Key profile

The key profile, “perfil de llave” in Spanish, is the cross section shape of the key, with its grooves and ribs running along it, which has to match the keyway of the cylinder for the key to go in. It is independent of the cuts: two keys with the same profile can open different locks, but a key with a different profile will not even go in.

It affects security in two ways. A narrow profile with many twists leaves little space for picks and tensioners. And a protected or patented profile limits who can obtain blank keys for that model, which makes unauthorised copies and impressioning harder.

Many security cylinders come with an ownership card, which is what you need to present to obtain genuine copies of that key.

If your key is flat, with a simple profile, and can be copied anywhere, your cylinder is an entry level one. We guide you on cylinder replacement and security cylinders.