# Security standards | TrustedGlazing Source: https://trustedglazing.co.uk/guides/security-windows-and-doors Home / Guides / Security standards Living with them · 18 of 19 # What makes a window or door actually secure? Two things to put in writing: PAS 24 for the window or doorset as a whole, and a TS007 3-star cylinder, or a 1-star cylinder paired with 2-star handles. Part Q of the building regulations requires PAS 24 on new dwellings only, not on a replacement in an existing home, so on a replacement nobody will specify it unless you ask. Security is one of the few areas of this trade with real, testable standards behind it. The catch is that the regulation requiring them does not apply to most of the work being done, which is why the standards are so rarely mentioned on a quote. Guide 18 / 19 Series Living with them Issued 12 Oct 2026 Revised 14 Oct 2026 Applies to England and Wales Reading 3 min · 589 words Contents - 01The standard for the whole doorset or window - 02Where the regulations stop - 03The cylinder, and the attacks that matter - 04Questions 01 / 04 ## The standard for the whole doorset or window **PAS 24** is the enhanced security test standard. A doorset or window that holds a PAS 24 certificate has been through mechanical loading, manipulation and physical attack tests as a complete assembly -- frame, sash, glass, hinges and lock together. That last point is what makes it meaningful. A strong lock in a weak frame is a weak door, and a test that only examines the cylinder would never show it. PAS 24 is the only way to know the whole thing was assessed. **Secured by Design** is the police-backed scheme that licenses products meeting those standards. The logo on a brochure is a useful shorthand, but it belongs to a specific certified product, so it is worth checking the certificate covers the doorset you are actually being quoted. In one line Ask for PAS 24 on the doorset and a TS007 3-star cylinder. Part Q only requires PAS 24 on new homes, so on a replacement you have to specify it yourself. ## Where the regulations stop Approved Document Q applies to new dwellings. It requires reasonable provision to resist unauthorised access, which in practice means PAS 24 on doors and on accessible windows. Replacing a door or window in an existing house is not covered by Part Q. Your installer is obliged to meet the thermal and safety requirements that do apply to a replacement -- see building regulations -- but nothing compels them to fit a tested doorset, and a standard specification often is not one. This is not a scandal, and it does not mean installers are cutting corners. It means the question is yours to ask. A good installer will answer it in one line. ## The cylinder, and the attacks that matter Most break-ins through a uPVC or composite door are attacks on the lock cylinder rather than on the door. The relevant standard is **TS007**, which is scored in stars. - **A 3-star cylinder** resists snapping, drilling, picking and bumping on its own. - **A 1-star cylinder with 2-star security handles** reaches the same combined level, because the handle protects the cylinder. Three stars have to come from somewhere; either route is legitimate. - **A 1-star cylinder on its own is not enough**, and it is a very common default. Beyond that, the things worth checking are hinge bolts or security hinges on outward-opening doors, laminated rather than toughened glass in any pane next to a lock, and key-locking handles on ground-floor and accessible windows. ## Questions Does my insurer require any of this? Policies vary and some specify lock standards for doors, so it is worth reading yours before you specify rather than after. Telling your insurer you have upgraded to a tested doorset is also occasionally worth something on the premium. Is a composite door more secure than uPVC? Not inherently. A composite door has a denser slab, which resists a physical attack on the door itself better, but almost all forced entries go through the lock. A PAS 24 uPVC doorset with a 3-star cylinder beats an uncertified composite door with a 1-star cylinder. What about the glass? Laminated glass is the security specification, because it holds together when broken rather than clearing the opening. It is worth asking for in any glazed panel beside a door lock, and in accessible ground-floor windows. Toughened glass is a safety specification, which is a different thing -- see the guidance on where safety glass is required. Note This guide is general information about England and Wales, not advice about your specific property. TrustedGlazing is an introducer and does not install, survey or quote. Rely on your installer's survey and your local authority for decisions about your own home. One installer, not five ## When you are ready for a price Tell us your postcode and what you need. If we have a local installer covering you, your enquiry goes to one of them, and nobody else. Check my postcode Previous · 17 Windows and noise Next · 19 Condensation Same series ## More on living with them All guides - 15 · Living with them ### When is it actually time to replace your windows? 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