Arrow E50 Occupancy Indicator Deadbolt

The Arrow E50 is the occupancy indicator deadbolt - a Grade 2 deadbolt with a large external viewing window that displays the occupancy status of the room to anyone approaching the door. If you searched "occupancy indicator deadbolt", "occupancy deadbolt", "deadbolt occupancy indicator", "deadbolt with occupancy indicator", or "indicator deadbolt" - this is the product.

What an Occupancy Indicator Deadbolt Is

A standard deadbolt gives no visual signal from outside about whether a room is occupied. Someone approaching a locked restroom, dressing room, or nursing room cannot tell from the outside whether the door is locked because someone is inside or simply because it was locked and left unoccupied. This creates the two situations the Arrow E50 was designed to eliminate: door rattling from people trying a locked door when someone is inside, and people waiting outside an empty room that is unlocked but was never opened.

The Arrow E50 solves this with a large external viewing window built directly into the outside housing. When the thumbturn inside is turned to lock the deadbolt, the indicator changes to display the occupied state - visible from outside before anyone touches the door. When the deadbolt is retracted and the room is vacant, the indicator changes back to the vacant display. No separate sign, no sensor, no wiring. The indicator is mechanically linked to the deadbolt position.

Indicator Display: Vacant/Occupied and In Use Variants

The Arrow E50 ships in two indicator display formats:

Standard E50: Large external viewing window shows the occupancy status through the housing window. The display reads the locked/unlocked state of the deadbolt - occupied (locked) or vacant (unlocked).

E50-V54 variant: Exterior "VACANT/OCCUPIED" text indicator in red and white. The V54 adds bold text labels - "VACANT" in white when unlocked, "OCCUPIED" in red when locked - for maximum legibility at a distance. Correct for high-traffic commercial restrooms, healthcare waiting areas, and any application where the indicator needs to be read quickly from a corridor approach.

Both the standard and V54 also have a visual indicator on the inside housing so the occupant inside can confirm the locked state without bending to check the bolt.

Emergency Key: The Critical Safety Feature

The Arrow E50 occupancy indicator deadbolt includes an emergency key override, and the mechanism is designed specifically to prevent emergency access from being blocked. This is the detail no competitor page explains.

When the deadbolt is projected to the locked (occupied) state, an external slot is exposed on the outside face of the lock housing. This slot accepts the emergency override key. When the emergency key is inserted and the deadbolt is retracted from outside, the key is captured inside the deadbolt mechanism - it cannot be removed. The emergency key stays captured until the deadbolt is either retracted from inside by the occupant's thumbturn, or turned to the "Vacant" (unlocked) state. This key-capture feature prevents the emergency key from being pocketed and used repeatedly for unauthorized access. One emergency key override per installation is included with each unit.

Anti-Saw Deadbolt: The Hardened Steel Pin Insert

The E50 deadbolt is 1-inch throw solid steel with a hardened, free-spinning steel pin insert. The pin insert is the same anti-saw technology as on commercial security deadbolts - a hardened steel pin in the center of the bolt that rotates freely when a saw blade contacts it. The saw blade generates heat and friction but cannot make progressive cuts because the pin spins rather than being cut. This prevents the most common forced entry method against deadbolts in unattended single-occupancy spaces.

Wrenching Resistance: Free-Spinning Outer Ring

The E50 housing is two-piece, with a free-spinning outer ring. The outer ring is the collar visible on the exterior door face. When someone applies a wrench, pipe wrench, or channel-lock pliers to the outside housing attempting to turn and break the lock, the outer ring spins freely - it rotates without transmitting torque to the internal mounting bolts or housing. The wrench cannot get purchased. Mounting screws are concealed standard, further preventing access to the internal attachment points.

Thru-Bolting: Structural Attachment

Two 1/4-inch steel thru-bolts extend completely through the door from the inside plate to the outside housing. Thru-bolted construction means the two halves of the lock are mechanically connected through the door material - they cannot be separated by prying the outside housing away from the door face. The thru-bolt attachment also provides far superior pull-off resistance compared to surface-mounted screws.

Reversible Handing and Backset Options

All Arrow E50 functions are reversible - right-hand and left-hand installation with no separate ordering required. Backset options: 2-3/8-inch and 2-3/4-inch, to fit standard door preparations for both older residential and commercial door frames. Door thickness: 1-3/8-inch to 1-3/4-inch standard.

The standard strike supplied is the Arrow #346 security strike for metal frames. Optional extended lip strikes, wrought strike box, and other strike configurations are available for non-standard jamb conditions.

Occupancy Indicator Deadbolt vs Occupancy Indicator Cylindrical Lock

Both the Arrow E50 (deadbolt with indicator) and the Arrow APL02 (cylindrical lever with indicator) display occupancy status. The selection depends on the opening:

Arrow APL02: Cylindrical lever lock with indicator in the rose. The outside has a lever handle. The indicator is in the rose plate. Used when outside lever entry operation is required - lever to enter, pushbutton inside for privacy. No key required from outside when unlocked. Better for high-traffic access-controlled openings.

Arrow E50: Deadbolt only - no latch, no lever. Thumbturn inside projects the deadbolt, indicator shows occupied. Emergency key only from outside. Used when the opening already has a latch (entry lever or knob lockset) and the deadbolt is an auxiliary security and occupancy indicator device. Correct for retrofit applications onto existing lockset-equipped doors.

Specifications

Model: Arrow E50

Series: E Series Grade 2 Deadbolt

Function: Occupancy indicator deadbolt - thumbturn inside, indicator outside, emergency key override

Indicator: External viewing window - occupied/vacant; V54 variant adds "VACANT/OCCUPIED" text in red/white

Emergency Key: Included, captured when in use - cannot be removed until deadbolt retracted

Deadbolt: 1-inch (25mm) throw, solid steel with hardened free-spinning steel pin insert (anti-saw)

Housing: Two-piece - free-spinning outer ring prevents wrenching; concealed mounting screws

Thru-Bolting: Two 1/4" steel thru-bolts

Backset: 2-3/8" and 2-3/4" (two fronts supplied)

Door Thickness: 1-3/8" to 1-3/4" standard

Handing: All functions reversible

Strike: #346 security strike for metal frame, supplied

ANSI/BHMA: A156.36 Auxiliary Locks, Grade 2

Finishes: 26D (satin chrome), 03 (bright brass), 04 (satin brass), 10 (satin bronze), 10B, 10BE, 15, 26, BSP (black), WSP

Applications: Public restrooms, dressing rooms, nursing mother's rooms, bathroom retrofit, single-occupancy spaces

American Locksets has stocked Arrow E50 indicator deadbolts since 2001.