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Burglar resistance: your doors and windows tested at the CSTB

Photo: Florence Joubert

Several hundred thousand house burglaries are reported every year, and in 25% of cases, the burglars get in through a door or window. Manufacturers, keen to meet this security challenge, are offering more and more burglar-resistant systems, which the CSTB is testing to European standards. These tests are offered as part of the NF certification, or during testing done on demand at the CSTB’s Windows and Glazing platform. Windows are rated according to their burglary resistance time.

The resistance time of a product not designed to be burglar-resistant is estimated at 30 seconds, whereas a product designed specifically to be burglar-resistant may resist for well over two minutes. Depending on the types of windows offered by manufacturers, the resistance time may be up to ten minutes.

Testing is used to obtain recognition for burglar resistant doors and windows. The EU standard sets the minimum resistance time at 3 minutes for the quality of a window’s design and manufacture to be recognized as being resistant to burglary.

Tests conducted at the CSTB simulate various techniques used by burglars: strikes with the shoulder (resistance under static loading test) or repeated kicks (resistance under dynamic loading test), and the use of implements like screwdrivers or crowbars (resistance to manual burglary attempts test), all in a given time limit. Depending on the test results, the window or door may obtain a rating that indicates the product’s burglary resistance.

Option with NF-Certifié CSTB Certified

The burglar resistance test is an option offered to manufacturers as part of the NF-Certifié CSTB Certified (NF220) certification for windows.

As part of the certification, compliance is verified during follow-up audits, and the certified performance levels of burglary resistance are checked every 5 years.

Tests on demand

The burglar resistance test can also be carried out on request, as part of on-demand testing documented in test reports.

Contact

retardement-effraction@cstb.fr

Certifications benefiting the burglar resistance tests