Tower Bolts

A tower bolt - also known as a barrel bolt or sliding bolt - is the classic manually operated security bolt used on doors, gates, and access panels to provide a simple, positive lock-off that requires no key. At the DIY Hardware Store, our tower bolts cover the standard and heavy-duty formats used on external doors, sheds, gates, and internal rooms requiring a manual security fastening across the UK.

The tower bolt consists of a rectangular or cylindrical bolt that slides horizontally within a surface-mounted housing, engaging into a keep or loop plate fixed to the door frame. Unlike a barrel bolt (which uses a round cylindrical bolt), a tower bolt uses a rectangular section bolt that is wider than it is tall, providing better resistance to vertical loads and a more positive engagement in the keep. They're used as additional security fixings on external doors, as the primary lock on shed doors and garage side doors, and as privacy bolts on bathroom and bedroom doors.

Available in zinc-plated, galvanised, brass, and black finishes at the DIY Hardware Store, in sizes from 100mm through to 600mm for different door and gate widths.

  • Rectangular bolt slides horizontally in surface-mounted housing
  • No key required - simple manual lock-off operation
  • Used on external doors, sheds, gates, and privacy rooms
  • Zinc-plated, galvanised, brass, and black finishes
  • 100mm to 600mm sizes for different applications
  • Additional security alongside main door lock