Short answer first: a simple daytime door opening costs a fair 80 to 150 euros in Germany. Nights, weekends and public holidays add surcharges, but even then a plain opening should not run over 250 euros. Anything above that needs explaining. And usually it is a rip-off.
I have been a master locksmith in Frankfurt for 22 years. I do not sell anyone fear. I do not sell anyone a 700-euro job for a door that has merely slammed shut. What a locksmith costs is no secret, and that is exactly why I am writing down the real numbers here, the ones I work with myself.
The 2026 price table
These are realistic ranges from 22 years on the job between Bornheim and Hoechst. The call-out is either included or costs 10 to 30 euros extra, depending on the firm. Material is mostly already roughly factored in here.
| Service | Day (Mon to Fri, 8 to 18) | Night / Weekend / Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| Door opening, slammed | 80 to 150 EUR | 150 to 250 EUR |
| Door opening, deadbolted | 120 to 200 EUR | 200 to 320 EUR |
| Standard cylinder swap | 70 to 130 EUR | 130 to 220 EUR |
| Security cylinder swap | 130 to 280 EUR | 200 to 380 EUR |
| New mortise lock | 150 to 350 EUR | 250 to 480 EUR |
| Locking system, per cylinder | 60 to 200 EUR | on request |
| Thumb-turn cylinder, emergency function | 90 to 180 EUR | 150 to 260 EUR |
A cheap cylinder costs 15 to 40 euros as a bare part. A good security cylinder to DIN EN 1303 from ABUS, BKS, Winkhaus or EVVA sits closer to 60 to 150 euros. Anyone who wants a cylinder with anti-drill and anti-pull protection and a security card, an EVVA MCS or ABUS Bravus for example, quickly pays 120 to 250 euros for the part alone. But that is also a piece of engineering an opportunist burglar in Sachsenhausen will fail at.
What is in the price and what is not
A common misunderstanding. The price on the phone is almost always labour plus call-out, not the material. A security cylinder with a master-key profile can push the final price up by 80 to 150 euros, entirely justified. So do not just ask for the opening price, ask for the total price if something has to be replaced. A serious firm itemises these cleanly on the invoice.
Why the range is so wide
Four things decide whether you pay 90 or 240 euros.
- Time of day. Day, night, Sunday, holiday. That is the biggest lever.
- Door state. Slammed shut is cheap. Deadbolted with the bolt thrown is extra work.
- Lock type. A simple warded lock in an old flat in Nordend is open in two minutes. A multi-point security lock to DIN 18257 ES1 or ES2 needs tools, patience and sometimes a second attempt.
- Material. Standard cylinder or high-security cylinder with card. A factor of three on the part.
If someone on the phone quotes you a fixed price of 39 euros without asking a single one of these questions, hang up. That price does not exist. It is bait. On site it turns into four times that with add-ons and surcharges.
Which surcharges are allowed
Night, weekend and holiday surcharges are legitimate. Nobody drives out at three in the morning at the daytime rate. Common is a 30 to 100 percent markup, staggered by the hour. A typical model looks like this:
- Weekdays 8 to 18: base price.
- Weekday evenings and Saturday: plus 30 to 50 percent.
- Night (22 to 6), Sunday, holiday: plus 50 to 100 percent.
What is not legitimate: a surcharge nobody told you about beforehand. A serious firm quotes a range on the phone including the surcharge. Something like "we will sort that out on site" is a warning sign. How these surcharges look legally and which hours count as night is in our guide on night, weekend and holiday rates.
Locked out and in a hurry?
Price quoted up front, vetted partner business, ~22 minutes on site.
Where the rip-off starts
Last month a man from Nordend called me, completely shaken. An 0800 service had taken 690 euros off him for a slammed door at 9 pm, cash, after drilling a door that was not even deadbolted. That is not a price. That is extortion in distress. For that very door, 150 euros would have been fair.
And last week in Bockenheim the same pattern. A student, door slammed shut, the technician immediately starts drilling even though the door would have been open in 30 seconds with a plastic card. Afterwards 480 euros on the slip, "because of a special lock". It was a bog-standard off-the-shelf cylinder. She signed because she was standing alone in the stairwell at night and was scared. That is exactly what these people work with.
The warning signs are always the same:
- Free 0800 numbers and ads right at the top of Google, often with a local area code that has nothing to do with the firm.
- No price on the phone.
- Cash only, no receipt, no company address.
- Drilling a door that is merely slammed.
- A technician who reaches for the drill immediately without a word.
A slammed door is not drilled. Full stop. It is opened with a card, the latch or a professional puller, almost always without a scratch. Anyone who drills when he does not have to then sells you the new cylinder he just destroyed. If you want to know more, read our guide on recognising rip-offs.
Quick questions
Can the technician charge more than quoted on the phone? No, not without reason. A quoted range is a statement you are entitled to rely on. If it turns out on site that more is needed, for instance a new lock instead of just an opening, he has to say so beforehand and get your consent. Not first on the invoice.
Do I have to pay cash? No. A serious firm accepts card or bank transfer and issues an invoice. Cash without a receipt is the pushers' favourite route, because nothing can be proven afterwards.
What if I have already paid too much? Keep the invoice and receipt, contact consumer advice immediately and have it checked by a lawyer if needed. In cases of usury a contract can be challenged. The consumer advice centre has template letters and concrete help for this.
How not to overpay
Always ask for a price range before anyone drives out. Get an invoice on site with an address and a company name. Do not pay cash without a receipt. And when it is not a real emergency, get a quote during the day. More on that in our piece on why a quote before the job should really be mandatory.
My advice from practice: save the number of a local firm in your phone today, on a quiet evening. Do not start searching when you are standing in the stairwell in Ostend at midnight. Whoever googles in a panic lands at the most expensive ads first, not at the most honest locksmith.
When a cylinder swap is worth it
After losing a key or an attempted break-in, do not just have the door opened and leave it at that. Swap the cylinder. That is the only guarantee that no stranger's key fits anymore. A sensible security cylinder from ABUS or Winkhaus with fitting during the day usually costs 130 to 250 euros, and that is money well spent. More on which cylinder actually holds and what burglary protection measures deliver is on our service pages. If only the cylinder has to come out, a lock replacement is often cheaper than most people think.
Frankfurt: is the local firm worth it?
Yes, almost always. A firm with a real address in Frankfurt, say in Gallus or Niederrad, has short distances and no reason to fleece you, because tomorrow it will drive past your street again. The big 0800 agencies, by contrast, often are not even based in the city, but sell your emergency call to the subcontractor who confirms fastest. And you have to pay the chain's commission on top.
In a real emergency our emergency service helps at fair prices, all current rates are transparently on the pricing page, and if you want to clarify something in advance you can reach us via contact.
Just remember the upper limit. A simple opening over 250 euros at night is almost always too much. Anyone who wants to take more off you without saying so beforehand is not a locksmith. He is a salesman of your distress.
