Quick answer
PAS 24 is a Publicly Available Specification published via the British Standards Institution that sets enhanced security performance requirements for door and window sets, including resistance to manual and mechanical attack. The current version is PAS 24:2022; a doorset carrying a valid certificate has been independently attacked and tested by an accredited laboratory and passed.
Overview
PAS24 is a Publicly Available Specification setting mechanical and manual attack tests for windows and doorsets. Doors are attacked by trained testers using tools a burglar might carry, for a set time. Pass = certified.
What PAS actually stands for and who writes it
PAS stands for Publicly Available Specification - a fast-tracked standards document sponsored by industry or government bodies and published through BSI, sitting a step below a full British Standard but still developed with technical rigour and stakeholder input. PAS 24 specifically covers enhanced security performance for doorsets and windows intended for use in new and existing domestic buildings.
What the testing involves
Accredited test houses subject a complete doorset - the door leaf, frame, glazing and hardware as a single assembled unit - to manual attack tests using hand tools of the sort an opportunist burglar might carry (screwdrivers, wedges, and similar), followed by mechanical impact tests simulating kicks or shoulder charges. The doorset has to withstand these for a set period without the locking mechanism, frame or glazing failing enough to allow access.
Because it's the whole doorset under test rather than the door leaf in isolation, PAS 24 certification is specific to a particular combination of frame, leaf, glazing and hardware. Swap the cylinder for something unrated after installation, for instance, and you've moved outside the tested configuration even if the certificate technically still applies to the door.
PAS 24:2016 versus PAS 24:2022
The 2022 revision tightened several aspects of the previous 2016 standard, including clearer requirements around how the doorset interacts with its surrounding wall construction and refinements to the test methodology. Doors certified against the older 2016 version aren't necessarily unsafe, but a 2022 certificate represents the current, more demanding benchmark, and it's what we specify for all new installations.
How PAS 24 relates to Building Regulations
Approved Document Q of the Building Regulations, which applies to security in new-build dwellings in England, requires door and window sets to demonstrate resistance to physical attack, and PAS 24 testing is the standard route to demonstrating compliance. That's why new-build developers specify PAS 24 doorsets almost universally rather than as an optional upgrade.
How to check if your own door is certified
Genuine PAS 24 doorsets usually carry a small label or engraving on the door edge or frame, and the installer should have provided a certificate or compliance declaration as part of the original paperwork. If you can't find either, it doesn't necessarily mean the door is weak, but it does mean you're relying on the manufacturer's general specification rather than independently verified test evidence for that specific installation.
- Check the door edge or frame for a small compliance label
- Check original installation paperwork for a PAS 24 certificate or declaration
- Ask your installer directly if neither is available
PAS 24 is about the doorset, not any single part
It's worth remembering that PAS 24 is a systems-level standard. A PAS 24 doorset fitted with the wrong keep fixings, or later modified with a non-rated cylinder, no longer represents the tested configuration. This is exactly why installation quality matters as much as the certificate itself.
When to call a professional
- For a PAS24-compliant replacement doorset.
Prevention
- Specify PAS24:2022 (the current version) not PAS24:2016.
