By Kent · Lock Depot Staff Writer

Same lock, three part numbers, two measurements

Pull a Simplex 5000 Series pushbutton off a door and you will find it came as one of three numbers that look almost the same in a catalog row: the 5021, the 5022 or the 5025. The keypad is the same. The lever is the same. The key override is the same. What changes is two numbers you can measure with a tape in under a minute: the backset and the latch throw.

Get either one wrong and the lock mounts, the latch does not line up with the strike, and the door will not latch the way it should. The catalog lists all three as combination entry with key override, so the function will not save you. The measurements will.

What the listings actually say

• 5021MWL-026-41: backset 2-3/4 in. (70mm), latch throw 1/2 in. (13mm).
• 5022MWL-026-41: backset 2-3/8 in. (60mm), latch throw 1/2 in. (13mm).
• 5025MWL-026-41: backset 2-3/4 in. (70mm), latch throw 3/4 in. (19mm).

Read it as a grid. The last digit tells you which latch you are buying. The 1 is the standard 70mm backset with a half-inch throw. The 2 drops the backset to 60mm and keeps the half-inch throw. The 5 goes back to 70mm and lengthens the throw to three quarters of an inch. That pattern holds across the Simplex 5000 numbers we stock, so once you can read the last digit you can read most of the family.

Backset: the measurement people get wrong

Backset is the distance from the edge of the door to the center of the big hole the lock sits in. Not to the near edge of the hole. Not to the face of the latch. Put the end of the tape on the door edge, run it across the face, and stop at the middle of the bore.

You will get one of two answers on a cylindrical prep, 2-3/8 in. or 2-3/4 in. Those are the 60mm and 70mm in the catalog. If your tape says something in between, the hole was bored by hand, and you should call us before you order. Do not round to what you hope it is. A 5022 on a 2-3/4 in. bore puts the latch in the wrong place for the strike, and so does a 5021 on a 2-3/8 in. bore.

The catalog lists the standard cylindrical prep for all three: a 2-1/8 in. cross bore and a 1 in. edge bore, on doors from 1-3/8 in. to 2-1/4 in. thick. The only prep difference between the three part numbers is where the lock sits.

Latch throw: why the half and three-quarter inch both exist

Latch throw is how far the bolt extends out of the door edge when it is thrown. The 5021 and 5022 give you 1/2 in. The 5025 gives you 3/4 in. The longer throw is the part for strikes cut to receive it.

I will not tell you the 3/4 in. is better. It is a different part for a different opening. If the strike on the frame was cut for a half-inch latch and you hang a three-quarter inch throw on it, you are relying on a strike that was not made for that bolt. Measure what is in the frame, not what you think should be in the frame. The fastest check is to look at the old latch. If it is a half-inch throw, buy a 5021 or 5022. If it is the longer one, buy the 5025. If the old lock is gone, put a rule on the strike.

Lever or knob

The three numbers above are lever locks, the MWL suffix. The catalog also lists knob versions of the 5022 and 5025, the MWK suffix: 5022MWK-026-41 and 5025MWK-026-41, plus the 5021MWK-026-41. The backset and throw match their lever twins digit for digit.

The knob listings reuse the same feature copy as the lever ones, including the line about an ADA-compliant lever design. A knob is not a lever, so do not lean on that line. If the door is a public opening where accessibility rules apply, pick the lever. If it is a back-of-house room and a round knob is what is on the door now, the knob is the like-for-like swap. We covered the same lever and knob fork on a different Simplex model in the Simplex 1011 and LR1011 article.

What stays the same on all of them

Whichever number you pick, you get the same lock around the latch:

• All-mechanical. No batteries and no wiring, no low-voltage work.
• One access combination with thousands of possible codes, changed at the keypad without taking the lock off the door.
• Solid metal pushbuttons, listed as vandal resistant.
• ANSI/BHMA Grade 1 and 3-hour UL/ULC fire rated.
• Non-handed, shipped left-hand and field reversible.
• Three-year warranty.

The catalog lists the finish on these part numbers as Bright Chrome, US26/625, and also lists a bright brass version of the 5021. Pick the finish that matches the hardware already on the door, because the lock and the hinges sit side by side.

The key override and the core you still have to buy

All three are prepped for a Medeco LFIC key override, and the core is sold separately. The lock arrives without a core in it. You need one before the override works, and it has to be pinned to the keying your building already uses. If you do not run Medeco, read our Simplex 5010MWL and 5010XKWL write-up, which walks through the Medeco prep against the version that ships with a Kaba cylinder in the box.

Setting the code on a Simplex is a keypad job. If this is your first one, our article on the Simplex 1000 covers what a mechanical pushbutton lock does well and where it is the wrong answer.

A quick way to order it right

1. Measure backset from the door edge to the center of the bore. Write down 2-3/8 or 2-3/4.
2. Look at the old latch and note how far the bolt extends. Half inch, or longer.
3. Decide lever or knob.
4. Check what core the building runs on for the override.
5. Match the last digit: 1 for 70mm and a half-inch throw, 2 for 60mm and a half-inch throw, 5 for 70mm and a three-quarter inch throw.

If your numbers do not match any of the three, stop and call. The catalog has more Simplex 5000 variations than these, and one of them may be the right lock for a door that does not fit this grid.

Common questions

What is the difference between the Simplex 5021, 5022 and 5025?

The last digit sets the latch. The 5021 is a 2-3/4 in. backset with a 1/2 in. latch throw, the 5022 is a 2-3/8 in. backset with a 1/2 in. throw, and the 5025 is a 2-3/4 in. backset with a 3/4 in. throw.

Does the Simplex 5000 Series need batteries or wiring?

No. It is all-mechanical. The combination is set and changed at the keypad.

Does the lock include the Medeco core?

No. These are prepped for a Medeco LFIC key override and the core is sold separately.

Is it fire rated?

The listings show 3-hour UL/ULC fire rated and ANSI/BHMA Grade 1.

Can I reverse the handing in the field?

Yes. The locks are non-handed, ship left-hand and field reverse for a right-hand door.

How thick a door will it fit?

The listings give 1-3/8 in. to 2-1/4 in. on a 2-1/8 in. cross bore and 1 in. edge bore.

More from this maker is on our Kaba Ilco and Simplex page. Call us if you need help matching the part number to the door you have in front of you.