Leave the fragment where it is. That is the whole advice.
Key broken off in the lock
A snapped key is one of the more recoverable situations there is — as long as nobody has tried to get it out first. Extraction tools catch the fragment from the side and draw it out, usually leaving the cylinder fully usable.
What turns it into an expensive job is tweezers, pliers or glue. Each of those pushes the fragment deeper or bonds it to the pins, and then the cylinder has to come out.
How we work
Foto folgt
Wie Schlüssel abgebrochen — dasselbe Motiv, englischer Alt-Text
- 1
We look at what is left in the cylinder
How much of the key is inside, how far it went, and whether the cylinder was turned before it snapped. A fragment sitting flush is straightforward. One that was pushed deeper by an attempt to retrieve it is not.
- 2
Extraction with the proper tool
Thin, hooked extractors go in alongside the fragment, catch the cut edge and draw it out. It takes patience rather than force. In most cases the cylinder is undamaged afterwards and the lock keeps working with your spare key.
- 3
If the cylinder is turned partway
A key that snapped mid-turn leaves the cylinder in a position where the fragment cannot simply be pulled out. It has to be rotated back first, which is fiddly but usually possible without damage.
- 4
Why the key broke matters
Keys rarely snap without warning. Most break because the cylinder has become stiff and the key has been taking the strain for weeks. If that is what happened, extracting the fragment fixes today and not the cause — the cylinder is worn and the next key will do the same. We tell you when we see it.
- 5
Replacement, if it comes to that
Sometimes the fragment cannot be removed intact, or the cylinder is damaged in the process, or it was already at the end of its life. Then it is replaced, and you get the price for that before we start rather than afterwards.
What will it cost?
Whether the fragment comes out in two minutes or the cylinder has to come off the door is not something either of us knows before we look at it.
Our calculator deliberately names no price for this. It covers the two door openings where we know in advance what is waiting for us; here the work depends on things nobody can establish over the phone.
So we do it the other way round: describe what you are looking at, and we name the price before anyone sets off. A replacement cylinder is charged separately and only if one is genuinely needed.
What not to do
- No tweezers or pliers. They grip the flat sides and push the fragment further in, past the point where an extractor can reach it.
- No glue. It bonds the fragment to the pins inside the cylinder. That is no longer an extraction, it is a replacement.
- No drilling. It destroys the cylinder with certainty, and in a master key system that means ordering a matching replacement.
- Keep the other half. It carries the cutting pattern, and a replacement key can often be cut from it.
Questions we are asked most
The key snapped off in the lock. Can I get it out myself?
Please do not try. This is the single most expensive piece of well-meant DIY in the trade. Tweezers and pliers grip the fragment on its flat sides and push it deeper. Superglue on a matchstick bonds the fragment to the cylinder pins and turns a five-minute extraction into a certain cylinder replacement. A drill destroys the lock outright. If the fragment protrudes far enough to grip with your fingers and it slides out with no resistance at all, fine — otherwise leave it and call.
Will the lock still work afterwards?
Usually yes. Extraction is designed to leave the cylinder intact, and in most cases the lock works normally with your spare key once the fragment is out. Where it does not is when the cylinder was already worn — which is very often why the key broke in the first place.
Why did the key break at all?
Almost always wear rather than bad luck. Cylinders stiffen as they age or collect dirt, and the key takes more and more force until the metal fatigues at the shoulder. If your key has been getting harder to turn for weeks, that was the warning. Keys also weaken from being carried on a heavy ring, where the constant sideways leverage works on the same spot.
Half the key is still in my hand. Does that help?
Yes, considerably — bring it. The half you are holding shows the cutting pattern, which means a replacement can be cut from it in many cases without needing the security card. Keep it rather than throwing it away once the door is open.
Can this happen in a car door or a padlock?
It can, and the extraction technique is similar, but we do not work on vehicles. For a padlock, bring it to us during business hours if you can remove it — that is cheaper than a call-out.
Fragment still in the lock?
Call us before trying anything. That one decision usually saves the cylinder.