Back cutting

Back Cutting

Back cutting describes a situation in which the slopes between the cuts on a key are too steep, causing the key to become stuck in the lock. To remove the key, a broken key extractor may be used to attempt to lift components out of the way or the lock may be fully disassembled.

To prevent back-cutting, key specifications should be followed, in particular the angle of slopes between key cuts.

See also

• Key
• Lock