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Ring latch or slide bolt: which side of the gate matters

Updated: October 2026

You have already dropped cabin hooks and auto catches, and the search is ring latch or slide bolt. Both can hold a wooden side gate. They are not the same purchase. A ring is a both-sides catch on a spindle. A slide bolt is a one-sided bar unless you can reach over. The [gate latch comparison](/hub/fencing-and-wire/gate-latch) prices these listings at the stored shelf figures, not a live check on 20 October 2026. Peter F. used those rows and public notes from Jacksons Fencing, Abbey Hardware, and Woodworkers UK. There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have already dropped cabin hooks and auto catches, and the search is ring latch or slide bolt. Both can hold a wooden side gate. They are not the same purchase. A ring is a both-sides catch on a spindle.

Our top picks

SAYAYO SAYAYO EMS8000-B slide bolt

Best overall

SAYAYO SAYAYO EMS8000-B slide bolt
8.7/10about £8.49
View offer
FOBOZONE FOBOZONE MS001 slide bolt

Rank 2

FOBOZONE FOBOZONE MS001 slide bolt
7.3/10about £13.99
View offer
Keypak Keypak 005953N ring latch

Rank 3

Keypak Keypak 005953N ring latch
5.5/10about £9.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Use a ring when both sides are the point
  2. 2.Use a bolt when one side is the point
  3. 3.Length, gap, and listings that disagree
  4. 4.The choice, with one condition

Use a ring when both sides are the point

A ring latch puts a ring on each face so you lift the bar from the path or the garden. Abbey Hardware describes that as a two-sided catch. Jacksons is clear that it is not a security lock. You buy it when the household and the post both use the gate, and you can drill a timber leaf. Keypak B005347XTO is about £9.99, iron, with an 8 cm spindle stated, 4.2 from 103 ratings, and reviews that mention rust and snapping. The listing conflicts on smooth versus twisted handles. The zinc ring is about £8.99, at 4.3 from 160, and reviews often say the screws were missing.

Use a bolt when one side is the point

A slide bolt, which Jacksons also sells as a Brenton bolt, fixes to one face. Woodworkers UK says you open a padbolt from the face it is fixed to, unless it sits high enough to reach over, and that it is not a deadlock. SAYAYO B08JV2B4WL states SUS 304, at about £8.49, with 4.6 from 1,675 ratings, an 8 mm hole, and no padlock. The length lines say 160 mm and 150 mm. It is the top pick when the garden face is the one that matters and you will measure the bar. SAYAYO B09M8KL21K says stainless without a grade, and a “both sides” bullet the reviews do not support as a ring. FOBOZONE states 304 and includes a 25 mm padlock that reviewers call small.
SAYAYO SAYAYO EMS8000-B slide bolt

Testsieger

SAYAYO SAYAYO EMS8000-B slide bolt
8.7/10about £8.49
View offer

Length, gap, and listings that disagree

Trade lists sell bolts at 100 mm, 150 mm, 200 mm, and longer. None of those pages measured this set. The useful check is the throw against the gap you measure with the leaf held shut. A bowed post can open 10 mm or more at the latch. SAYAYO B08JV2B4WL’s 160 mm versus 150 mm is a conflict, not an average of 155 mm. ASelected’s title says 355 mm and “2 pcs”, the dimensions line says 1 cm, and the package quantity is 1. Reviewers call that plate thin. Keypak’s 8 cm spindle is length through the leaf, not the bolt throw, and the handle pattern is still in conflict. Do not borrow a 75 mm thickness limit from another brand.

The choice, with one condition

Choose a ring when both sides are daily use on a timber leaf you can drill, after you have read the rust and snap notes. Jacksons does not call a ring a lock. The Keypak states an 8 cm spindle, the zinc ring often omits screws, and the XFORT is the one to skip when the 3.7 snap and rust notes outweigh the look. Choose a slide bolt when the garden face is the face that matters, and bring your own padlock if the box has only a hole. Auto catches and hooks are a different decision, on the gate latch buying guide.

Common questions

When is a ring latch the right buy?
When you need to open the gate from both faces without reaching over, on a timber leaf you can drill. The three rings in this set are Keypak B005347XTO at about £9.99, the zinc ring at about £8.99, and XFORT at about £17.99. Jacksons treats the ring as a catch, not a lock.
When is a slide bolt the right buy?
When one face is enough, usually the garden side at night, and you want a bar you can padlock. Woodworkers UK and Jacksons both say you operate it from the face it is fixed to, unless it is high enough to reach over. It is not a deadlock. In this set, start with a bolt that states 304 and a length you can check.
Can a bolt be opened from the street side?
Only if you can reach over it. Jacksons says a high bolt can be reached from the other side, and a lower bolt needs you on the side where it is fixed. Woodworkers UK says the same of a padbolt, and adds that it is not a deadlock. A ring is the fitting that works from both faces without that reach.
Does a padlock hole make a bolt a security lock?
No. The hole accepts a padlock. It does not state a grade. FOBOZONE includes a 25 mm brass padlock that reviewers call small, and the sources used here do not grade it. SAYAYO B08JV2B4WL has an 8 mm hole and no padlock in the box. Jacksons separates this kind of bolt from a real lock.
Which ring in this set states a spindle length?
Keypak B005347XTO states an 8 cm spindle. It does not state a gate thickness, and it conflicts on whether the handles are smooth or twisted. The zinc ring and the XFORT listing, in the rows used here, are not the ones carrying that 8 cm figure. Spindle length is how far the bar has to pass through the leaf.
Which bolt states 304?
SAYAYO B08JV2B4WL states SUS 304. FOBOZONE B0H2TPGWJP states 304. SAYAYO B09M8KL21K says stainless and does not state a grade. ASelected says stainless in the title while reviews call the plate thin. A stated 304 is a clearer claim than the word stainless alone, and it still does not settle a length conflict or grade the padlock.
Should an auto latch be in this decision?
No. An auto catch clicks when you have already shut the gate. It is not a both-sides ring and not a one-sided night bar. Keypak’s auto latch and the Weielt cable catch stay off this verdict. Seller lines about children are on the child proof garden gate latch page.

Related pages

Best garden gate latch

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Child proof garden gate latch: what those bullets leave out

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison, checked on 19 October 2026. Shelf prices and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures stored with the listings, not a live check on that date.

  1. GPDO 2015 Class A: gates, fences and walls (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. Planning Portal: fences, gates and garden walls (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. Jacksons Fencing: types of gate locks (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Abbey Hardware: gate latches for fencing (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Wern Wood: Suffolk, ring and automatic gate latch (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Lawsons: fitting hinges, bolts and latches (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Egerton: galvanised versus stainless steel (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. RoSPA: gates and access to play areas (retrieved 19 October 2026)