Security ranks the most important for 37.6% of Brits when buying new patio doors. While a favourable price, stunning aesthetics and durable materials are great, they mean nothing if your home is vulnerable to break-ins.
This article explores the key details to know about bifold door security before investing in a set for your home. After all, high-quality bifold doors have even been shown to increase property value, but where do you start when it comes to choosing the most secure option?
Here, we look at how door manufacturers such as Origin prioritise security and safety, making it integral to their designs. We answer your questions about bifold door security to ensure you understand how to find a strong and secure external door.
In this guide:
General security features
How secure are bifold doors?
Bifold doors are engineered with security in mind. The best-quality bi folds have certain features such as premium grade aluminium, multi-point locking systems, tamperproof cylinders and specially designed hinges, that set them apart from alternative products.
Some of the security benefits include:
- A multipoint locking system
- A secure door lock
- A heavy-duty handle and hinges
- 3-star diamond cylinders
- Tamperproof barrels
Explore the collection of aluminium bifold doors here.
Are bifold doors burglar-proof?
Origin’s aluminium bifold doors are some of the most secure on the market and they make every effort to prevent forced entry. However, no external door is 100% intruder-proof. Secure key-locking systems, solid hinges, single cast trolleys and multiple points of locking all contribute to a ultra-safe home.
Read our full comparison of bifold doors vs sliding doors here.
How can I make my bifold doors more secure?
When customising your bifold door, your installer should be able to talk you through the different glass options available. For enhanced security, reinforced, laminated, and security glass can be accommodated within Origin Bi-fold Doors.
Adding security screens can be a good way of enhancing privacy if you already have your bifold doors installed.
Which bifold door style is more secure?
The latest Origin Bifold Door – OB-36+ is available as part of the Gallery or Soho Collection. The Soho Bifold features true horizontal divides and smaller panes of glass, so could be perceived as more secure. However, due to the strength and the quality of the materials, both bifold door styles offer next-level security.
Are bifold doors more secure than sliding doors?
The security of your patio door ultimately comes down to quality. Origin’s bifold doors use durable zinc hinges and enhanced track security. Multi points of locking and police-approved locks ensure all external patio doors, including sliding and French doors are highly resistant to tampering.
Are aluminium bifolds more secure than uPVC and timber?
Aluminium bi-fold doors are among the strongest doors on the market. The high strength to weight ratio gives them a huge advantage over uPVC doors or timber.
Strong aluminium frames can support large, heavy panes of glass, and can be made slimmer to provide more expansive views of the outdoors without compromising performance, all whilst keeping your home safe and secure.
uPVC is prone to warping. Meanwhile, timber bifolds can splinter and crack and needs regular treatment. Neither material is as strong or as sleek as aluminium. One advantage of these materials though is the more affordable price.
Read more about aluminium quality here.
why aluminium is the most reliable bifold door material
Why are PAS 24 standards important?
UK building regulations say that any bifold doors installed as part of a project being built from the ground up (new-build properties, conservatories or extensions to existing homes) must conform to the latest security standards.
To keep your home secure, we recommend that you only use products that have passed PAS 24 testing, even if you’re only replacing existing doors.
Explore out bifold door security information
“We fell in love with Origin's new OB-36+ Doors from the Gallery Collection”
Locks and locking systems
How do bi-fold doors lock?
Most bi-fold doors have a multi-point locking system built into the lead door (also called a traffic door). What this means is that they lock at more than one point into the frame. The most common systems have three or five points, while Origin aluminium bi-fold doors use a unique eight-point locking system, for added security (see the image below).
Multi-point locking systems are easy to operate. First, you lift the handle to engage the locking points, then you turn the key (or thumbturn) to lock it into place.
Discover high performance aluminium bifolds
Can you lock bi-fold doors from outside?
Yes, the bifold doors can be secured from the outside with a key.
Inside your home, you’ll be able to engage the locks using the handle and the key (or the internal thumbturn if you specified this when customising your doors).
You may be able to request that your doors have no external lock if you don’t mind not being able to access your home this way.
Which types of lock do bi-fold doors use?
Locks commonly found on bi-fold doors include the following:
Cylinder lock (barrel lock)
A keyhole and pin-and-tumbler mechanism inside a cylinder (barrel). Different-sized pins in the lock stop it from being turned without the correct key.
Many cylinder locks are designed to meet British Standards and are put through rigorous testing to ensure they can resist common housebreaking techniques such as picking, bumping, drilling, or snapping.
Some cylinder locks even incorporate magnetic coding, where a special key is used to turn rotors with strong magnets inside the barrel.
Look for locks that are accredited - some carry a Kitemark - and are recognised by home insurance providers as being highly secure.
Deadbolt
Most deadbolts use a cylinder lock.
Typically, there are three types of deadbolt:
- Single cylinder - key cylinder on the outside of the house, thumbturn on the inside.
- Double cylinder - key cylinder on the inside and outside.
- Lockable thumbturn - thumbturn on the inside that can be locked with a key.
Twin point lock
Turning the handle operates locks at the top and bottom of the door panel, holding the doors in place.
Drop bolt
Normally used as an auxiliary lock rather than a door’s main lock.
The body of the lock and the strike plate interlock like a door hinge with special pins. When closed, the lock essentially becomes one unit and is very difficult to separate.
What’s the best bifold door lock?
Origin Bifold Door systems use 3-star diamond cylinder locks which have the highest security certification currently available. These locks are preferrable because they offer the best protection against picking, drilling, snapping and bumping.
Can I adjust the locking system on my bi-fold doors?
If your bi-fold doors aren’t locking or closing with a smooth operation, it’s likely that the doors have fallen out of alignment with the tracking mechanism and need adjusting.
Read more about adjusting bi-fold doors on our page Operation, maintenance and troubleshooting common issues.
Bifold door handles
What makes bi-fold door handles secure?
The handle has long been considered a weak point in a door, and the component that many burglars seek to exploit when attempting to break into people’s homes.
To ensure optimum security, a door handle must be able to withstand sheer brute force, as anyone looking to gain illegal entry to a property will more often than not employ this method.
High-quality bi-fold doors typically incorporate handles with the following security features:
- A solid-cast body secured with hardened metal bolts
- A cylinder guard to cover the lock
- A rotating cylinder shield to protect the barrel from being drilled
- A chamfered backplate to stop thieves detaching the handle with mole-grips or clamps
- Flexing ball joints that stop fixing screws from being broken off
- High strength stainless steel handle options
These handles will also have undergone special strength tests to demonstrate that they can resist hundreds of pounds of force without breaking.
Read our complete guide to bifold door maintenance here.
Bifold door hinges
Do hinges weaken the security of exterior doors?
Because hinges are typically positioned outside the home, they can be more vulnerable to burglars looking to break in—more so if they are also worn, damaged or poor-quality.
For this reason, door manufacturers design their bi-fold hinges so there’s little opportunity for potential housebreakers to exploit them. Origin use solid zinc hinges which resist impact damage.
How do hinges keep bi-fold doors secure?
A secure set of hinges is one which is made from a strong metal – such as zinc. It would be equipped with special bolts and screws that make it much more difficult for the doors to be levered off the hinges.
Explore secure bifold doors by Origin
Want more information on which Origin Bifold systems will work best for your home? Please contact your local Partner, who will be able to answer all your questions.
Safety FAQs
Glazing
How safe is bi-fold door glass?
In certain areas, it's now a legal requirement that bi-fold doors are installed with toughened safety glass. Combine this with double or triple glazed panes, or laminated or security glass, and you have a glazing solution that’s extremely robust.
Read more about double and triple glazing for bifolds here.
What types of safety glass do bi-fold doors use?
Because bi-fold doors are mostly glazing, the glass needs to be very strong and shatterproof. As noted above, aluminium doors generally come with security glass as standard, but there’s also the option of laminated glass, if enhancing the security of your doors is a top priority.
We explain the difference between these two types of glass below.
Toughened Glass:
- Made by heating ordinary glass in a very hot furnace then cooling it quickly
- Hardens the glass and makes it up to five times more durable
- Less likely to break if struck or exposed to extreme temperatures
- If it does break, shatters into small, blunt pieces rather than long, sharp shards
Laminated Glass:
- Made by sandwiching a plastic interlayer between two thin panes of glass under heat and pressure
- The plastic acts as a glue that bonds the two panes together
- If the glass breaks, the tough interlayer holds it in place—there’s no hole or shattering into pieces on the floor
Learn more about the types of glass
Both types of glass are designed not to shatter into sharp and dangerous fragments if they break.
While toughened glass is used in all bi-fold doors, laminated glass is considered an even better option thanks to its thicker, layered structure, which makes it more shock-resistant and able to better withstand damage. Additionally, as a bonus, it makes the doors more energy efficient too. Find out more about bifold door energy efficiency here.
However, laminated glass is heavier, so you need to ensure to buy a system that has strong aluminium frames so it can be supported accordingly.
Childproof features of bifold doors
How do you childproof bifold doors?
Some bi-fold doors—including Origin’s—are fitted with “finger safe” gaskets. These act as a cushion if a child—or indeed an adult—gets his or her fingers caught between the door sashes.
Additionally, many bi-fold doors have:
- a magnetic catch (also called a magnetic keep) that holds the doors securely in place while opened.
- Optional restrictors that stop the door opening all of the way.
It’s these features that provide homeowners with young families with complete peace of mind that their children will be safe around the doors.
How secure are Origin Bifold Doors?
At Origin, we carry out continuous research and development to ensure maximum home security. Aluminium is an incredibly strong and resilient material, making it ideal for bifold doors. The low density of aluminium provides strength whilst avoiding a bulky aesthetic.
Pairing an aluminium frame with a hugely sophisticated and well-designed locking system makes Origin Bi-fold Doors one of the most secure options for any home.
Find your perfect folding door from our collection
What other factors can have an impact on bi-fold door security?
Choosing the cheapest, low quality bifold doors, even if they’re made from aluminium can result in compromised security and functionality or even safety hazards. It’s always a good idea to choose high quality bifold doors that keep you and you family safe.
It’s also smart to consider your local area, if there have been burglaries or attempts nearby, you’ll want to maximise the security of your external bifold doors.
Read our guide to high-quality bifold doors here.
