During the planning and construction of residential, commercial or institutional buildings in the UK, developers must meet security standards that protect assets while reassuring insurers and occupants.
One cost-effective protective specification that balances performance with broad adoption is PAS 24 certification for security doors and windows. But what exactly does PAS 24 entail as a nationally recognised security standard, and why does it matter for builders to include it in architectural plans?
Introduced in 1999 by the British Standards Institution (BSI), Publicly Available Specification 24 (PAS 24) was originally published to validate and grade enhanced security doorsets following heightened concerns over burglary risks in the UK.
It has since expanded in scope to cover not just external personnel doors, but also windows, curtain walls and rooflights. While a PAS lacks the status of a full British Standard, PAS 24 enjoys widespread recognition and adoption from insurers and police services given its rigorous real-world physical testing approach developed through industry input.
To achieve the PAS 24 badge of approval, doors undergo a series of actual timed manual attacks representative of common intruder methods targeting that opening type. This determines the product’s resistance integrity when confronted by stealth attacks using basic, non-powered hand tools.
Testing examines the whole doorset solution rather than just the door alone to replicate operational conditions. A doorset must withstand a sustained assault spanning a full 5 minutes of tampering, prying and attempted entry before certification is assigned.
PAS 24 essentially validates whether installed doors and windows delay or significantly deter opportunist break-in efforts.
Investing in PAS 24 certified barriers gives building owners confidence through:
Many UK police forces endorse PAS 24 as striking an optimal balance of performance versus cost. This drives preferential recommendations to developers seeking advice.
Major insurance providers recognise PAS 24 conformity in grading policy risk, with many adjusting premiums accordingly due to increased asset security.
As assessments focus on opportunist intruder capabilities, PAS 24 approval provides a proportional protective baseline readily enhanced by supplementary measures like alarms.
For most facilities, PAS 24 door and window sets deliver core invasive resistance to inhibit or slow opportunist breaches. This buys time for detection and response.
As an established UK security specification backed by the police, PAS 24 approval constitutes responsible due diligence for developers prioritising cost-effective security. Here at Bradbury Group, we offer fully bespoke steel doors engineered to not only achieve PAS 24 conformance but also more demanding standards like LPS 1175.
Our M2M2 doorsets meet the LPS 1175 SR2 to SR4 security standards and are designed to your exact specification, making them an ideal steel door for any project. Consult with our experts today on integrating security-graded doors 4 alongside other defensive measures matching your building’s unique risk profile.
