Most homeowners have never heard the name on the company that made the lock on their front door, yet there is a strong chance it is one theirs. Allegion door hardware covers a portfolio of some of the most recognized lock and access brands in North America, from residential deadbolts to commercial-grade closers and electronic access control. If you are shopping locks, levers, and smart entry systems and keep running into Allegion door hardware, this guide explains the brands under that umbrella, how the security grades work, and how to choose the right product for your door.
Part of our Windows & Doors guide — explore the full guide →
Who Is Allegion and What They Make
Allegion is a global security-products company that spun off from Ingersoll Rand in 2013, headquartered in Ireland with major U.S. operations. It designs and manufactures mechanical and electronic security hardware for homes, businesses, and institutions. Rather than selling under its own name at retail, Allegion operates through a family of well-established brands, so the product on the shelf carries a brand you recognize while the engineering and support come from the parent company.
That structure matters when you shop, because comparing an Allegion product means comparing the specific brand and grade, not just a logo. The company’s reach spans everything from a $30 residential entry knob to the electrified access control on an office tower.
The Key Brands in the Portfolio
Several of the biggest names in the category sit under Allegion. Knowing which is which helps you match product to purpose.
- Schlage: The flagship residential and commercial lock brand, known for durable deadbolts, keyed entry sets, and the Encode and Sense smart locks.
- LCN: Heavy-duty door closers, the workhorses on commercial and institutional doors.
- Von Duprin: Panic exit devices and crash bars found on commercial egress doors.
- Falcon and Dexter: Value-oriented commercial and residential hardware lines.
- Steelcraft: Hollow metal doors and frames.
For a typical homeowner, Schlage is the brand you will interact with most, though the commercial lines appear anytime you work on a garage-to-house fire door or a light-commercial project.
Understanding Security Grades
Hardware is rated by ANSI/BHMA grades, a standardized measure of durability and security you should always check before buying. The grade tells you how many operational cycles and how much force the lock withstands.
- Grade 1: Highest security and durability, commercial and heavy residential use, tested to 800,000-plus cycles and the strongest forced-entry resistance.
- Grade 2: Solid residential and light-commercial grade, a good balance of security and cost.
- Grade 3: Basic residential, minimum acceptable security, fine for interior doors but light for an exterior entry.
For an exterior door, insist on at least Grade 2, and consider Grade 1 for a primary entrance. Many Schlage deadbolts carry Grade 1, which is a genuine security advantage over the Grade 3 builder-grade locks that come on many new homes.
Mechanical Versus Smart Locks
The portfolio spans both traditional keyed hardware and a growing electronic lineup. Mechanical locks, standard deadbolts and keyed entry sets, remain the most affordable and reliable choice, with nothing to charge and no software to update. A quality Grade 1 deadbolt runs $40 to $120.
Smart locks add keyless entry via keypad, smartphone, or voice assistant. Schlage’s electronic line includes keypad deadbolts and Wi-Fi-connected models that let you lock, unlock, and grant temporary access codes remotely. Expect $150 to $350 for a smart deadbolt. Look for one that still accepts a physical key as a backup, and confirm compatibility with your smart-home platform before buying, since ecosystems differ.
Finishes and Design Coordination
Door hardware is visible on every door, so finish coordination matters for a pulled-together look. Common finishes include satin nickel, aged bronze, matte black, bright chrome, and polished brass. Pick one finish family and carry it across the deadbolt, the handleset, interior levers, and ideally the hinges and door stops.
Style also signals the era of a home: a Georgian knob and a Camelot handleset read traditional, while a flat, geometric lever in matte black reads contemporary. Buy handlesets and deadbolts as matched sets when possible so the finish and styling align exactly, since finishes vary subtly between production runs.
Keying, Rekeying, and Master Systems
A practical advantage of buying within one brand is keying convenience. Locks from the same brand can usually be keyed alike, so one key opens your front, back, and garage doors, which is worth arranging at purchase. Many home centers will key a set of new Schlage locks to match for free or a small fee.
If you move into a home or lose a key, you can rekey most cylinders rather than replacing the whole lock. A locksmith rekeys a cylinder for $15 to $40 per lock, far cheaper than new hardware. For a rental property or a home office, ask about master-key systems that let one master key open all doors while individual keys open only their own.
Installation, Fit, and Common Problems
Even the best lock performs poorly if it is installed on a misaligned door, and most complaints about sticking or hard-to-lock deadbolts trace to fit rather than the hardware itself. A few measurements up front prevent the majority of headaches.
Before ordering, confirm three dimensions. The backset is the distance from the door edge to the center of the bore hole, standard at 2 3/8 or 2 3/4 inches; most locks ship with an adjustable latch that covers both. The cross-bore is the large hole for the lock body, typically 2 1/8 inches in diameter, and the edge bore for the latch is usually 1 inch. Measure the door thickness too; standard interior and exterior doors are 1 3/8 to 1 3/4 inches, and locks are built for that range.
The alignment between the deadbolt and its strike plate in the frame is where trouble hides. If you have to lift or push the door to throw the bolt, the strike is misaligned, which strains the mechanism and eventually causes failure. Fix it by enlarging the strike mortise slightly or, better, replacing the short screws in the strike plate with 3-inch screws that reach the wall stud, which also dramatically improves kick-in resistance on an exterior door.
- Stiff key or bolt: Usually strike misalignment or a dry cylinder. Realign the strike and apply a dry graphite or Teflon lubricant, never oil, which gums up the pins.
- Loose lever or knob: Tighten the set screw or the mounting screws behind the rose; a wobbly lever wears the internal spring.
- Smart lock unresponsive: Check batteries first, then Wi-Fi or hub range. Most keypad locks warn of low batteries well in advance.
- Bolt does not extend fully: The bore holes may be misaligned or the door swollen; plane the edge or adjust the strike.
Installation itself is a manageable DIY job with a screwdriver and 20 minutes for a like-for-like swap, though boring a new door for a first-time lock requires a drill and a hole-saw jig. For a high-security Grade 1 deadbolt on a primary entry, the 3-inch strike screws into the stud are the single cheapest upgrade you can make to resist forced entry.
Choosing the Right Hardware for Your Door
Start with the door’s role. An exterior entry needs a Grade 1 or 2 deadbolt paired with a keyed handleset; a bedroom or bathroom needs a privacy lever with a simple push-button lock; a closet or hall needs only a passage set with no lock. Measure your door’s backset (the distance from the edge to the center of the bore hole, typically 2 3/8 or 2 3/4 inches) and the bore diameter before ordering, since a mismatch means the lock will not fit.
For most homes, a coordinated set of Schlage Grade 2 exterior hardware in a single finish, with a smart deadbolt on the main entry for keyless convenience, hits the sweet spot of security, looks, and value. Whatever you choose, matching the grade to the door’s exposure and keeping finishes consistent turns a stack of individual locks into hardware that looks and works like a system.
Do not overlook the supporting pieces that make an entry genuinely secure, since a strong deadbolt on a weak setup is easily defeated. A one-inch throw on the deadbolt, a reinforced strike plate anchored with 3-inch screws into the framing, and a solid-core or metal door are what actually resist a kick-in; the lock is only one link in that chain. On glass-adjacent doors, choose a double-cylinder deadbolt with care, because it needs a key to exit from the inside and can trap occupants in a fire, which is why many local codes restrict it. For added convenience without sacrificing security, a keypad or smart deadbolt lets you issue temporary codes to a dog walker or contractor and revoke them afterward, and it eliminates the hidden spare key under the mat that burglars check first. Keep hinges tight and consider a hinge-side security stud on outswing doors so the door cannot be lifted off its pins. Small, inexpensive reinforcements like these often do more for real-world security than upgrading the lock alone, and they cost far less than a break-in.
