By Kent · Lock Depot Staff Writer

Less core: the padlock is complete except for the lock

Read the listing for the ABUS 83WP-IC/53 and the last two words are less core. Some buyers read that as a defect or a clearance tag. It is neither. It is a plain description of what is in the box: a padlock body, a shackle, and a cavity where the core goes. The core, the small cylinder that holds the pins and takes the key, is not included. You supply it from your own key system. This guide explains what that means, why a building would want it, and what you need in hand before you order.

What a core is

An interchangeable core is a removable lock cylinder. It is built so it can come out of one lock body and go into another that is prepped for the same format. The core carries the keyway and the pinning. The body around it only holds it in place. Take the core out with the control key, drop another one in, and the lock now works with a different set of keys. No disassembly, no pin kit, no locksmith with a bench.

That is the whole idea behind a system built on interchangeable cores: the lock bodies stay where they are and the keying changes. A less core padlock is simply a body made for that system, sold without a core so you can fit the one that belongs to your building.

Why a padlock would ship without one

A building that already runs interchangeable cores on its doors has a control key, a keyway, and a record of who holds which key. A padlock that comes with its own factory core does not belong to that system. It brings a second key into the pocket of everybody who needs the gate open. The point of a less core padlock is to avoid that second key.

Put your own core in the 83WP-IC/53 and the gate, the electrical box and the equipment cage open with the same key as the doors that already share that core format. One key ring. One control key to manage. When someone leaves, you rekey by swapping cores instead of replacing padlocks across the property.

What the ABUS 83WP-IC/53 is

This is the weather protected body of the ABUS 83 line, prepped for an interchangeable core. Our listings describe a hardened steel body under a weather cover with drainage, made for outdoor and wet locations. It is not a general indoor padlock with a core slot added. The weather cover is part of the lock.

Two prep versions are listed, and they are not interchangeable with each other:

• 83WP-IC/53 LFIC-SCHLG: prepped for a Schlage large format interchangeable core, the full size core. ABUS item number 83607.
• 83WP-IC/53HB63: prepped for a small format interchangeable core, with the tall 63 mm (2-1/2 inch) shackle. ABUS item number 83609.

The core format on your doors decides which one you buy. If you are not sure which format you have, that is the first thing to settle.

What you need before you order

Four things, in this order:

1. Your core format. Small format or Schlage large format. Pull one core out of a door lock on site and look at it, or read the label on the lock. Do not guess from the brand on the door handle.
2. Your control key. You cannot install a core without it. The control key is the one that removes and seats cores. Whoever manages your keying should already have it.
3. A core pinned to your system. The padlock does not come with one. Order it from whoever keys your cores, or pull a spare from stock if you keep them.
4. The shackle you need. The LFIC-SCHLG listing gives a shackle of 5/16 inch diameter with about 1-1/16 inch of vertical clearance. The HB63 is the tall 63 mm shackle for thick hasps, chain and gate latches. Measure the hasp or the chain link before you decide.

What a less core padlock will not do

Nothing locks until the core is in. A less core padlock without a core seated is an empty body, not a lock. Install the core, test it with the operating key, and test that it opens and relocks before the padlock goes outside.

Neither will it accept the wrong format. A small format core does not seat in a large format prep and a large format core does not seat in a small format prep. The HB63 listing says it plainly: a Schlage large format core will not fit that model. Order the prep that matches the core.

And it cannot fix a key system that is out of control. If cores are missing or the control key list is a guess, a new padlock inherits that problem. Settle the key records first. Our guide to rekeying a building with small format cores covers the control key side from the ground up, and it applies to any system built on removable cores.

Where this fits

Use a less core padlock where the same people open the padlock and the doors: a campus, a plant, a property manager running several buildings, a school district. Use a factory-keyed padlock where the lock stands alone and nobody else needs the key. The less core version costs you a core and a step. It saves you a second key system. See the whole range on the ABUS page.

Common questions

Does the ABUS 83WP-IC/53 come with a core?

No. It is sold less core, so you install a core from your own system using your control key. The shackle and body are in the box; the core is not.

Can I fit a Schlage large format core in the small format model?

No. The small format HB63 model takes small format cores only. For Schlage large format cores, the model is the 83WP-IC/53 LFIC-SCHLG.

Do I need a control key to install the core?

Yes. The control key is what seats and removes an interchangeable core. If you do not hold the control key for your system, you cannot install a core in this padlock.

Is the padlock weather protected?

Yes. The 83WP body has a weather cover with drainage and is built for outdoor and wet locations, according to the listing.

Which shackle length should I choose?

The LFIC-SCHLG listing shows a 5/16 inch shackle with about 1-1/16 inch vertical clearance. The HB63 has the taller 63 mm (2-1/2 inch) shackle for thick hasps, chain and gate latches. Match the shackle to what it has to pass through.