Just as with most manufactured products, there are a series of grading that occurs. Appliances, carpets, vehicles, well, you get the idea. Generally a team of organized experts band together and inspect the specifications, run diagnostics and perform a series of studies and experiments to evaluate and then grade the product in question. The same is true for the various locking mechanisms found throughout the country.
Texan Lock and Key expound on the grades of locking systems so you can better understand the level of security of your locks.
In the case of lock grading, the banded team of experts are the American National Standards Institute or ANSI, which is a private, nonprofit group that administers voluntary performance standards of builder’s hardware. The quality and durability of lock sets are graded through a series of operational and security tests to identify the ANSI rating.
There are 3 levels of security and durability associated with the grading system for lock sets
– Grade 1 Certification – Highest grade of security and the strongest grade of durability is recognized by the ANSI for any residential home, or commercial business.
– Grade 2 Certification – Higher residential security engineered and designed to excel in security and durability for residential homes, and a few light commercial applications.
– Grade 3 Certification – Basic residential security, which the lowest grade designated by ANSI, and offers the minimal security in residential home’s locks.
ANSI Lock Set & Locking System Tests
Some of the testing includes installing the various locking mechanisms and subjecting them to abuse. Below are just a few of the main criteria points used in testing locks to determine ANSI grades to give you a generally idea.
1. Lock Cycle Test: The cycle test is designed for performance in longevity concerning durability and smoothness of operation. On one cycle, turning the knob or lever handle to totally retract the latch, and then letting it go to fully re-latch voluntarily or manually. Grade 1 locks will continue through more cycles than the other grades will. For example: a Grade 3 knob lock has to only have a minimum of 200,000 cycles, where a Grade 1 lock has to reach a minimum of 800,000 cycles.
2. Latch Bolt Projection: Another point is how far the latch bolt will project outside the lick case. The further it extends, the harder it is to be jimmied open. So the longer the latch bolt, the further it will project beyond the strike plate, creating a higher level of security.
3. Dead Bolt Projection: A similar test is implemented to the dead bolt projection test. The only notable difference is that Grade 1 dead bolts have to be 1” long, where as the latch bolt need only be ½” long and the mortise lock is required to be ¾” long.
4. Strike Impact Resistance Test: The strike impact test or the hammer test is extremely important. The basic concept of this test is to rate the impact of a supposed thief attempting to bash or kick the lock open. Grade 1 locks are designed to take over 2 times as much force as Grade 3 locks. For example: a Grade 1 deadbolt must withstand up to 10 hammer strikes, were as a Grade 3 must only endure 3 hammer strikes.
RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL & AUTOMOTIVE EMERGENCY MOBILE LOCKSMITH SERVICES IN KILLEEN, AUSTIN, SAN ANTONIO, ROUND ROCK, SAN MARCOS, FRISCO, NEW BRAUNFELS AND HOUSTON TX
We hope this was an informative outlook on the grading system of locking mechanisms. If you should find the locks offering security to your home or business are sadly lacking, let Texan Lock and Key replace the locks with Grade 1 locks. We can help you improve your security. Call us today!
