Publish Time: 2021-04-06 Origin: Site
When the door is pushed closed, the strike plate is the metal piece that the latch is pushed into on the door jam. The box is the hole where the latch fits in, which may or may not be fitted with a strike plate.
Ball latches require a special, shallow strike plate, but most retracting tubular latches do not require a strike plate because they will still retract and go into the box when pushed against a door frame. That being said, strike plates make the door function more smoothly, look more attractive and protect the door frame from damage caused by repeatedly being pressed on by the latch.
Not all door knobs have locks, but those that do contain a key cylinder through the middle known as the keyaway. These can have key holes on both sides or a turning mechanism on one side and a key hole on the other. Keyaways can be removed to rekey a door and even exchanged for matching sets so that multiple doors and locks can use the same key, although this will usually require all doors having the same brand of door knob lock since they cannot all be keyed alike.
Most external door handles for homes feature spring bolts, which are attached to the latch mechanism and prevent the latch from being turned when the door is locked. Because they are spring loaded, the door can be closed while the door is locked.
However, this also means these locks are easily picked, shimmied and even broken off with force, so most experts still recommend using a deadbolt when leaving your home. Deadbolts may be sold with a door handle or separately, but because the bolt slides directly into the box using a turning knob or a key, these are much more secure.