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Disc padlock buying guide

Updated: October 2026

You have a shed hasp, a gate staple or a storage-unit latch, and a leaflet or an insurer has said closed shackle or named a grade. The round locks look alike, and several titles add a number out of ten. This disc padlock buying guide is the order before a brand: measure the metal the shackle must pass, then the thickness, then whether any grade is printed. Prices checked on 19 October 2026 run from about £4.69 to about £23.86 on the [disc padlock comparison](/hub/door-and-window-security/disc-padlock). Peter F. used those amazon.co.uk listings and public UK sources, not a lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have a shed hasp, a gate staple or a storage-unit latch, and a leaflet or an insurer has said closed shackle or named a grade. The round locks look alike, and several titles add a number out of ten.

Our top picks

Burg-Wächter Burg-Wächter Circle 21 70 SB

Best overall

Burg-Wächter Burg-Wächter Circle 21 70 SB
9.4/10about £7.45
View offer
ABUS ABUS Diskus 220/70

Rank 2

ABUS ABUS Diskus 220/70
9.2/10about £19.60
View offer
QWORK QWORK disc lock, 1 pack

Best value

QWORK QWORK disc lock, 1 pack
8.8/10about £5.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What you are actually choosing
  2. 2.Measure the staple before the brand
  3. 3.Shackle thickness and grade marks
  4. 4.Weather, keys and packs
  5. 5.What to spend in this set

What you are actually choosing

A disc padlock, also called a discus, is a keyed padlock with a flat round body and a short shackle buried in the rim. Bolt croppers have little bar to bite, which is why leaflets talk about a closed shackle. Nothing But Padlocks treats that shape as closed shackle for insurance wording. It is not a grade. BS EN 12320 runs from 1 to 6, and Sold Secure Bronze to Diamond maps roughly to grades 3 to 6. Master Lock’s 8/10 and 9/10, and ABUS level 7, are the makers’ own ladders. Buy a discus when the rule only says closed shackle. Leave this set when a named grade is not on the box.

Measure the staple before the brand

If the staple or the chain is thicker than the opening, the lock will not close. The ABUS 220/70 states a 10 mm shackle, 17 mm of clear height and 19.5 mm of clear width. A Burg-Wächter review called a motorcycle chain tight and fiddly. Most bodies here are about 70 mm. The Yale Y112 is the exception: 40 mm, a 7 mm shackle and 24.8 mm by 20 mm of room, at 3.6 from 77 reviews. The HORAN HOQI file pairs a 70 mm title with 10 g and a 10 mm cube.
Burg-Wächter Burg-Wächter Circle 21 70 SB

Testsieger

Burg-Wächter Burg-Wächter Circle 21 70 SB
9.4/10about £7.45
View offer

Shackle thickness and grade marks

Collections Trust’s rule of thumb: a shackle under 10 mm has little resistance to cropping. The ABUS 220/70 states 10 mm. Burg-Wächter states 9 mm and 10 mm, so you measure the lock you receive. QWORK’s one-pack states no diameter. The Master Locksmiths Association’s January 2025 note points outbuildings towards EN 12320 Grade 3 fittings. That is guidance, not a score you can read off an 8/10 title. Only the Yale Y112 mentions a test to EN 12320:2012, and it does not state the grade. None of these listings shows a Sold Secure mark.

Weather, keys and packs

Stainless and waterproof are claims. A Master Lock M40 seized on a beach hut within about a year. Key retaining means the key stays in until the lock is shut. Master Lock states it. The Burg-Wächter page states no key count. The OGMBI six-pack claims one key for six and sits at 2.8 from 13 reviews. Try every lock in the parcel.

What to spend in this set

On 19 October 2026, under about £10 you are buying the round shape, with the Burg-Wächter Circle 21 at about £7.45 and the QWORK one-pack at about £5.99. Around £14 to £20, the Master Lock M40 is about £13.95 and the ABUS 220/70 about £19.60. The Yale Y130B is about £23.86. A higher price in this set still does not print a CEN grade. Leave the set when you must pass a thick chain or a policy names a grade you cannot see. The chain decision is on discus padlock vs open shackle. Who each listing is for is on the best disc padlock page.

Common questions

Is a discus padlock the same as a closed-shackle padlock?
For the wording on many UK insurance and police lines, yes. A discus hides the curved shackle in the rim, and lock retailers treat that as closed shackle. It is not automatically a CEN grade. The grade has to be printed on that model.
What does security level 8/10 mean?
On the Master Lock M40 it is the maker’s own scale, next to a 4-pin cylinder. It is not BS EN 12320 grade 8, and that standard only runs from 1 to 6. ABUS level 7 on the 220/70 listing is the same kind of ladder.
What CEN grade do sheds usually get pointed at?
The Master Locksmiths Association’s January 2025 note points outbuildings to EN 12320 Grade 3 fittings. That is guidance, not a statute. Your policy or your storage contract can ask for something else, and only the mark on the product meets a named grade.
Does stainless mean the lock will not rust?
No. Stainless and waterproof are listing claims. UK reviews on the Master Lock M40 include a beach hut where the lock rusted solid within about a year. A covered keyway helps the cylinder. It is not a marine grade.
When is a 40 mm lock the wrong buy?
When you wanted a 70 mm body with a thicker shackle. The Yale Y112 gives you more clearance and a 7 mm shackle, at 3.6 from 77 reviews, and its EN 12320 line does not state a grade. Use it for a small staple, not as the high-security lock in the title family.
What if the listing says keyed alike?
Test it. The OGMBI six-pack claims one key and UK reviews disagree with each other. The XiangJunly pair is not claimed as keyed alike, and a review says the two locks take different keys. A title is not a check you have already done.

Related pages

How to fit a disc padlock

Disc padlock for a shed and gate

Disc padlock

Best disc padlock for a shed hasp or a tight budget

Discus padlock vs open shackle: which shape to buy

Sources

BSI, Sold Secure, the Master Locksmiths Association, ProtectUK, Collections Trust, and the amazon.co.uk listings for these twelve ASINs. Prices stored 19 October 2026.

  1. BSI BS EN 12320:2021 padlocks and padlock fittings (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. Sold Secure Approved Product Catalogue 2025 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. Master Locksmiths Association minimum security, January 2025 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. ProtectUK: shed and garage door hasps (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Collections Trust, security padlocks, 2024 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Nothing But Padlocks: which padlock insurance may require (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Insight Security: padlock shackles (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. amazon.co.uk listings for these twelve ASINs (retrieved 19 October 2026)