A House Key Copy Runs About $3. Where to Get One That Works

2026-10-30

Five Places That Copy a House Key

You're holding one front door key. You want two more. You search for a key copy near you and get a map full of kiosks and stores.

Good news. Almost any of them can do it. A common house key is the easiest key there is to copy. The real choice is how much help you want if it goes wrong.

Prices in the table come from reviews written on the shops we list, from August 2025 to August 2026. They are what people said they paid, not a price list. Your store may charge more or less.

The kiosks are bigger than most people think. Hillman, the hardware company behind many store key desks, agreed to buy the minuteKEY kiosk maker in 2018. Its release said the kiosks sit in thousands of stores, including Walmart, Lowe's and Menards. It also said Hillman's own key business runs mostly through the hardware desk at home improvement stores. So the desk and the kiosk can trace back to one company.

KeyMe says its kiosks make most house keys, plus mailbox and padlock keys. It also mails copies, and its help page says delivery takes three to five business days. Handy for a key you can't bring in. Not handy when you need it tonight.

What 344 Reviews Say About Key Copies

We list thousands of locksmith shops, and we read what their customers write. As of October 2026, our listings hold 14,571 reviews on 2,253 shops. We pulled every review about copying a key that wasn't a car key or a fob. There were 344, on 251 shops, written from August 2025 to August 2026.

Ten of them gave a clear price for each key. The chart runs from low to high.

The middle of those ten is about $3.17 a key. That's where the $3 in our title comes from. Locksmith counters were not the pricey choice. Eleven reviewers said the shop they reviewed was cheaper than a kiosk or a big box store. Two said the opposite. One was quoted $60 for a less common key at a lock shop, then paid $17 at a kiosk.

Kiosk prices showed up twice. One reviewer paid $7.50 for a house key at a kiosk in a Walmart. The other paid that $17 for the less common key.

Speed wasn't an issue anywhere. 198 of the 344 reviews talked about how quick it was. Many said under five minutes. One said under a minute for two keys.

The number that matters most is 21. In 21 reviews, a copy failed or couldn't be made somewhere else first. Then the shop being reviewed made one that worked.

• In 11, the first copy got made but didn't work. It went in the lock and wouldn't turn, or didn't fit at all.
• In 10, the first place couldn't make it at all. Most often they had no blank for that key.
• 7 of the 21 named a self service kiosk or key machine as the first stop.
• 11 named a big box or hardware store.

Locksmiths miss too. Five reviews said the reviewed shop's own copies didn't work. A few shops took them back and recut them. Some didn't.

Why a New Copy Won't Turn

A copy that slides in but won't turn is the classic failure. The cuts are close, but not close enough. A few things cause it.

The Original Was Worn

Most store machines trace your key. Wikipedia's article on key duplication says the original rides along a guide while a blade cuts the blank. So the machine copies whatever it touches, wear and all. That article notes worn keys can throw off a copy made this way.

KeyMe's own guide says the same. A badly worn key may give an inaccurate copy. It says a key made from the original specs may work better.

It Was a Copy of a Copy

Every copy starts from the key you hand over. If that key is already a copy, its small errors carry into the new one. Then you add the machine's own error on top. Always bring the best key you have. That's usually the one that came with the lock.

The Wrong Blank

A house key is cut from a blank shaped for one lock family. Close isn't good enough. The key duplication article warns the right blank may not be in stock at a hardware store or a locksmith. Ten of our 21 redo stories started with a store that had no blank.

Rough Edges

A fresh cut leaves sharp burrs. The same article says keys get deburred after cutting so the burrs don't foul the lock. A rough copy can stick even when the cuts are right.

Get a Copy That Works the First Time

A few habits save you a second trip.

1. Bring your best key. Use the original from the lock maker if you still have it. Skip the bent or shiny worn one.
2. Get two copies, not one. If one is off, you'll know right away by trying both.
3. Look at it before you pay. Hold the copy next to the original. The cuts should line up from tip to bow.
4. Run a finger along the edge. It should feel smooth, not sharp.
5. Test it in the real lock that day. Try it with the door open first, so you can't get locked out. Turn it both ways, and try every lock it should open.
6. Keep the receipt. Ask what happens if a copy doesn't work. Some shops recut for free.
7. Don't force it. A copy that needs a hard twist can snap in the lock. Then you have a bigger job.

If a key does break off, our broken key in the lock guide walks you through it.

Need a key for a lock with no key at all? A locksmith can often make one from the lock itself. Our post on whether a locksmith can make a key from a lock explains how.

If you're copying keys because you just moved in, stop first. You don't know who else has a copy. A rekey costs more than a copy, but it shuts out every old key. Our guide on rekeying or replacing your locks covers that choice.

Keys a Store Won't Copy

Some keys can't be copied at a kiosk or a hardware desk at all. Wikipedia's key control article sorts them into levels.

• Do Not Duplicate keys are stamped plain keys. The article says they can in theory be copied anywhere. Many stores still say no.
• Restricted keys aren't sold in normal stores. The blank often comes from one source, which sets the rules.
• Patented keys add patent law on top, so nobody else may make the blank.
• Factory only keys need a signed request sent to the maker.

KeyMe's guide agrees that some restricted keys can't be copied without the right sign off. For those, you go back to the dealer who sold the lock, often with ID. Our post on what keys cannot be duplicated covers the rules, including post office keys.

Car keys are a different job too. Most have a chip that needs pairing. Our car key replacement cost guide covers those.

Where Other Guides Slip

Most key copy guides are price lists. They say a house key costs a few dollars and stop there. That's true, and it misses the point.

Price barely moved in our reviews. The spread was a few dollars. What cost people time was a copy that didn't work. In 21 reviews, someone paid once, drove home, found a bad key and paid again somewhere else.

Few guides say to copy from the original, not a copy. Few say to test the key the same day. And few admit the kiosk and the store desk can trace back to one company.

One more thing gets missed. A locksmith counter is not always the costly choice for a plain key. Eleven of our reviewers paid less there than at a kiosk or a big box store. Find one near you in our locksmith listings.

★Star Locksmith Listing as a source in Google

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