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How to fit a disc padlock

Updated: October 2026

You have a round lock and a wooden shed door or a garden gate, and it only works if the hasp hides its screws and the shackle fills the staple. How to fit a disc padlock is mostly how to fit that hasp. Which model to buy stays on the [disc padlock comparison](/hub/door-and-window-security/disc-padlock) and the [disc padlock buying guide](/hub/door-and-window-security/disc-padlock/sub/disc-padlock-buying-guide). The steps follow UK locksmith and police guidance, including Lock on Door and ProtectUK, plus the clearances on these listings as of 19 October 2026. Peter F. did not fit a lock in a lab. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have a round lock and a wooden shed door or a garden gate, and it only works if the hasp hides its screws and the shackle fills the staple. How to fit a disc padlock is mostly how to fit that hasp.

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.Put the hasp where the timber is sound
  2. 2.Bolt it so the screws disappear
  3. 3.Seat the disc padlock
  4. 4.Lock it, then take the key

Put the hasp where the timber is sound

The hinged plate goes on the door and the staple on the frame, both on solid timber. If the wood crushes under a screwdriver, a new lock will not save it. A discus needs a short staple, not a tall loop for a long shackle. ProtectUK asks for two closed-shackle hasps on a wooden shed door, one high and one low. A 70 mm body such as the ABUS 220/70, with about 17 mm of clear height, will not fit a staple meant for a long open shackle. Where a shed, a gate and a storage latch differ is on disc padlock for a shed.

Bolt it so the screws disappear

Coach bolts are the fixing these leaflets want. Put the bolt through from the outside, with a washer and a nut on the inside, and burr the thread so the nut does not spin off. The closed plate has to cover the bolt heads. A visible screw head is the way in. Use security screws only where a bolt cannot pass, and still cover the heads. Thin plywood needs a backing plate. Replace hinge screws you can undo from outside. A soft post, or a steel gate that needs a staple welded on, is the moment to stop.
Burg-Wächter Burg-Wächter Circle 21 70 SB

Testsieger

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

Seat the disc padlock

Close the hasp and try the lock with the door shut. The shackle should fill the staple. If it will not close, change the lock or the hasp. Do not file the shackle. The ABUS 220/70 states 17 mm of clear height, 19.5 mm of clear width and a 10 mm shackle. The Master Lock M40 and M187 keep the key until the lock is shut, on a shackle of about 1 × 1.6 × 2.1 cm. The Burg-Wächter was tight on a motorcycle chain, and its listing does not say whether the key is retained. The QWORK one-pack states no diameter, so you only learn the fit by trying it. The Yale Y112 gives about 24.8 mm by 20 mm on a 7 mm shackle. An angle grinder still cuts a discus. Fitting stops the quiet attack: unscrewing the hasp.

Lock it, then take the key

Master Lock states that the M40 and M187 keep the key until the shackle is shut. ASelected says you remove the key once the lock is locked. That is normal, not a fault you fix with pliers. Lock the hasp, feel the shackle seat, then take the key. A little lock oil is the household step for a stiff key. Do not force a bent key. If the only key snaps in the cylinder, or the timber is rotten, or a steel gate needs welding, or the contract names a grade you cannot see, a carpenter or a locksmith is the right call.

Common questions

Where does the hasp go and where does the staple go?
The hinged plate goes on the door and the staple goes on the frame, both over sound timber. The plate must cover the fixings when it is closed. On a shed door, police guidance wants a second pair, one high and one low, rather than a single hasp in the middle.
Should I use screws or coach bolts?
Coach bolts, with the nut and washer on the inside, and the heads hidden by the closed hasp. Burr or thread-lock the nuts. Ordinary wood screws that stay visible are the fixing a leaflet is trying to stop. Security screws are the fallback where a bolt will not pass.
What if the disc lock will not close on the staple?
The staple is too big for that throat, or the hasp is proud of the door. Change the lock or the hasp. Do not file the shackle. The ABUS 220/70 needs about 17 mm of clear height. A Master Lock in this set may be too thick for a slim bolt. Measure before you order a second one.
Why will the key not come out?
On a key-retaining lock it stays in until the shackle is locked. Master Lock, ASelected and the Yale Y112 experience in this set all behave that way. Shut the lock fully, then remove the key. If the key is snapped, or it will not turn in a lock you have already closed, leave it for a locksmith.
What if the key is stiff or the lock has frozen?
Oil the shackle and the keyway and work the key. Do not add huge force, and do not use a bent key as the spare. A lock that rusted solid, as one Master Lock did on a beach hut within about a year, is a replacement, not a job for more turning.
When should a locksmith or a carpenter take over?
When the timber is rotten, a steel gate needs a staple welded, the only key has snapped in the door, or the agreement names a grade that is not on the box. Also stop if the unit is rented and the latch is the site’s hardware. You fit a lock they allow. You do not cut their door.

Related pages

Disc padlock or open shackle

Best disc padlock

Disc padlock

Disc padlock buying guide: measure the staple first

Disc padlock for a shed, a gate or a storage latch

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)