Buyer's Handbook
Locks and Door Reinforcement
Deadbolts, strike plates, frame kits, and locks for sliding doors and windows. Where doors actually give way, what the grades on the box mean, and which few dollars do the most work.
Reviewed October 2026. We re-check this guide quarterly.
Start here
New keys, old hardware, and a box of screws
You close on a house, or sign a lease, and the agent hands over a ring of keys. Nobody knows how many copies the last owner made. The front door has a shiny deadbolt, and the strike plate behind it is held on by two short screws in a strip of pine trim.
That is the ordinary state of most American doors, and it is easy to fix. The most effective upgrades in this category cost less than dinner out and take an afternoon with a drill. The expensive ones only pay off after the cheap ones are done.
This handbook explains how a door assembly fails, what the lock grades on the package actually test, and how to put the money where it does the most work, door by door and window by window.
Before you buy
Six questions about your doors and windows
Walk the house with these before you look at a single product. The answers decide what to buy and in what order.
How many doors lead outside, counting the garage entry and any slider?
The door between an attached garage and the house counts. So does a basement walkout. Every one of them is a front door to someone who goes around back.
What are the strike plates held on with?
Back out one screw from the plate the deadbolt slides into and measure it. If it is about an inch long, it is holding only the trim, and 3-inch screws will reach the framing behind it with room to spare. This one check shapes the whole shopping list.
Is each exterior door solid, or does it sound hollow when you knock?
Knock near the lock. A hollow-core door sounds and feels light. Lock hardware cannot make up for a door that splits on its own.
Do you own the place, or rent it?
Owners can change anything. Renters should favor upgrades that swap out cleanly at move-out, and ask the landlord before drilling. Many will say yes, because the upgrade protects their property.
Who needs to get in, and how?
A teenager who loses keys, a dog walker, a parent who visits. A keypad deadbolt can solve real household problems, and it also adds batteries and an account to look after.
Which doors and windows are your ways out in a fire?
Mark them before you add anything. Every lock on an escape route should open from the inside quickly and easily, without hunting for a key.
How it works
A door is four parts, and the weakest one decides
Most forced entries come through a door. In federal crime victim survey data, a door was the way in for about 73% of forced-entry burglaries of empty homes, and in about 44% the door itself was damaged or removed.[1] A police study in Chula Vista, California found the most common way burglars beat a locked door was prying it open with a screwdriver or crowbar.[2]
Prying and kicking rarely defeat the lock itself. They attack the parts around it.
The door slab
Solid wood, solid-core, steel, and fiberglass doors hold up to impact. Hollow-core doors are made for bedrooms and closets, and they split around the lock with little effort. Glass panels and sidelights near the lock add a second way to reach the thumb turn.
The bolt
The deadbolt slides about an inch into the frame. That inch is the whole connection between a locked door and the wall, so it matters that the bolt extends all the way and that the hole it lands in is solid.
The strike and jamb
The bolt lands in a metal strike plate set into the jamb, a strip of trim-grade wood shimmed loosely into the rough opening. Builder hardware often anchors the strike with short screws that reach only that strip. A hard push on the door levers the bolt against a few screws in soft wood, and the jamb splits.
The hinges
On an inswing door the hinges sit inside, out of reach, but their screws are often just as short as the strike's. On an outswing door the hinge pins face outside, and a pin that taps out lets the door come off the hinge side regardless of the lock.
The order that follows
Fix a hollow door slab first. Then anchor the strike and hinges into the framing, choose the lock grade, and add a frame kit on the doors that matter most. Spending in that order puts every dollar on the part that fails first.
The distinction that matters most
A lock grade is not a door rating
The single most common mistake in this category is buying a better lock for a door whose real weakness is the wood around it.
What a grade tells you
How the lock itself performs in testing
A BHMA grade covers the lock: how many open-and-close cycles it survives, how many hammer blows the bolt takes, and how much force the bolt holds. It is real, independent information, and worth paying attention to.
What a grade cannot tell you
Anything about your jamb, screws, or door
A Grade 1 bolt sitting in a strike held by two short screws is a strong bolt in a weak hole. The lock standard has no way to account for the trim it gets mounted to. That part is on you, and it is the cheap part.
Every door, not the front door
The one door without a deadbolt
In the Chula Vista study, 87% of break-ins where a locked door was defeated with a tool went through "the one door that had no deadbolt lock," and a deadbolt on the front door only was among the measures the study found to have relatively low effectiveness.[2]
The practical rule
Spread the budget across doors
Three exterior doors with Grade 2 deadbolts and 3-inch strike screws beat one door with a premium lock and two doors left as they came. Bring every door to a solid baseline before buying anything special for one of them.
Reading the label
What the grades on the box actually test
The Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association writes the ANSI standards that door hardware is tested against. Three of them matter when you shop for residential locks.
Deadbolt grades: ANSI/BHMA A156.36
These are the figures for a standard bored deadbolt, the kind most homes have.[3]
Grade 1
The door you use most
Grade 2
The right floor for every exterior door
Grade 3
Below what we recommend outside
Every grade throws the same 1-inch bolt. The grades differ in how long the lock lasts and how hard it is to beat the bolt itself, which is why the frame work above matters just as much at every grade.
Residential letter grades: A156.40
Many home deadbolts carry a different BHMA rating instead, the Certified Secure Home label. It scores a lock separately for security (resistance to impact), durability (function after long use), and finish (sun, humidity, salt, and hand oils), each rated C for good, B for better, or A for best.[4]
A rating like AAA reads as best in all three. A lock rated A for security and C for finish is a sound lock that may look worn sooner on a sunny or coastal door.
High-security cylinders: A156.30 and UL 437
The cylinder is the part your key goes into. A156.30 tests high-security cylinders for pick resistance, drill resistance (5 minutes for level B, 10 minutes for level C), and key control, meaning restrictions on who can get blanks and cut copies.[5] UL 437 is UL's separate standard for key locks, including door lock cylinders.[6]
For most households the useful part is key control. If you cannot account for every key, a rekey solves the same problem for far less.
Verify, do not trust the box
BHMA keeps a Certified Products Directory of products certified to its standards after testing by independent third-party labs, with periodic recertification.[7] A grade printed on a package or a listing is a claim, and a directory entry is the verification. A lock called "high security" with no BHMA grade and no UL listing gives you no independent test result at all.
The formats
Deadbolts, keypads, and what each is for
Most doors need nothing more exotic than a well-installed single-cylinder deadbolt. The others solve specific problems.
Single-cylinder deadbolt
The default for every exterior door
A key outside, a thumb turn inside. Anyone in the house can open it instantly in the dark, which is exactly what you want from a door you might leave through in a hurry. Graded models from mainstream brands are stocked at most hardware stores.
Double-cylinder deadbolt
Keyed on both sides, and why we skip it
It answers glass beside the lock, since breaking the glass no longer reaches a thumb turn. It also means nobody inside can open the door without a key. We do not recommend it on any door that serves as a way out (see the safety note below), and suggest fixing the glass instead.
Keypad and smart deadbolts
Convenience with chores attached
A code or a phone replaces the key, which helps households with lost keys, kids coming home alone, or regular helpers. The bolt is tested like any deadbolt, so check its grade first. Then check what happens when the batteries die (a key cylinder or an emergency power contact), and protect the app account with two-step verification.
Surface-mounted deadbolt
Older doors and apartment doors
Mounted on the inside face of the door rather than bored through it, common on apartment doors and doors too thin for a standard lock. Its keeper screws into the face of the jamb, so the same rule applies: long screws into the framing.
Mortise locks
The box lock inside older doors
Found in many older homes and heavier doors. The whole mechanism sits in a pocket cut into the door edge. They are usually worth keeping and servicing; a locksmith can rekey or rebuild one rather than replace the door hardware.
Rekeying
The first purchase after moving in
Rekeying changes the pins so old keys stop working, without replacing the lock. It is the right first step when you cannot account for every key. Ask for all exterior doors keyed alike; one key for every door makes locking all of them a habit instead of a chore.
Reinforcement
Strike plates, frame kits, and the hinge side
Reinforcement products come in three steps. Most doors get most of the benefit from the first one.
Step 1, a few dollars
3-inch screws
Replace the strike plate screws, and at least one screw in each hinge, with 3-inch screws that pass through the jamb into the framing. Drive them snug, not hard; overtightening pulls the jamb inward and the bolt starts to bind.
Step 2, about $10 to $25
A reinforced strike
A longer, heavier plate with four or more long screws spreads force across more of the frame. Some include a steel box that lines the bolt hole. Look for heavy-gauge steel and screws long enough to reach the framing.
Step 3, about $50 to $150 per door
A full frame kit
Steel channel along the jamb, often with hinge-side plates and a wrap that reinforces the door edge around the lock. Worth it on the doors that are out of sight from the street or that have split before.
Outswing doors
If the hinge pins are on the outside, add non-removable pins or hinge security studs, small pegs that lock the hinge edge into the frame when the door closes. Either costs a few dollars and keeps the door on its hinges if a pin is driven out.
The garage entry door
The door from an attached garage into the house is often an interior-grade door with a knob lock. Treat it as an exterior door: solid core, a deadbolt, and the same long screws.
If you rent
Longer screws and a reinforced strike use the existing holes or close to them, and both swap back out at move-out. Ask the landlord first and keep the original hardware in a labeled bag.
For the nights you are home, a freestanding door security bar or brace adds strength with no installation. Keep it where everyone can remove it in seconds, since it blocks that door as an exit while it is in place.
Sliders and windows
The entry points with factory latches
Sliding doors and windows ship with latches built to hold against weather, not against a pry bar. Inexpensive secondary locks close most of that gap.
Sliding glass doors: three weak points
The slide
A pin lock through both frames, or a channel lock that clamps the track, keeps the panel from moving. A hinged security bar across the frame adds a brace you can see from outside.
The lift
Many sliders can be lifted out of the bottom track; in the Chula Vista study, burglars lifted sliding doors off their tracks in 12% of door-entry cases.[2] Anti-lift screws or blocks in the upper track take away the clearance it needs to come out.
The dowel question
A cut dowel in the track costs nothing, but the Chula Vista study rated dowel braces less effective than channel or pin locks.[2] Use one as a stopgap while the real lock is on its way.
Windows: match the lock to the window
Double-hung
A pin lock drilled through the inner sash into the outer one stops the window from lifting, for about $3 to $10. A second hole a few inches up allows a locked ventilation gap. Sash locks that clamp the two sashes together are the no-pin alternative.
Sliding windows
A thumbscrew track lock clamps the track so the sash cannot slide past it. Same principle as a sliding door, at a smaller scale and price.
Casement
Crank-out windows pull tight into their frames when closed, so the factory latch is usually adequate. Make sure it fully engages and the crank works smoothly.
Bars and keyed locks
Window bars and keyed window locks stop entry, and they can also stop escape. NFPA asks that security bars have emergency release devices inside so they can be opened immediately.[8] Skip keyed locks on any window that is a way out.
What fails and why
The limits worth knowing before you rely on a lock
A good lock in trim-deep screws
The upgrade that gets skipped most often, because the screws are hidden behind the plate. Check every exterior door, not just the one you replaced the lock on.
A bolt that stops short
If you have to push or lift the door to turn the deadbolt, the strike is out of line and the bolt may not be extending fully. A bolt that stops short gives you little of the grade it was sold with. Adjust the strike until the bolt throws freely and completely.
Keys you cannot account for
Previous owners, contractors, a spare under the mat. No hardware fixes a key in the wrong hands. Rekey after moving, after a lost key, and after anyone with a key stops being someone you would hand one to.
A smart lock left to manage itself
Dead batteries, a lost phone, an app account with a reused password. Put the battery check on the same calendar as the smoke alarms, keep a working key or emergency power option, and turn on two-step verification.
Stopgaps that became permanent
The dowel in the slider track, the chain guard on two short screws, the door that was going to get its strike plate next weekend. Write the list down and finish it.
A locked door left unlocked
The best hardware in the house does nothing while it is not engaged. A locking routine, run the same way every time, is the free half of this category.
Safety: every lock must let you out
Security that slows a way out in a fire is not security. NFPA's home escape guidance asks every household to plan two ways out of every room.[8] Its guidance on blocked exits says security bars without a quick-release mechanism can trap people inside and keep firefighters out, tells households to remove padlocks from doors and windows used for escape, and warns never to nail or paint windows shut.[9]
Our recommendation follows from that: single-cylinder deadbolts on doors you might leave through, no keyed locks on escape windows, and a quick-release on any bar or grille. Make sure everyone in the house, children included, has practiced opening every lock on their way out in the dark.
What to buy
Now that you know what to look for
Below is the shortlist of requirements for each type, the same checks we use when we compare products. Our researched comparisons for each type publish separately and appear here as they are finished.
Affiliate disclosure: New World Survival earns a small commission on qualifying Amazon purchases at no cost to you. This helps us cover operating costs and keep building new content. We only recommend gear we would put in our own kit. Commission never decides a recommendation.
Deadbolt
- If graded: ANSI/BHMA Grade 1 or Grade 2
- If letter-rated: read the security letter first; A is best
- Listed in the BHMA Certified Products Directory
- Single-cylinder on any door used as a way out
- Keyed alike with your other exterior doors
Strike plate
- Heavy-gauge steel, longer than the stock plate
- Four or more screw holes
- 3-inch screws included, or buy them separately
- Fits your deadbolt's bolt position and backset
Frame kit
- Covers the strike, and ideally the hinge side
- A door-edge wrap if your door has split before
- Sized for your door's handing and lock spacing
- Long screws into framing throughout
Sliding door lock
- A pin or channel lock, not a dowel
- Anti-lift protection for the upper track
- Opens instantly from inside
Window lock
- Matched to the window type
- No key needed on escape windows
- A ventilation setting if you sleep with windows open
Smart deadbolt
- The same grade bar as any deadbolt
- A key cylinder or emergency power contact
- Two-step verification on the account
- Works when the internet is down
After you buy
Installation, habits, and the rest of the house
Hardware is one layer. These guides cover installing it well and building the routines that make it count.
Door Security
The door-by-door audit, strike plate installation, hinge protection, and the common mistakes that waste money.
Window Security
Pin locks, track locks, security film, sensors, and basement windows, with fire egress worked through for each.
Daily Security Habits
The locking routine, spare key rules, and garage discipline that decide whether new hardware is ever engaged.
The Layers of Home Security
Where locks fit among lighting, alarms, neighbors, and habits, and how to rate each layer before spending.
All comparisons
Every comparison, in one place
Each comparison we publish for locks and door reinforcement is listed here as it is finished: deadbolts, door reinforcement kits, and window security locks.
Sources
- Bureau of Justice Statistics. "Victimization During Household Burglary." NCJ 227379, September 2010, Table 5. Accessed October 4, 2026. bjs.ojp.gov
- Chula Vista Police Department. "The Chula Vista Residential Burglary Reduction Project." Herman Goldstein Award submission, 2001. Center for Problem-Oriented Policing. Accessed October 4, 2026. popcenter.asu.edu
- Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association. ANSI/BHMA A156.36-2010, "Auxiliary Locks," Sections 4.2, 10.5, 11.2, and 12.10, read from a copy of the 2010 text hosted by a third party, and BHMA's own summary of the 2020 edition, which confirms the Grade 1 cycle and 1,350 lbf figures. Accessed October 4, 2026. 2010 text copy and buildershardware.com
- BHMA Certified Secure Home. "Resources and FAQs." Accessed October 4, 2026. securehome.org
- Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association. "ANSI/BHMA A156.30 High Security Cylinders" summary (current edition 2025). Accessed October 4, 2026. buildershardware.com
- UL. "UL 437, Standard for Key Locks," scope. Accessed October 4, 2026. shopulstandards.com
- Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association. "Certified Products Directory." Accessed October 4, 2026. buildershardware.com
- NFPA. "How to make a home fire escape plan." Accessed October 4, 2026. nfpa.org
- NFPA. "This Way Out" brochure on items that block doors and windows. Accessed October 4, 2026. nfpa.org
We re-check this guide every quarter as standards and products change. The Weekly Readiness Brief is a quiet way to hear when it updates.