Before you buy a set of bifold doors, it’s likely that you first want the reassurance of knowing that the doors are a reliable option for keeping your property safe. Afterall, high-quality bifold doors have even been shown to increase property value. But - where do you start when it comes to choosing a secure bifold door, and how do you know whether a manufacturer is reliable?
Here, we look at how door manufacturers such as Origin treat security and safety as their highest priority and incorporate it into their designs. We answer your common queries on bifold door security to ensure you know how to find a strong and secure option for your home.
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Security FAQs
General security features
How secure are bifold doors? What features should I be looking for?
Bifold doors are engineered with security in mind. The best-quality bi‑folds have certain features that set them apart from lesser products in terms of the high level of security and safety they provide.
These features include:
- a multi-point locking system
- a secure door lock
- a heavy-duty handle and hinges
- toughened glass.
View our complete range of aluminium bifold doors here.
Some people fear that bi-fold doors make homes more vulnerable to break-ins because of the amount of glass they incorporate. However, this simply isn’t true. It’s been demonstrated that bifolds made by reputable door companies are typically much harder to break into than many French doors and sliding doors. As long as you choose a manufacturer that uses strong, reliable materials such as aluminium, and offers excellent security features – your bifold door will be a secure addition to your home.
Read our guide to bifold doors vs sliding doors here.
Is aluminium a secure material?
Aluminium bi-fold doors are among the strongest doors on the market. Just the fact that they’re made from metal gives them an advantage over doors in uPVC or timber, but aluminium is especially strong because of how it’s blended with high-strength alloys during manufacturing.
As the frames are able to support larger, heavier panes of glass, they can be made slimmer, to provide more expansive views onto gardens, patios or other outdoor spaces. Not only that, but they’re better able to resist the wear and tear of frequent use and withstand inclement weather.
Read more about aluminium quality here.
How does aluminium compare to uPVC and timber?
Aluminium frames are naturally strong, and are powder coated to create a highly durable finish. Timber frames; however, are subject to a number of risks unique to timber doors that can affect the door’s durability, including water leaks, contaminants and warping.
uPVC, on the other hand, can degrade when exposed to strong sunlight for extended lengths of time as the sun can discolour the frames and cause them to fade. As uPVC ages, exposure to extreme weather conditions can also cause it to warp, which can impact on the performance of the doors.
Although aluminium can often be more expensive than timber and uPVC, it is the most durable option overall, and can be ideal if you are treating your bifold doors as a long-term investment.
Read more about why aluminium is the most reliable option for bifold doors here.
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 or extensions to existing homes) must conform to PAS 24 standards.
To keep your home secure, we recommend that you only use products that have passed PAS 24: 2016 testing, even if you’re only replacing existing doors.
Find out more about the security of our aluminium bifold doors here.
Locks and locking systems
How do bi-fold doors lock?
Most bi-fold doors have a multi-point locking system built into the traffic door. What this means is that they lock at more than one point around the frame—the most common systems have three or five points, while Origin aluminium bi-fold doors employ a unique eight-point locking system, for added security (see the image below).
Multi-point locking systems are really easy to operate. First, you lift the handle to engage the locking points, then you turn the key (or thumbturn) to move the security hooks of the locking system into place.
Unlike any other door, our aluminium bifolds provide a completely uninterrupted view when open, and the flexibility to enjoy your indoor and outdoor space as one. Our doors are also available in 150 RAL colours, allowing you to find the perfect fit for your home’s style. We also offer a huge range of security features, including the best-quality handles and locks, to ensure you have a bifold door you can rely on.
Shop our aluminium bifold door range.
Can you lock bi-fold doors from outside?
Yes, but the lock on the outside will be one you’ll need to operate 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 as an optional extra when buying the doors).
You may be able to request that your doors have no external lock, but bear in mind this would stop you using the doors to gain access to your home from outside.
What type 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 bolts
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.
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, you might have come to the conclusion that there’s an issue with the multi-point locking system. However, it’s more likely that the problem has arisen because the doors have fallen out of alignment with the tracking mechanism and simply need adjusting.
Read more about adjusting bi-fold doors on our page Operation, maintenance and troubleshooting common issues. 
Door handles
What makes bi-fold door handles secure?
The handle has long been considered one of the weakest parts of 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.
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.
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.
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.
Hinges made of strong material are also able to better withstand damage caused through bad weather.
Are you looking for a secure aluminium bifold door? Explore our range today!
Shop our aluminium bifold door range.
Want more information on which Origin Bifold system will work best for your home? Please contact your local Premium Partner, who will be able to answer all your questions.
Safety FAQs
Glazing
How safe is bi-fold door glass?
It's now a legal requirement that bi-fold doors are installed with toughened safety glass as standard. Combine this with double or triple glazed panes and you have glass that’s extremely robust, difficult to break, and very secure and safe.
As glazing beads hold the glass in place, this stops potential burglars removing it from the outside and gaining entry to the property, providing added security.
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 toughened 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 | Laminated glass |
|---|---|
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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, because laminated glass is heavier, it can only be employed in bi-fold doors made of aluminium, as their door frames are strong enough to support the added weight.
Childproof features
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 and the jamb.
Additionally, many bi-fold doors have:
- roller systems designed to stop children trapping their fingers in the sliding mechanism
- a magnetic catch (also called a magnetic keep) that holds the doors securely in place while opened.
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 peace of mind when it comes to your home’s security. Aluminium is an incredibly strong and resilient material, making it ideal for the creation of bifold doors. The low density of aluminium provides strength whilst avoiding a bulky effect.
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.
Shop our complete aluminium bifold door range here.
What else should you consider when finding a high-quality bifold door?
Other factors to consider when choosing a quality bifold include:
- What is the product guarantee?
- What lead times does the manufacturer offer?
- How do the product components look and function?
- What threshold options are available?
- Are the doors bespoke?
- Are the doors available in a powder coated finish?
Read our guide to high-quality bifold doors here.
