Guide
BS 3621, TS 007 and What an Insurance Approved Lock Really Means
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Strictly speaking, no lock is "insurance approved". BSI certifies a lock against a published standard, and every insurer decides for itself what its own policies ask for. The phrase is shorthand, and a fairly loose one, which is why it causes so much confusion when someone in Woking is told their lock "needs to be insurance approved".
Two schemes matter on a domestic door: the BS 3621 family, which deals with lock assemblies, and TS 007, which deals with cylinders and the hardware protecting them. The door itself decides which of the two is relevant. This guide from Woking Locksmith explains both, shows which applies where, and walks through how to check what is already fitted. It is general information, not insurance or fire safety advice.
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Which Standard Applies to Your Door?
The standard to look for depends on the door and the lock in it, and on how the door opens from the inside, not on the insurer. Each insurer sets its own conditions, so you must still check what your policy says about the door in question. BS 3621 and TS 007 cover different types of hardware: the BS 3621 family applies to complete single-point lock assemblies, while TS 007 covers replaceable cylinders and protective hardware, including security handles.
| Door | Lock | Scheme that applies | What the mark looks like | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timber external door | Mortice deadlock or sashlock | The BS 3621 family, to the lock assembly | A BSI Kitemark with a BS number | Faceplate in the door edge |
| Timber external door | Nightlatch | The BS 3621 family, where the latch is certified | A BSI Kitemark with a BS number | Faceplate or case |
| uPVC or composite door | Euro cylinder in a multipoint | TS 007, to the cylinder and handle rather than the mechanism | A star marking | Cylinder face or body, and the handle |
| Flat entrance door onto a shared corridor | Lock with a handle or thumbturn inside | BS 8621 may apply, because the lock opens from inside without a key | A BSI Kitemark with a BS number | Faceplate |
| Dwelling door needing a secure no-exit mode, with another escape route | Dual-mode lock assembly | BS 10621, by professional specification only | A BSI Kitemark with a BS number | Faceplate |
Which lock type you actually have is covered in which lock type you actually have. If you own a uPVC door and have been quoted for a BS 3621 lock, something has been misunderstood along the way. For a lock supplied and fitted to the right specification, see having a lock supplied and fitted.
BS 3621 Is for Lock Assemblies, TS 007 Is for Cylinders
BS 3621 and TS 007 assess different types of lock hardware: BS 3621 certifies a whole lock assembly, while TS 007 certifies a cylinder and the hardware around it. That has a direct consequence. A euro cylinder on its own cannot be a BS 3621 product, and a mortice deadlock does not carry a TS 007 star rating, so a listing that claims both for one item is describing two different things. Neither scheme is better than the other; they answer separate security questions.
What BS 3621 Covers and What It Does Not
The current version is BS 3621:2017+A1:2024, titled Lock assemblies operated by key from both the inside and outside of the door, published on 26 September 2024. It sets performance requirements and test methods for a thief-resistant, mechanically operated single-point lock assembly on a door that locks with a key from both sides, so getting out also takes a key.
- Covers: single-point lock assemblies that need a key on both sides.
- Does not cover: assemblies that let you out without a key.
- Does not cover: assemblies with a secure mode in which nobody can get out; BSI points readers to BS 8621 and BS 10621 for those.
In practice, BS 3621 is a whole-lock certification for a door that always takes a key on both sides, which in a UK home usually means a timber front or back door. If you are changing to a lock of a different specification,.
What TS 007 Covers and Who Owns It
TS 007 is a security specification for door cylinders and the hardware around them, developed by Secured by Design, the police crime prevention initiative, together with the Door and Hardware Federation and the Glass and Glazing Federation. In substance it covers:
- replaceable cylinders for use with rim and mortice locks, including euro profile, oval and threaded types;
- cylinder-specific devices such as escutcheons and cylinder guards;
- security handles and related security hardware.
For a uPVC or composite door owner, that means the cylinder and the handle are the parts a standard can be claimed for, and the multipoint strip behind them is not what TS 007 rates. The rating shows as a star marking on the cylinder, usually on the face or stamped along the body.
| Comparison | BS 3621 | TS 007 |
|---|---|---|
| What it assesses | A complete single-point lock assembly | Replaceable cylinders and the hardware that protects them |
| Typical hardware | Mortice and rim lock assemblies | Euro, oval and threaded cylinders, security handles, cylinder guards |
| What it does not cover by itself | A separate cylinder outside the certified assembly | The whole multipoint mechanism, the door or the frame |
| How it is identified | Full BS number and certification marking | TS 007 marking, star rating and certification details |
The Three British Standards, Named by How You Get Out
All three standards in the family describe a thief-resistant lock. What separates them is how you leave from the inside, not how strong the lock is. BSI notes that the two later standards differ enough in what they offer for means of escape from fire, as well as for security, to need standards of their own. In one line each:
BS 3621 Against BS 8621
The short answer: BS 3621 needs a key to get out, and BS 8621 does not. BS 8621:2017+A1:2024 is titled Lock assemblies operated by key from the outside of the door and by handle or thumb turn from the inside.
| BS 3621 | BS 8621 |
|---|---|
| Suits a house front or back door, where deadlocking from both sides is the point and everyone carries a key | Suits a door on an escape route, such as a flat entrance door onto a shared corridor, where hunting for a key to leave is the hazard |
| Key needed to leave | Handle or thumbturn to leave |
BS 8621 is not automatically required for every flat entrance door, but where it is relevant the same lock cannot meet both standards. If a policy condition names one and the building calls for the other, that is a conflict to raise with your insurer and your building manager in writing, not one to settle with a purchase; how a replacement is then chosen is covered in how a replacement lock is chosen and fitted. A quick check: look at the inside of your door, because a thumbturn tells you which family you are in.
BS 10621 and the Secure Mode
BS 10621 covers a specialist dual-mode lock assembly. Day to day it lets you out from inside without a key, and a separate action switches it into a secure mode that stops anyone leaving from inside. This is not a stronger version of BS 8621; it is a different way of operating.
- Where it is intended: lock assemblies for dwellings where an alternative escape route is available.
- Where it is not a default: BS 10621 should not be treated as a general recommendation for homes, shops or offices.
Whether it suits a particular door depends on the building, how it is used and its escape arrangements, so it needs professional specification before anyone chooses it. Most homeowners will never have to pick between these standards without advice, and BS 10621 is included here so the family is complete and nobody reads the three numbers as a ranking.
- BS 3621: a key from both sides.
- BS 8621: a key outside and a handle or thumbturn inside, the arrangement often found on a flat entrance door onto a shared corridor.
- BS 10621: normally keyless from inside, with a secure mode that can be set so nobody can get out.
Alongside these, TS 007 uses star ratings for cylinders and the hardware that protects them, and those stars sit on different products: one star can be carried by a qualifying cylinder, two stars by qualifying protective hardware, and three stars by a qualifying cylinder that achieves the full rating by itself. None of this tells you which standard your building needs; that depends on the building and its escape arrangements.
Reaching Three Stars Without Buying a Three-Star Cylinder
There are two recognised routes to three-star protection under TS 007:
| Route 1 | Route 2 |
|---|---|
| A TS 007 Kitemarked three-star cylinder | A TS 007 Kitemarked one-star cylinder combined with a TS 007 Kitemarked two-star armoured handle or lock surround |
The second route exists because a cylinder can be attacked through the handle and escutcheon as well as head-on, so the scheme rates the assembled defence rather than the cylinder alone. Hardening the surround can do the same job as hardening the cylinder, and on an existing door it is sometimes the more practical option. For the combination to count:
- both parts must carry TS 007 ratings;
- both must be Kitemarked products, with the star markings on them;
- the stars must add up: a two-star handle fitted over an unrated cylinder is not a three-star door.
The rating belongs to the assessed components and does not automatically cover the door, frame, multipoint mechanism or installation. Before agreeing to anything, ask the supplier or locksmith which route the quote follows and whether both parts are Kitemarked; changing a cylinder on a uPVC or composite door explains the fitting side.
What Insurance Approved Actually Means
No organisation approves locks for insurance. BSI certifies a lock against a published standard, and each insurer decides separately what its policies ask for. "Insurance approved" is trade shorthand for a lock certified to a standard that insurers commonly name, and it is not a certification in its own right. Some policies specify BS 3621 for certain external doors, and requirements vary by insurer, door type and policy. If your door has already been forced, see securing a property after a break-in.
Who Certifies What
Three separate things tend to get blurred together:
- The standard. The document, written and published by BSI, setting out what a lock has to withstand.
- The mark. The evidence: a BSI Kitemark or a TS 007 star marking applied to products tested against it.
- The policy condition. A commercial term in your contract with an insurer, which may name a standard, may name a lock type, or may say nothing specific.
The two systems run independently: a lock can be certified and still fall short of a policy, and a policy can be met by a lock with no mark at all. Where a standard and marking cannot be verified, certification should not be assumed.
What to Check in Your Own Policy
Go to the full policy wording, under a heading such as security conditions, minimum security requirements, door and window locks, or theft conditions. The summary and the certificate may leave some of these out. Look for:
- whether the wording names a particular British Standard;
- whether it applies to every external door or only a final exit door;
- whether it says anything about locks being in use, since some wordings expect doors locked to a stated level when the property is empty.
If the wording is unclear, ask the insurer in writing what would satisfy it for your type of door, and keep the reply. An answer in writing before a claim is worth far more than an argument after one. If the wording mentions a doorset, note that PAS 24 covers the enhanced security performance of a complete doorset, which is a different thing from a lock standard. If you are reading the policy because of a break-in, see what to do in the days after a break-in.
A product marking shows information such as a BS number, Kitemark or TS 007 star rating. A mortice lock, for instance, may carry BS 3621 certification, but that does not prove every insurer will accept it for every entrance, and a TS 007 rating works the same way. Before trusting an "insurance approved" claim, check what the marking actually certifies and what your own policy asks for.
How to Tell What You Already Have
The lock usually answers the question itself, and the answer is on the edge of the door. You do not need to take anything apart.
Open the door and check the faceplate
on a mortice lock or nightlatch. A certified lock carries a BSI Kitemark and a number beginning BS 3621 engraved there; a BS 8621 or BS 10621 lock shows its own number, as those standards cover different inside-opening arrangements.
On a uPVC or composite door, check the cylinder
instead, on its face and along its body, for a TS 007 star marking.
Check the handle separately
since it carries its own rating.
Photograph the faceplate and the cylinder
before you ring anyone, along with the whole door, the handles and the open door edge.
No marking does not mean a lock failed a test, because plenty of locks were never submitted for one. It does mean no certification can be claimed for it. Whatever the marking shows, your insurer must confirm whether a particular lock satisfies its policy conditions. When you ask for help, mention the door material (timber, uPVC, composite or aluminium) and whether it is external, internal or a flat entrance door.
Talk to Us About What Your Door Takes
We look at the door, tell you what is fitted and what the options are, and give you a price before anything starts. Have ready the door material, a photo of the faceplate or cylinder, and the wording of any standard your policy names.
There is no call-out charge, and emergency calls are taken 24 hours a day, every day of the year. [PROVIDER PACK: DBS checks for technicians] [PROVIDER PACK: public liability insurance details] [CLIENT TO CONFIRM: whether British Standard or TS 007 rated products are stocked and fitted as standard]. You get a price on the call from what you describe.
Ask What Your Door Takes: call 01483 377197
British Standard Lock Questions
Is there such a thing as an insurance approved lock?
Not as a formal certification. It is an informal label for locks that may meet a standard mentioned in some policies. A certified lock does not automatically satisfy every policy, because each insurer sets its own conditions, and those vary by property, policy and door type.
Does a 5 lever lock meet BS 3621?
Not automatically. Five lever describes part of the mechanism, while BS 3621 requires the complete assembly to pass its tests and carry verifiable markings.
Does BS 3621 apply to uPVC doors?
Usually not. BS 3621 does not usually apply to the cylinder-operated multipoint systems on uPVC doors. TS 007 may be relevant to the cylinder and its protective hardware, but it does not certify the whole door or multipoint mechanism.
How do I get a three-star rating on my door?
There are two recognised routes: fit a TS 007 Kitemarked three-star cylinder, or combine a TS 007 Kitemarked one-star cylinder with TS 007 Kitemarked two-star protective hardware.
Is an anti-snap cylinder the same as a three-star cylinder?
No. An anti-snap description alone does not prove that a cylinder has achieved a TS 007 three-star rating. Look for the marking on the product, its packaging or its documentation, and do not assume certification you cannot verify.
Does changing the cylinder make my whole door compliant?
No. Changing the cylinder only changes one component. Any rating belongs to the parts that were assessed and does not extend to the door, the frame or the multipoint mechanism.