Corbin Russwin ML2000: Which Mortise Function for Restroom vs Office

Posted by Kent on 25th Jul 2026

By Kent · Lock Depot Staff Writer

Spec'ing hardware for a build-out is where mortise locks trip people up. It is not that the Corbin Russwin ML2000 is complicated. It is that every door in the plan needs a different function, and the function is a code buried in the part number that nobody explains. Put the wrong function on a restroom and the door either will not lock or will not let people out. Both are a problem.

The ML2000 is one lock, many functions

Like all mortise lines, the ML2000 is a single heavy lock body that behaves differently depending on the function you order. The number after ML tells you the behavior. You are not buying different locks for different rooms. You are buying the same lock with a different works package inside. That is why a supply order for a ten-room build-out can be ten different part numbers off one series.

Restroom: privacy, not a keyed lock

A single-occupancy restroom wants privacy function. Push or turn a button inside to lock, and there is an emergency release on the outside a coin or a screwdriver opens, so nobody gets trapped. It does not take a key from a keyway, because you never want a restroom that a lost key locks a person inside. If your plan calls out a keyed function on a single restroom, question it. Privacy is almost always what the room actually needs.

Office: usually storeroom or entry

A private office is the judgment call. Storeroom keeps the door locked from outside always, key to enter, free egress inside. Good for an office that stores anything worth locking up. Entry/office lets the occupant leave it unlocked during the day and lock it when they leave. Good for a manager who wants people to walk in while she is there and a locked door when she is out. Neither is wrong. The question is whether the room should default to locked or default to open, and only the person using it can answer that.

From the counter: before you place a build-out order, walk the plan room by room and write the function next to each door: privacy on restrooms, passage on a supply closet nobody locks, storeroom or entry on offices depending on default state. Ten minutes with the floor plan saves a re-order and a delay when the wrong function shows up on site. The ML2010 is the passage version for the doors that never lock at all.

Finish, and matching an existing building

The LWA in ML2010-LWA is the Lustra lever, a clean contemporary shape that reads right in a modern office. Finish is the last digit group: 626 satin chrome is the commercial default, 605 bright brass for a warmer traditional look. If you are matching hardware already hanging in the building, pull one existing lever and read its finish code before you order the rest. Guessing the finish is how you end up with one door that does not match, and in a nice build-out that one door is all anyone sees.

Common questions

What function for a single restroom?

Privacy, with the emergency outside release. Not a keyed function. You never want a lost key to trap someone.

Storeroom or entry for an office?

Storeroom if it should default locked. Entry if the occupant wants it open during the day and locked when she leaves.

How do I match the finish already in the building?

Pull an existing lever and read the finish code off it. Do not guess. 626 is satin chrome, 605 is bright brass.

Lock Depot stocks the Corbin Russwin ML2000 across the common functions and finishes, in stock. Start at the Corbin Russwin hub, or call 877-365-5625 with your door schedule. Tell us the room behind each door and we will translate it into function codes.