Broken Key Extraction Sheffield Snapped Keys Removed From £55

Key snapped off in the front door, a padlock or a filing cabinet? We remove the broken piece with specialist extractors and check the lock still works before we leave.

Call 0114 463 0063 See prices

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Snapped house keys removed

Door cylinders, mortice locks, nightlatches, padlocks and cam locks

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Extraction tools, not drills

We aim to draw the piece out and keep the lock intact

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Cylinder swap if damaged

A new euro cylinder from £20 with fresh keys if the old one is shot

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House keys only

We do not work on car keys or ignitions

Our broken key extraction service in Sheffield removes snapped and stuck house keys from door locks, padlocks and cabinets, starting from £55, with a locksmith usually with you in 25 to 45 minutes. We use purpose made extractors to draw the broken piece out of the keyway, so in most cases the lock survives and you carry on using it with your spare key.

If the lock was damaged by the key breaking, or by attempts to get it out, we can fit a replacement cylinder on the same visit. Please note we do not handle car keys of any kind.

By the Sheffield Locksmith 24H team, 45 Broughton Lane, Sheffield S9. Updated 13 October 2026.

Why house keys snap in the lock

A key almost never breaks out of nowhere. It is the end of a slow process, and the cause decides whether the lock needs attention once the piece is out.

Metal fatigue. Brass keys flex a little every time you turn them. After years of use, a crack forms at the shoulder where the blade meets the head, and one day it gives.
Copies of copies. A key cut from another copy loses accuracy each generation, so it needs more force to turn and fatigues faster.
A stiff lock. If you have been leaning on the key to turn it, the real fault is the lock or the door alignment. Extract the key and ignore that, and the next one will snap too.
Using the key as a handle. Pulling a uPVC door shut by the key in the cylinder bends the blade sideways, which it is not built for.
Cold weather. Stiff grease and contracted parts make January a busy month for snapped keys.

Key snapped in the lock? What not to do

Leave it alone and call

Most of the extra cost on these jobs comes from what happened before we arrived. A broken key sitting flush in the keyway is usually straightforward. One that has been pushed deeper, glued or chewed up by a screwdriver often is not.

Do not try the spare key in the same lock. It will push the broken piece further in.
Do not put superglue on the broken end and try to pull it out. Glue runs into the pins and can seize the cylinder for good.
Do not keep turning the stump with pliers. Bending the piece wedges it.
Do not spray heavy oil in, which collects grit around the fragment.

Our guide on removing a broken house key from a lock explains what you can safely check, such as whether the piece is visible, and when to stop.

Key stuck in the lock but not broken

A key that will not come out is a close cousin of a snapped key. Common reasons are a worn key catching on a pin, a cylinder cam that has not returned to the right position, or a uPVC door where the key is jammed half turned because the multipoint mechanism is binding. Forcing it out in any of these states is how a stuck key turns into a broken one.

We release the key, then deal with whatever trapped it. If a uPVC handle or gearbox is the cause, that repair is covered by our multipoint lock repair service. If the door had dropped, an adjustment is usually all it needs, as described on our uPVC door not locking page.

After the key is out: keep, repair or replace

What we find	What happens next	Starting price
Lock undamaged, spare key works smoothly	Nothing else needed, you use the spare	Extraction from £55
Lock fine but stiff, which caused the snap	Clean, lubricate or adjust the keep	Lock repair from £55
Euro cylinder damaged	Replace the cylinder, new keys supplied	Euro cylinder from £20
Mortice lock levers damaged	Replace the lock case	5 lever mortice from £60
No spare key exists	New cylinder or lock so you have working keys	Priced on site before fitting

If you have no spare at all, a new cylinder is usually the quickest way to get working keys back in your hand the same day. Full figures are on our locksmith prices page, and lock swaps are covered under lock replacement in Sheffield.

Snapped keys in padlocks, cabinets and gates

It is not only front doors. We extract broken keys from:

PadlocksFiling cabinetsDesk drawersCam locks on lockersGate locksGarage door locksMailbox locksuPVC window handles

Small locks like cam locks and padlocks are often cheaper to replace than to recover, from £25 and £20 respectively, so we will tell you which makes more sense before starting. For padlocks, bike locks and cabinets we ask for reasonable proof that the item is yours. Offices and shops can book through our commercial locksmith service.

Keeping your next key in one piece

Once a key has broken in a lock, the same conditions are often still there. A few habits make a real difference:

Retire worn keys early. When a key looks thin at the shoulder or the teeth have rounded off, stop using it. Get copies made from the least worn key you own, ideally the original that came with the lock.
Lighten the key ring. A heavy bunch swinging from a key in the door adds leverage every time it hangs there. Car fobs, bottle openers and a dozen spare keys all count.
Never force a stiff lock. If the key needs effort, the lock or door needs attention. Our lock repair service is cheaper than another extraction.
Close uPVC doors by the handle. Pull the door shut with the handle or a pull knob, then lock it. The key is not a handle.

If several people share a house, such as a student let in Broomhill or Crookes, the cheapest fix is often a fresh cylinder and a set of new keys so nobody is using a tenth generation copy.

How a broken key extraction visit works

Phone call. Tell us which lock, whether the door is open or shut, and whether you can see the broken end. We confirm the starting price.
Arrival and checks. If the door is shut and you are outside, we check ID or proof of address before working on it.
Extraction. We work the fragment out with thin extraction tools, keeping the cylinder intact where possible.
Test. We try your spare key, check the lock with the door open and closed, and look for the reason the key broke.
Payment. Cash, card or bank transfer once you are happy.

If the door is locked and the snapped key means you cannot get in, we treat it as a lockout and our locked out service applies. Our services page lists everything else we can help with.

Broken key extraction prices

Starting prices from our published list, agreed on the phone before we come out.

Service	Starting price	Notes
Broken key extraction	from £55	Snapped or stuck key removed from a house lock
Euro cylinder	from £20	Replacement if the cylinder was damaged
Padlock	from £20	Replacement where extraction is not worth it
Cam lock	from £25	Lockers, cabinets and mailboxes
Emergency lockout	from £59	If the snapped key leaves you locked out

Starting prices, confirmed on the phone before any work begins. See the full Sheffield locksmith price list.

Questions and Answers

How do you get a snapped key out of a lock?

We use thin extraction tools that hook the cuts on the broken blade and draw it back out of the keyway. It needs the lock positioned correctly first, which is why we ask people not to push the piece deeper or glue it before we arrive.

How much does broken key extraction cost in Sheffield?

Our broken key extraction starts from £55. If the cylinder was damaged and needs replacing, a euro cylinder starts from £20 on top. Late night and weekend visits may carry an agreed surcharge.

Will I need a new lock after a key snaps?

Often not. If the piece comes out cleanly and your spare key works smoothly, the lock carries on as normal. We recommend a new cylinder only if it was damaged, is worn, or you have no spare.

Can I use my spare key after the old one snapped?

Not until the broken piece is out. Pushing the spare in drives the fragment deeper and can jam the pins. Once we have removed it and checked the lock, the spare is fine to use.

Do you remove broken car keys?

No. We only deal with house, padlock, cabinet and similar keys. We do not cut, program or replace car keys or work on ignitions. Our only car service is opening a car with the keys locked inside.

What if my key is stuck half turned in a uPVC door?

That is usually the multipoint mechanism binding rather than the key itself. Do not force it. We free the key and then repair the gearbox or adjust the door so it does not happen again.