Understanding BS3621: What Joiners need to know

A Common Question from Customers

A question customers often ask joiners is... “My insurance company insists that my door lock is BS3621 compliant. Can you confirm the lock on my door will be compliant”?

As a joiner, you may be wondering:
1) What is BS3621? and
2) How do I know if the door lock we’re supplying is sufficient, from a security and insurance perspective?

What Is BS3621?

Firstly, BS3621 is a lock standard by the British Standards Institute (BSI) for thief-resistant locks. BS3621 locks are found on front and back doors in the home, and it’s a good way to check that your security is up to standard. This is why some insurance companies require door locks that are fitted to the BS3621 British Standard. This is easy to follow if you’re fitting 5 Lever Locks to the door; however, if you’re fitting a multi-point door lock to a timber door (which is far more likely nowadays), BS3621 has no relevance, as there is no such multi-point door lock on the market.

The Problem with Insurance Guidance

So, where do you go from here? In a multipoint lock, most insurance companies state in their literature that “multipoint locks” are solely fitted on PVC and Composite doors and a BS3621 lock on a Timber door. But we know this isn`t true now. Almost 85% of new timber door manufacturers in the UK use a multipoint lock.

Are Multipoint Locks More Secure?

Multipoint locks are a more secure option than a 5 Lever Lock in most cases. MPL`s (multipoint locks) security test is PAS24, but this is carried out on the whole door set, not just the lock. This is where PAS3621 was supposed to help, but manufacturers decided against making and testing a multipoint lock to BS3621. (A shame as it would have made things a lot easier for everyone.)

PAS24 vs BS3621 Explained

BS3621 closely follows PAS24, but as stated, it is a test on the whole door, including the frame. You can be assured that most multipoint locks have gone through a PAS24 test. The PAS24 test is very aggressive, with manual and mechanical elements to it.

Guidance from the Master Locksmith Association

The MLA (Master Locksmith Association), an independent body, provided guidelines to insurance companies that if a multipoint lock had at least three locking points, with a minimum throw of 20mm, this would be sufficient to consent to insurance that the door is secure.

So, What’s the Final Verdict?

Unfortunately, there isn’t a single sentence that can qualify an insurance query about the lock being used; however, the above might explain that there is no definitive answer to a BS3621 lock on Timber doors, and that a multipoint lock PAS24 test is more than adequate for insurance approval.