Making the grade – the difference between grade 4 and 5 of BS 8607

Craig Birch, Product Category Manager at UNION, outlines what the new grade 5 for BS 8607 includes, why it has been introduced and the benefits that it can help deliver.

It’s an unfortunate truth that many push button locks are not typically security products, but rather access control ones. For example, think about the last time you went to your local doctor’s surgery. No doubt there will have been a lock on the door behind the receptionist, protecting sensitive information inside. But the lock protecting this room is probably only a tubular latch – not a security device. Instead, it is simply used for convenience, to help meet the access control needs of the building.

However, BS 8607 – a standard for mechanically operated push button locksets – offers a series of grades that these locks can meet for strength and robustness. Grade 5 is the newest and most stringent level for delivering assured security and access control. But what does it offer that grade 4 does not?

What is BS 8607?

BS 8607:2014 covers the needs and test methods for mechanically operated push button locks and their locking plates. Covering factors such as durability, strength and function, this standard covers the use of push button locks on doors, window doors and entrance doors in buildings.

Both grade 4 and grade 5 of BS 8607 say that products meeting this standard must be suitable for ‘applications where security, abuse and usage levels are expected to be equivalent to BS 3621’, which is the standard covering thief-resistant locks.

But if the security, abuse and usage levels are the same, what is the difference between the two grades?

What is the difference between grade 4 and 5?

Put simply, products rated grade 4 have only achieved this standard with the help of an integral additional locking unit. So, with a grade 4 product, users must lock and unlock the solution from the inside with a key, and then operate the device from the outside to unlock a door.

But a product that meets grade 5 standards provides a ‘one-stop’ security and access control solution. Essentially, it does not require a separate locking unit. With a grade 5 product, the latch and lock are integrated and tested together, without the need for an additional key. The result is a solution that offers keyless egress. This means that, when it shuts, a grade 5 solution automatically locks. Then, should you need to exit a room, it’s simply a one handle operation to unlock the door.

While both grade 4 and 5 devices offer the same resistance to attack, the fact that a user has to physically lock a door themselves with a grade 4 device means the product depends on key holders to secure the premises themselves. Ultimately, end users have to take responsibility and ownership for security. But with a grade 5 solution, security is assured, as the door locks automatically. 

Why has grade 5 been introduced?

Grade 5 has been introduced because it provides a BSI Kitemark approved certification.  This means any push button locks that say they meet grade 5 standards will be fully tested and inspected to this certification, offering complete peace of mind.

So, there is no question that a grade 5 product will meet the security and access control needs that so many commercial environments demand. A grade 4 product relies on an additional locking unit – which must also meet BS 3621 – being used too, whereas a grade 5 solution delivers assured protection and access control in a single package.

Finally, the BSI Kitemark for a grade 5 solution is an official stamp of approval for the quality of the service offered.

To date, it is this combination of security and access control that has not yet been seen in many push button locks. Grade 5 of BS 8607 looks set to change all that.