a sign of a scammer.

The FTC's advice from 2008 still holds: research a locksmith before you need one, because some companies advertising locally are not local at all.

What to send for an accurate deadbolt installation cost

You can make any quote more accurate by sending three photos: the door edge with the lock in place, the inside of the lock, and the strike on the frame. Add the brand if you know it, how many doors you want done, and whether you want them all on one key.

With those details, we can tell whether your job is a straight swap, a new bore or something in between, which is the difference that matters most. Ask for the price as a total for work and parts, and ask what would change it before anyone picks up a drill.