BEST 9K and 45H Locks: Service Manuals, Door Prep and How to Read the Number

The lock on the door is a BEST, the order says 9K37R15CSTK626 or 45H7D4J626, and before you drill or swap parts you want the manual, the door prep and a plain reading of that number. BEST publishes a catalog and a service manual for each series. The catalog explains the number; the manual covers parts, service and installation.

BEST 9K and 40H service manuals and catalogs

Both series are on the BEST literature page under Mechanical Locks. The 45H mortise lock belongs to the 40H Series, so its documents carry the 40H name.

• 9K Series Service Manual: functions, exploded parts diagrams, function conversion tables, trim parts, parts replacement, troubleshooting, and from page A-1 the installation instructions for 93K-95K cylindrical locks (T56075).
• 9K Series catalog: specifications, How to Order, functions, strikes and door preparation.
• 40H Series Service Manual: 45H, 47H, 48H and 49H functions, case parts, trim kits, strikes, cylinders, changing the hand and function, and from page B-1 the 45H and 47H installation instructions (T81162).
• 40H Series catalog: specifications, How to Order, kits and functions.

The manuals also cover the electrified 9KW and 45HW. For electrified locks in general, see our electrified door hardware guide.

How to read a BEST 9K number

The 9K How to Order on page 3 of the catalog reads left to right: series, backset, core housing, function, lever, rose, strike package, finish and options. Applied to 9K37R15CSTK626:

The other two levers are 14, curved return, and 16, curved with no return. Roses C and D are 3 and 3-1/2 inch convex; K and L are the same sizes without the ring. S3 in place of STK is the 4-7/8 inch ANSI strike. So 9K30N14D-S3-626 is a keyless passage lock with the 14 lever, D rose and S3 strike.

Our lock functions guide explains what functions such as classroom and storeroom do, and the SFIC and LFIC guide covers the BEST cores that go into the 7 housing.

How to read a BEST 45H number

The 45H How to Order in the 40H catalog runs: series, core housing, function, lever or knob, trim, finish, door hand and options. Take 45H7D4J626:

Lever 3 is a solid tube with return; the other standard levers are 12, 14, 15, 16 and the 17 gull wing. H and R trim are 2-3/4 inch roses, S a 3-1/2 inch rose. M and N are forged escutcheons, N with a concealed cylinder. That makes 45H7INL3M626 an INL intruder lock, which the catalog lists as double keyed (F32), with the 3 lever and M escutcheon. After the finish comes the hand of the door: RH, RHR, LH or LHR.

A 45HCA number is a case only, with faceplate and strike; the trim comes separately as inside and outside 40HTK kits. In 45H-CAUNR-626 the function is UNR, a universal case whose default function is R, classroom. The service manual lists what each universal can be set up as from the parts of a complete lock: UNR as A, AT, D, N, NX or R, UNT as L or T, UNAB as AB, TA or TD. Universal locks come only with rose trim. For a J, M or N escutcheon, BEST says to order a three-part lock.

BEST 9K lockset door prep and templates

Page 11 of the 9K catalog draws the door preparation: a 2-1/8 inch bore at 2-3/4 inch backset, a 1 inch hole from the door edge for the latch, a 1-1/8 by 2-1/4 inch latch front and two 5/16 inch holes for the through-bolts. Page 3 places those two holes at 12 and 6 o'clock, on top of the standard ANSI A115.2 preparation for 1-3/4 inch doors, and names the KD303 drill jig for them. The catalog lists the lock for doors 1-3/4 to 2-1/4 inch thick, with spacers available for 1-3/8 inch doors.

The manual lists the templates by number and says they can be ordered separately: K08 and K09 for 93K locks, K10 and K11 for 94K, K12 and K13 for 95K, K21 for the strike and K18 for dummy trim. For a field prep, the 93K-95K installation sheet starts by positioning the template on the high edge of the door bevel. It also asks you to check that a hollow metal door is reinforced enough to support the lock.

BEST 45H template and mortise door prep

The 45H has a 2-3/4 inch backset and is made for 1-3/4 inch doors as standard; a thick door version goes up to 5 inch, with the thickness stated on the order. The faceplate is 8 by 1-1/4 inch. The standard S1 strike, 4-7/8 by 1-1/4 inch with a curved lip, fits a standard ANSI A115.1 frame, and the service manual states that the case and faceplate fit the standard ANSI A115.1 door preparation.

Which holes you drill depends on the function and the trim. The 45H installation instructions open with a holes by function table and send you to the H15 template (T81163) for hole sizes. For metal doors they refer to the H16 installation specifications (T81166).

Changing the hand or the function

A 45H case changes hand without being opened. Chapter 6 of the 40H manual describes it: the latchbolt turns 180 degrees, the hub toggles are adjusted for every function except W and N, and the armored front adjusts to the door bevel by itself. The same chapter covers converting UNR, UNT and UNAB cases to another function. Our door handing chart explains LH, RH and the reverse bevel hands.

To convert an existing 9K to another function, turn to the function conversion tables in chapter 2 of the 9K manual. They show the internal parts each function needs.

BEST locks at The Builders Supply

Browse BEST products, cylindrical locks and mortise locks. Finish numbers such as 626 are explained in our finish codes chart.

Not sure which BEST lock, trim or strike matches your door? Our customer support team is available Monday - Friday, 8 AM - 4 PM Central Time, at 1-888-800-7789 or [email protected].