1137B ILCO Tubular Key Blank Brass

The Ilco 1137B is a solid brass tubular key blank for tubular cylinder locks, sold individually. A tubular key cutting machine is required to cut this blank — it cannot be cut on a standard flat key machine. The 1137B is Ilco's North American reference number for this tubular blank profile and is widely used by locksmiths, vending operators, facilities maintenance teams, and key cutting shops that service tubular cylinder-equipped equipment.

What makes a tubular key blank different from a standard key blank

A standard flat key blank has a single blade that gets cuts applied along its edge in a linear pattern. A tubular key blank has a cylindrical body with a hollow center post, and the cuts are arranged in a circular pattern around the outside of that post. The tubular key inserts into a tubular cylinder by sliding the hollow center over a post in the keyway, and the cut depths around the circumference correspond to pins arranged in a circle inside the cylinder.

Cutting a tubular blank requires a specialized tubular key machine. Standard key cutting machines cannot produce the circular cut pattern that a tubular cylinder requires. This is the specific machine requirement called out on the 1137B product listing. If a locksmith or facility does not have a tubular key machine, the blank can be ordered pre-cut from a supplier with the correct equipment. The brass construction of the 1137B provides the material hardness and dimensional stability needed for accurate, consistent cuts on a tubular cutter.

What locks and equipment use tubular key cylinders

Tubular cylinders appear in a specific category of equipment where the round key format provides a mechanical advantage over flat key designs in tight or awkward insertion angles. Common applications include vending machines, coin-operated laundry equipment, arcade and gaming machines, point-of-sale terminals, ATMs, storage lockers, bicycle locks with tubular cylinders, cabinet locks on display cases, and certain industrial equipment control panels. In most of these applications, the tubular key is the standard access control method used by the original equipment manufacturer.

The tubular format is also used in some residential bicycle locks and gun locks, though the primary market for the 1137B is commercial and industrial equipment maintenance. When a tubular key is lost or damaged on a piece of equipment, the cylinder profile must be identified, the matching blank ordered, and the blank cut on a tubular machine to match the existing cylinder. The 1137B serves as the blank for the most common tubular key profile in the North American market.

Ilco key blanks and North American cross-reference system

Ilco, part of the dormakaba group, maintains the most widely used North American key blank cross-reference system. The 1137B number is the Ilco designation for this tubular blank profile, and it cross-references to equivalent blanks from other manufacturers that fit the same tubular cylinder profile. When ordering key blanks for an existing system, the Ilco number is typically the reference point that locksmiths and equipment technicians use to source a compatible blank regardless of what brand is installed in the original equipment.

For the full range of Ilco key blanks including flat, tubular, and specialty profiles available on this site, browse the Ilco key blanks catalog. The complete key blanks section covers blanks from all manufacturers across standard, high-security, and specialty formats. For compatible cylinders and lock cores that use tubular key profiles, the cylinders, cores, and keys section covers related hardware.

Confirm that a tubular key cutting machine is available before ordering. The 1137B ships as an uncut blank and must be cut to the original key's specifications before it will operate any lock.