Best Front Doors for Security: Keeping Your Home Safe

The most secure front door on the market is a composite door and this is because many strong materials make up its structure. It has a solid timber core paired with reinforced layers of UPVC and fibreglass (GRP), as well as a mixture of other concentrated materials. Crucially, unlike doors made traditionally from timber, it won’t warp, crack, or weaken over the course of its lifetime.

Composite doors aren’t complete without their multi-point locking systems, tough glass, and maximum-security hinges. These qualities and their sheer strength make them more resilient than standard UPVC or traditional timber doors, firmly placing composite doors at the top of the list when it comes to protecting your home.

Obviously, the front door material you choose plays a crucial role in how well a door can withstand a dreaded break-in, just as modern locks will help prevent tampering from the outside.

The best front doors for security have a solid, reinforced core that adds strength to the design, making it much harder to force entry, while impact-resistant materials provide extra protection against brute force.

• What is the most secure front door material?
  Composite doors are widely considered the most secure front door material in today’s crowded door market. Their composition of a mixture of materials provides superior durability and resistance. Our premium composite doors feature solid steel hook locks that slide into steel and a 3 star locking cylinder.
• What locks should I look for in a secure door?
  The locks installed are just as important as the door material used as both work together to keep homes safe. We recommend looking for high-security locks that meet British Standard BS3621 as the minimum requirement. Multipoint locking systems, found on composite and UPVC doors, provide enhanced security by securing the door at various points along its frame.
• Are UPVC doors secure enough for the UK?
  Yes, UPVC is a strong and reliable material – qualities which make a door very secure. When paired with intelligent multipoint locking systems, they will protect your home to a high standard for many years.
• What is the hardest front door to break into?
  Because of its sheer strength, composite doors are the hardest to break into, but they will need to be paired with an intelligent locking system. You can expect Hazlemere’s composite doors to have this.

When shopping around for a secure door, you’ll need to consider how strong the material is, as well as the inclusion of high-security locks and reinforced frames. These are absolutely essential for preventing break-ins.

Another insight into how secure the door is to check if the door possesses any UK security certifications like PAS 24 and Secured by Design.

Here are our thoughts on the common door materials, when it comes to looking for a new front door for security reasons:

Traditional wooden doors may be strong, but they can warp and weaken over time, becoming a weak point in your home’s security. There are now modern engineered timber doors which will offer better security.

These affordable doors provide very solid performance when it comes to keeping homes safe. They’re low maintenance and resistant to warping, ensuring long-term reliability.

Aluminium is an incredibly strong material and its natural durability make it a reliable choice for home security.

The mixture of different materials make composite doors the best front doors for security reasons. With a reinforced core and impact-resistant outer layers, they offer excellent protection against forced entry.

The 5 security features that are key for a front door are:

If your door has a strong core (such as composite) it will be much more difficult to break through than a hollow or weak door.

Like it says on the tin, multipoint locking systems secures the door at multiple points along the frame, making it much harder to force open when compared with one singular lock.

To prevent the front door being kicked in or forced open, a tough frame and a reinforced strike plate will provide you with so much peace of mind.

Typical burglary techniques will be completely stopped by our anti-pick, anti-drill, and anti-snap locks.

Tough, tamper-proof hinges will prevent any intruders from forcing the door open or taking it off its frame.

Cylinder locks and lever locks are the best locking systems for a front door when they meet high-security standards. The British Standard BS3621 rating should be the minimum. All our locks are TS007 3 Star rated and SS312 Solid Secure Diamond Accredited, giving optimal protection. They provide resistance against common break-in methods like lock snapping and bumping.

A cylinder lock functions by using the grooved edge of a key to shift spring-loaded internal pins within the cylinder as the key turns.

A lever lock operates with a bitted key that lifts each lever to a precise height, allowing the locking bolt to slide into the metal boxed strike plate within the door frame.

There are a few other common locking styles, including the mortice lock and the rim lock (also known as nightlatch). The mortice lock is fitted into a door’s edge, secured with a bolt that slots into a boxed strike plate for strength. The rim lock is a surface-mounted lock operated by a key outside and a thumb turn inside, often paired with a mortice lock for added security.

When finding the right types of door for your home, you’ll want to choose one with multi-point locking systems, so doors that lock at multiple points along the frame. This ensures that at every point there is a defence against attacks.

Choosing the right lock is just as important as selecting a strong front door. In the UK, here are the most common types of locks, each offering different levels of security:

• Mortice Locks
  A popular choice for wooden doors, mortice locks are embedded into the door itself, making them highly secure.
• Rim Locks/Nightlatches
  Fitted to the surface of the door rather than within it, nightlatches are commonly used on timber doors. While they provide convenient locking from the inside, they are best used alongside another high-security lock for added protection.
• Cylinder Locks
  Found on UPVC and composite doors, cylinder locks are a modern and secure choice, especially when paired with a multi-point locking system. Opt for a 3-star cylinder lock, which offers resistance against snapping, drilling, and bumping.

Not all locks offer the same level of security, which is why BS3621 certification is crucial. This British Standard is awarded to locks that have been rigorously tested for resistance against forced entry.

Many home insurance providers require external doors to have BS3621-compliant locks, as they offer a high level of protection against picking, drilling, and forced attacks.

In the majority of cases, glass doors are safe but the glazing must be reinforced and laminated, and be double or triple glazed for additional strength. Unfortunately, standard glass presents a risk because it can be broken and removed, making break ins more possible.

Doors with toughened or laminated glass are so much more difficult to break than standard glass. Also, beaded glazing will stop the glass from being lifted out of the frame. Our aluminium doors are externally beaded with security beading.

Glass being close to the lock can be an issue, as the intruder could break it and then reach around and undo the lock. A solution to this is choosing a lock that requires a key from both sides (a double cylinder lock is an example of this) or simply choosing a door design that places glazing strategically away from the lock.

Many front doors have some sort of glass panels in them, as a decorative feature that welcomes natural light into the hallway. Glass front doors, or those with glass in them, are not an issue for security as long as the glazing is reinforced, and double or triple glazing is used.

While it may not be as fun as choosing front door colours and accessories, investing in a strong door with intelligent locking systems and add-ons is a smart move.

This spring, we recommend you assess your current door’s security and consider making suitable upgrades. The peace of mind will be well worth it! As always, speak to our expert advisors for all things replacement doors and security.