What Is The Best Front Door For Security?

In obvious terms, the best front door for security is one that will stop anyone from forcibly entering your property.

Long gone are the days when you could leave your front door open and today, the stark reality is that homeowners have to make every effort to protect their homes.

The door is the weakest point of entry to your home – 76% of burglars gain entry through the door and 59% of burglaries happen at the front of the house. Intruders work fast and with confidence.

To protect your home, you need to know that you have the best front door for security.

What to look for when buying a front door for security

There are two important factors to consider when choosing the best front door for security and they are:

• The material of the door
• The lock

When considering a front door, always look for the British Standard (BSI) Kitemark, PAS 24 and Secured by Design accreditations.

Are glass front doors safe?

Are glass doors safe - yes and no, some glass doors are safer than others.

There are two flaws with glass doors:

• They can be broken easily
• Pieces of glass can be lifted out of the frame.
• Small windows near the door can be broken and then the lock can be opened from the inside by reaching inside.

To make glass doors safer, the glass can be installed with the beading internally to stop the glass from being lifted out of the frame externally.

If you do install glass panels in the door, make sure they're made from toughened or laminated glass.

Or, have a lock that can't be opened by reaching through the window - such as a double cylinder lock.

If you do have glass panels in a door you can also consider adding safety grills for extra security.

What is the best lock for a front door?

Apart from the quality of the material it's made from, a front door is only as secure as the locking system it uses. A super reinforced door is no good if the lock can be easily picked, drilled or snapped.

For this reason, when choosing a front door, you should pay more attention to the locks and locking system than anything else.

Also note, that when insuring your home, you will be asked about the locks used on the entry doors. Five-lever deadbolts and British Standard are usually basic requirements and your home might not be insured if your doors use an inferior lock.

There are two main common types of LOCK STYLE used in the UK:

• Mortice Lock
• Rim Lock or Nightlatch

There are two main types of LOCKING SYSTEMS used in the UK:

• Lever lock
• Cylinder or Euro Cylinder Lock

The two main types of locking systems used in the UK:

Cylinder or Euro locks

A cylinder lock is operated by the grooved edge of the key moving spring-loaded internal pins around inside the cylinder as the key is turned.

Cylinder locks come in three main types:

1. Round profile

   Typically, this would be a rim lock style with a cylinder locking mechanism - like what used to be called a 'Yale lock'.

2. Oval profile

   Oval profile and Euro cylinder locks work with a mortice lock case fitted into the door.

   The cylinder part of the lock that takes the key sits through the handle of the door and this can be replaced without having to change the lock case. For example, if you lose your key or want to change the key.

   The handle has to be lifted for the lock to turn and when locked the handle can't be lifted.

3. Euro profile

   A euro lock is the same as an oval lock except it's a different shape, like a keyhole.

   All uPVC doors use a euro cylinder lock that sits within the handle and connects to a multi-point locking system in the door frame.

   The multi-point locking system is a safe system but the cylinder lock has an inherent flaw that allows the cylinder of the lock to easily be snapped and overridden - thus making the multi-lock security redundant. Euro cylinders have been responsible for up to 25% of break-ins.

   Anti-snap: In light of the issues of the euro lock, new anti-snap cylinder locks were developed and the police recommended that the original euro locks on older uPVC doors be replaced.

   Look for a standard TS 007 and SS312.

   All Everest door locks meet SS 312*** British Security Standards.

   Double cylinder: A cylinder lock that can be key operated internally as well as externally is known as a double cylinder. This gives extra security because the lock can't be opened by breaking a window and reaching through but it does have building regulation restrictions (see below).

Restrictions to internal key-operated locks

When living in a property that only has one main door as an escape route or an upstairs apartment, a key that can be locked on the inside is not permitted by building regulations.

The door must have a lock that is thumb-operated on the inside for quick escape.

Also note, a lock must be fitted properly to be secure and in most cases, a registered locksmith is the best person to do this.

An ill-fitted cylinder lock is more vulnerable to 'snapping' attacks.

When buying a door lock, look for the following security standards:

• Five-lever mortice lock: BS 3621 or EN 13309
• Euro cylinder lock: TS 007 *** or SS 312 *** diamond

The best front door for security (recap)

As a recap, the best front door to keep your home secure are:

• A timber door with a five-lever mortice deadlock
• A uPVC door with an anti-snap cylinder lock and a multi-point locking system
• A composite door with either of the above locks

A secure front door is peace of mind for you and your family

Our doors have been tested by the police to withstand an attempted break-in for 15 minutes and therefore awarded the Secured by Design accreditation.