Steel Doors and Frames

The components of a secure opening start with a solid foundation. The foundation of an opening is the frame and the anchoring to the surrounding wall. For a secure opening, a welded steel doorframe is recommended. Typical commercial steel doorframes are 16 gauge. For extra security, or at exterior openings, 14 gauge frames are recommended. The steel frame can also be filled with grout to more soundly anchor the frame to adjacent wall construction.

Steel doors are among the strongest and most secure and are available in many different gauges and core types that determine their strength. For a more secure application, a heavier gauge door than the commercial standard 18 gauge may be specified. Standard commercial steel doors are available in 18, 16, 14, and even 12 gauge for bullet resistant and detention type applications. Steel door cores come in a variety of materials and configurations as well; among them are honeycomb, steel truss, polystyrene, polyurethane, and steel-stiffened. For more secure openings, truss core or vertically stiffened steel doors may be specified. These doors have internal steel "ribs" welded to both face sheets of the door. Generally, these make the door stronger, stiffer, and more resistant to impact..

Security Glazing

Another consideration for a more secure opening is glass. Obviously, glass can be a security breach; however, there are times when glass may be necessary to insure a safer opening, for enhanced visibility. When glass is necessary for a secure opening, security glazing should be considered. Security glazing is available in various classes of resistance, from level A1 through D3, with level C testing bullet resistance.

Door hardware plays an important role in achieving a secure opening. Hardware is the physical element that allows an opening to operate, to lock and unlock, to allow and disallow the passage of people and property. Once a secure foundation has been laid with a strong door and frame, it is important to match this with equally security-minded hardware.

Hinges and Pivots

There are several aspects to hinges that can make them more secure, such as non-removable pins (NRPs). This feature makes the removal of the hinge pin difficult through the use of a set screw in the hinge barrel. Another less utilized but more secure alternative to NRPs is the security stud, also known as a safety stud, a small metal cylinder attached to one hinge leaf that rotates into a cavity in the opposite leaf when the door is closed. This feature interlocks the two leaves together, preventing the removal of the door from the frame when it is in the closed position, even if the hinge pins are removed or the hinge barrels are sawed off.

Locking Components: Locksets

Locking components include any device used to hold the door in a closed position, which releases to allow the door to open. These devices include mortise locksets, cylindrical locksets, deadbolts, padlocks, surface bolts, exit devices, electric strikes, magnetic locks, flushbolts, cylinders, and many others. Generally, mortise locksets offer better security and more options than cylindrical locksets. The most secure are ANSI/BHMA Security Grade 1. Not all locksets called "Grade 1" are Security Grade 1: the Builders' Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHMA) rates locks both on operational grade and security grade. To ensure the best security, specify a lockset that meets Operational Grade 1 and Security Grade 1. To offer better security on pairs of doors with exit devices, rim exit device with a removable mullion, instead of a pair of vertical rod exit devices, may be specified. This will allow each door to act independently of the other, and securely latch into a center post that mounts behind the doors. As the name suggests, the mullion can be removed to create unimpeded access and egress when both doors are held open. This arrangement is more secure, requires less maintenance, and actually costs less. Also, consider specifying exit devices with a "cylinder dogging" feature. This inexpensive feature (offered for non-fire-rated exit devices only) requires a key to be used, to "dog" (hold the push rail in a depressed state) the exit device in an unlatched position, in lieu of the standard Allen wrench. This keeps unauthorized people from being able to dog the device, leaving the door unsecured.

Electrified hardware does not inherently offer a higher level of security. Electrified hardware allows convenience and security. For example, a door locked electronically can be unlocked by a variety of methods and from a variety of locations. This type of convenience is not possible with mechanical locking devices. Electronic unlocking methods include devices such as card readers, key fobs, cylinder switches, keypads, and biometric readers. Many of these devices offer conveniences and features, such as audit trail capabilities, that help enable security personnel to determine who used the opening and at what time. This information can aid investigators in case of theft and potentially reduce a facility's insurance rates as well. This aspect of electrified hardware does increase the security of an opening.