Safety and security are important in all aspects of our lives. You follow safety standards when you travel, right? So why not follow standards when choosing a lock. Not all locks are created equal. Much like cars have safety standards and smartphones have water/dust certifications, door locks also go through rigorous testing to figure out their strength and safety standards. As you might expect, depending on your location around the world, lock standards can vary. That said, it’s not at all difficult to really look at a lock standard and figure out what it might mean about the security of your home or office.
Why Standards and Certifications Are Important
When a customer purchases a lock, whether for residential or commercial use, the expectation is that it will be safe and secure. However, when presented with a variety of different types, including the ever-popular keyless entry door locks, it’s essential to have a system for identifying which locks are proven to be the most secure. That’s where standards and certifications come into play.
Being able to quickly judge whether a lock is right for your use case, based on the grade it has received from a recognized standards organization, is hugely important. A proper grade from a standards and certification organization will inform a customer’s decision by indicating whether a lock is suitable for residential or commercial use, whether it has been rigorously tested against common attacks, and whether it is resistant to smoke and fire, among other factors.
That being said, not all standards and certifications are the same, and where you live in the world does play a part in which ones are used. So, let’s take a look.
Europe
European countries have adopted their own lock standard and certification system, which categorizes locks based on a rating and an eight-digit code. This standard is provided by the European Committee for Standardization (Comite European de Normalisation) (CEN).
In Europe, the most typical rating you might encounter is called EN 1303. Basically, this is the gold standard for lock safety. The EN 1303 rating ensures lock cylinders perform reliably in various environments and meet the necessary security and durability criteria as stated in the standard. The EN 1303 rating isn’t the only factor that goes into the standard, however. As mentioned, an eight-digit code accompanies the rating, breaking down each lock into various categories.
Each of the eight digits is a different standard for the lock. These digits can measure how many test cycles the lock cylinder has endured, if the lock is suitable for fire-resistant and smoke-control doors, the effective corrosion resistance of the cylinder, attack resistance, and much more. You could argue that the European standard for locks is the most detailed of any around the world.
United States and Others Around the World
The United States of America has two different lock certification standards that are widely used. While both are lock standards, they approach the certification process from different angles. The first is developed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHMA). The ANSI/BHMA standard grades locks based on security standards and breaks them down into three simple categories.
ANSI Grades
- Grade 1: The highest level of security. Door knobs must withstand 800,000 cycles of lock security testing, a 360-pound weight test, and six door strikes, while deadbolts must withstand 250,000 cycles, and at least 10 door strikes with a hammer. This grade is typically reserved for commercial buildings, where the most secure locks may be required. However, in recent years, we’ve seen more and more residential locks adopt this grade.
- Grade 2: The intermediate level of security. Locks in this grade are tested to withstand over 600,000 cycles. This grade is usually used with residential doors.
- Grade 3: The most basic level of security. While they don’t offer protection against lock-picking or bumping attacks, they do have anti-drill features. Usually, you’ll find this grade used as a secondary security measure.
UL Grades
The second lock certification comes from Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a global organization based in the United States. The UL lock standard is usually not used for residential locks, but it is a useful certification for office buildings and other commercial uses. While you’ll find several different grades used by UL, the one most often stated as the most secure is UL 437. This grade states the lock has passed tests for burglary resistance. These locks are the most secure against various types of tampering, including picking, drilling, and other forms of forced entry.
As mentioned above, the certification and standards for locks can be confusing for individuals looking to purchase a new lock. However, it is incredibly important for these standards to exist, as they help customers identify which locks are the most thoroughly tested and presumed to be the safest. Being informed is the first step in safety for locks.
