Schlage N523-218 ND Series Springcage and Lever Catch Assembly, Outside Standard

The N523-218 is a replacement spring cage and lever catch assembly for Schlage ND Series locks. It is the internal part that returns the lever to horizontal and retains the lever on the spindle, so it is what you order when an ND lever has started to sag or droop rather than replacing the whole lockset. It is the outside standard version, meaning it goes in the outside half of the lock.

A drooping lever on an ND Series lock is normally the spring cage, not the lock body. The N523-218 spring cage and lever catch assembly is sold as a replacement part for exactly that repair, so on a lock whose latch and cylinder still work you rebuild the lever side instead of pulling and re-prepping the door for a new lockset. Property managers with a run of ND levers on the same building usually stock these.

The N523-218 assembly is specified for the ND Series only. Schlage's other lever families, including the AL Series and the L Series mortise locks, use their own spring cage parts and this one is not interchangeable with them. Match the ND designation stamped on the lock before ordering.

The ND lock has a spring cage on each side of the door, and they are not the same part. The N523-218 is the outside standard assembly, so it serves the exterior or keyed side of the opening. If the lever that has gone soft is the inside lever, the outside assembly will not be the part you need. Check which side droops before you order, or order both sides if you are rebuilding the whole lock.

For the outside side of ND Series locks, the N523-218 standard assembly is the common repair part, which is why facilities running ND hardware across many doors keep them on the shelf. It is a Schlage service part rather than an aftermarket copy, so the rebuild keeps the opening on original Schlage components.