Key sheared, keyway hammered open, or a taper/gib-head key that's long obsolete? Send the shaft or the old key for a quote in 24 hours — we cut the key to fit, oversized where the slot has worn.
When a Standard Key Won't Fit
A machine key is a small part until it fails — then the drive slips and the machine stops. Standard keys come off the shelf until the fit is gone: the keyway has hammered open and a nominal key rattles; the original key sheared and only pieces remain; the machine uses a gib-head or taper key in a size no distributor keeps; or the drive needs a key in a non-standard width, length or material. None of those come from a bin.
EKINSUN cuts the key that fits. We machine custom machine keys — parallel, Woodruff, gib-head taper, feather and oversized keys — to your shaft and keyway or copied from the sheared original, in the material the drive needs. No CAD file or part number required, one piece or a batch, quoted within 24 hours.
Keys We Machine
Parallel key (DIN 6885)
Square or rectangular section, round or square ends, to your shaft size.
Woodruff key
Half-moon key for tapered and light shafts, any DIN 6888 or custom size.
Gib-head taper key
Tapered key with a head for extraction — the one that's hardest to buy.
Oversized key
Slightly over nominal, filed to a snug fit in a worn keyway.
Feather / sliding key
For a hub that slides along the shaft while keyed against rotation.
Large / special key
Non-standard width, extra length or special end form, cut to spec.
Standards We Machine
| Standard | Key type | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| DIN 6885 / DIN 6886 | Parallel & taper keys | General shaft-to-hub drive (metric) |
| DIN 6888 | Woodruff keys | Tapered and light shafts |
| ASME B17.1 | Parallel & Woodruff (inch) | US machinery |
| Gib-head taper | Headed taper key | Removable drive keys, older machinery |
| Non-standard / OEM | Oversized & special | Worn keyways, obsolete machine keys |
Parallel Key Size Reference (DIN 6885, key section b × h)
| Shaft Ø | Key b × h | Shaft Ø | Key b × h |
|---|---|---|---|
| >12–17 | 5 × 5 | >44–50 | 14 × 9 |
| >17–22 | 6 × 6 | >50–58 | 16 × 10 |
| >22–30 | 8 × 7 | >58–65 | 18 × 11 |
| >30–38 | 10 × 8 | >65–75 | 20 × 12 |
| >38–44 | 12 × 8 | >75–85 | 22 × 14 |
Worn slot, non-standard section, extra length, gib head or a size above the table? That's exactly what we cut — send the shaft and we match the key to it.
Materials
| Material | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| C45 / S45C key steel | Standard drive keys | Medium-carbon, hardened where the torque needs it — the default |
| Alloy steel (42CrMo4) | High-torque drives | Through-hardened for the heaviest keys |
| 304 / 316 stainless | Corrosive, marine, washdown | 304 general, 316 for chloride and seawater |
| Brass | Non-marking, soft-drive keys | Where a sacrificial, non-galling key is wanted |
| 6061 / 7075 aluminium | Light-duty or non-magnetic | 7075 where a light key still needs shear strength |
The key should be the part that gives way — not the shaft. A key harder than the shaft or hub concentrates wear onto the expensive parts. We pick key material and hardness so the key stays put under normal load but shears before it damages the shaft, and for a worn keyway we machine the key oversized so it can be fitted tight rather than re-cutting the slot. Tell us the drive and we advise on section, material and fit.
How It Works
Send the shaft or the old key
The shaft (and mating hub if you have it), or the sheared key — even in pieces. Tell us how much the keyway has worn if it has.
We measure and draw it
Keyway width, depth, length, taper and any gib head measured and rebuilt — free, no part number needed. See how we work from a sample.
You approve, we machine
Cut to size — oversized for a worn slot — the material hardened to suit, and inspected before shipping.
Reorder anytime
We keep the key dimensions on file, so the next service is a one-line email at a lower unit price.
Who Orders Custom Keys
"The keyway on this pulley shaft is hammered open and a stock key just rattles"
Send the shaft. We machine an oversized key that files to a tight fit in the worn slot, so the drive locks up again without re-cutting the keyway or replacing the shaft.
"This old machine uses a gib-head taper key in a size nobody stocks"
We copy the gib-head taper — head, taper and all — from the old key or the shaft, in the right material, single pieces welcome. The removable drive key comes back exactly as designed.
"My drive needs a key in a non-standard section and material"
We cut the key to your section, length and end form, in the steel or stainless the application needs, repeatable from saved data with certs on request.
"I sheared the flywheel/crank key and need the exact one, maybe a bit stronger"
We reproduce the sheared key and can step up the material — alloy steel where the original mild key kept failing — to the exact fit your keyway needs.
What Buyers Search For
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes — that is one of the commonest reasons to have a key made. Where the keyway has opened up, we machine a key slightly over nominal width so it can be filed to a snug fit in the worn slot, restoring the drive without re-cutting the keyway. Tell us how much the slot has worn, or send the shaft, and we size the key to suit.
Yes. Send the sheared key — even in pieces — or the shaft and hub it fits, and we measure the width, height, length and any taper or gib head and reproduce it. No part number or drawing needed; we work from the physical parts.
Yes. Gib-head taper keys (with the head for extraction), plain taper keys and feather/sliding keys are all machined to your taper and dimensions. These are often the keys that are hardest to buy off the shelf, especially in older or non-standard sizes.
Standard is C45 / S45C medium-carbon key steel, hardened where the drive demands it. We also cut keys in 304 or 316 stainless for corrosive and washdown service, brass where a softer, non-marking key is wanted, and 6061 or 7075 aluminium for light-duty or non-magnetic use. As a rule the key is chosen so it shears before the shaft or hub — tell us the drive and we advise.
Yes. Above the common stock sizes, in a non-standard width or height, extra length, or a special end form (round, square, or radiused) — all machined to your shaft and keyway. Send the dimensions or the shaft and we make the key to match.
Yes. Send the shaft (or the shaft and mating hub), and we measure the keyway width, depth and length and machine the key to fit. No CAD, no part number — the parts tell us everything we need.
Related Custom Parts
Keys go with the parts they drive. We also machine bearing lock & spindle nuts, dowel & taper pins, and full machine replacement parts for the shaft and hub side. Worn keyway on a shaft we should reproduce too? See our guide to reverse-engineering a shaft keyway, or send the shaft for a made-to-drawing part.
Machine Key Quote
Send the shaft or the old key. Reply in 24h.
// Qty & price
1 pc
Sample price
Confirm fit before a run
3–10
Unit price drops
Setup cost shared
10+
Best price
All tiers quoted upfront
- →No distributor — you pay the maker directly
- →Key dimensions saved — reorder anytime at lower unit price