Resources & FAQs

The Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHMA) is the only organization accredited by the America National Standards Institute (ANSI) to develop and maintain performance standards for door hardware. Any product bearing the BHMA Certified® Secure Home™ label has been tested and audited according to these standards—the highest in the industry—to ensure product quality.

Each lockset and deadbolt with the BHMA Certified® Secure Home™ label is tested for security, durability and finish and is rated in each category based on its level of performance (C=Good, B=Better, A=Best). So, determining which areas (security, durability and/or finish) are most important when it comes to your specific hardware need(s) will help you select which combination of ratings is right for you.

For example, if you’re looking for a new lock for your bathroom door, you may be most concerned about the product’s durability and less concerned about the security or finish ratings. Therefore, you would want to look for a product where the durability rating is higher or equal to the ratings of the other two categories.

Security measures how well a lock or deadbolt can withstand impact, whether from a possible intruder or extreme weather conditions.

Durability measures how well a lock or deadbolt functions after repeated, long-term use. It also measures how well a lock or deadbolt operates with excessive weight on the door.

Finish measures how well a product can withstand sun exposure, humidity, saltwater, dew and even the oils in our hands – all of which can cause the covering of a lock or deadbolt to soften, peel, discolor or corrode.

While BHMA® is known for developing and maintaining performance standards for commercial hardware, some of these standards include information that can be used for residential hardware as well. In 2014, BHMA® determined that the requirements and needs for residential products were different enough from those of commercial products and that, in order to set the highest possible requirements for each type, it would prove best to separate them. The purpose of the Secure Home™ program is not only to make it easier for homeowners to buy hardware, but for them to understand the importance of purchasing hardware that is certified.

Right now, there are only two standards for residential hardware: ANSI/BHMA® A156.39 Residential Locksets and Latches and ANSI/BHMA® A156.40 Residential Deadbolts. BHMA® expects to develop a residential standard for hinges in the near future, and other hardware used for residential applications – like thresholds, screen door holders or gaskets – will be considered for standard development as well.

You can find certified locksets and deadbolts wherever hardware is sold.

In order for a lock or deadbolt to be considered for BHMA Certified®, it must first go through rigorous testing for security, durability and finish. As such, there are standards for locks and deadbolts that set progressive levels of performance requirements for these types of hardware, along with corresponding ratings for each levels (C=Good, B=Better, A=Best). If a product is capable of meeting the specific performance requirements for security, durability and finish that have been set forth in its respective standard, it is given an A, B or C rating in each category (based on how it performed). It’s important to note that any product bearing the BHMA® Certified SecureHome™ label is of utmost quality, regardless of the rating combination it displays.

The BHMA Certified® Secure Home™ label helps you better assist your customers when it comes to meeting their hardware needs. In providing products with the BHMA® Certified Secure Home™ label, your customers can easily identify which door hardware product(s) have the ratings combination best suited for their family, room type and, even, climate!

While BHMA® is known for developing and maintaining performance standards for commercial hardware, some of these standards include information that can be used for residential hardware as well. In 2014, BHMA® determined that the requirements and needs for residential products were different enough from those of commercial products and that, in order to set the highest possible requirements for each type, it would prove best to separate them. The purpose of the SecureHome™ program is not only to make it easier for homeowners to buy hardware, but for them to understand the importance of purchasing hardware that is certified.

The Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHMA) is the only organization accredited by the America National Standards Institute (ANSI), to develop and maintain performance standards for door hardware. Any product bearing the BHMA Certified® Secure Home™ label has been tested and audited according to these standards—the highest in the industry—to ensure product quality.

Right now, there are only two standards for residential hardware: ANSI/BHMA® A156.39 Residential Locksets and Latches and ANSI/BHMA® A156.40 Residential Deadbolts. BHMA® expects to develop a residential standard for hinges in the near future, and other hardware used for residential applications – like thresholds, screen door holders or gaskets – will be considered for standard development as well.

To help you better understand the program, BHMA® has developed two (2) infographics that explain how to read the BHMA® Certified Secure Home™ label and how consumers can use the label when buying locksets and deadbolts. BHMA® has also developed an educational website, www.securehome.org, which is home to all the information you need to know about BHMA® and the Secure Home™ label. BHMA® also has the Certified Secure Home™ label available in Spanish, French, Spanish/English and French/English versions to help you better serve customers who may not speak English as their first language.

While BHMA® is known for developing and maintaining performance standards for commercial hardware, some of these standards include information that can be used for residential hardware as well. In 2014, BHMA® determined that the requirements and needs for residential products were different enough from those of commercial products and that, in order to set the highest possible requirements for each type, it would prove best to separate them. The purpose of the Secure Home™ program is not only to make it easier for homeowners and contractors to select hardware, but for them to understand the importance of purchasing hardware that is certified.

Right now, there are two residential standards: ANSI/BHMA® A156.39 Residential Locksets and Latches and ANSI/BHMA® A156.40 Residential Deadbolts. Both standards establish performance requirements for products used in single and multifamily homes and include tests for durability, security, and finish. For example, ANSI/BHMA® 156.39-2015 tests lockset durability by requiring each product to go through at least 400,000 cycles of opening and closing with a 5-pound load; lockset security is determined by whether or not the product passes a series of 11 aggressive tests. ANSI/BHMA® 156.40-2015 requires that deadbolts be tested to the same number of cycles when it comes to durability, and that the product passes seventeen security tests – one of which involves having 1,350 pounds of force loaded against the deadbolt.

An overview of each residential standard can be found at here. The full standards can be purchased at http://www.techstreet.com/bhma/searches/14309406.

This new program means that trade professionals involved in residential building now have extra guidance when it comes to deciding what products to select for each individual project or application.

What this means for the builders hardware industry is that all hardware manufacturers – both those known for residential products and those known for commercial products – will now have performance requirements that are perfectly suited for their specific product types. In turn, manufacturers can rest-assured knowing their products are of the utmost quality.

Any residential hardware product can be considered for certification. In order to be certified, the product must be tested by a third party for security, durability and finish, as indicated in its respective standard. If the product passes the series of rigorous tests in each category, it can then be labeled as certified.

You can find certified locksets and deadbolts wherever hardware is sold. Listings of certified residential products are available online in the BHMA Certified® Products Directory: http://buildershardware.com/certified-products/directory.

Yes. BHMA® plans to develop a residential standard for hinges in the near future. Other hardware used for residential applications – like thresholds, screen door holders or gaskets – will be considered for standard development, as well.

First, a manufacturer must review BHMA®’s Operational Manual, available on www.buildershardware.com, and file the certification application and fee with BHMA®. Next, the manufacturer must contact a BHMA®-recognized testing lab and have their hardware tested to the specifications outlined in its published standard. After the product is tested as passes all requirements, the manufacturer must file a proposed listing in accordance with the guidelines, as outlined in the BHMA® Operational Manual, and send the testing report to BHMA®. BHMA® then checks with the designated testing lab for affirmation of the proposed listing. Upon lab affirmation, the listing is designated as certified and the product is then listed in the Certified Products Directory featured on the BHMA® website.

Yes. BHMA® sponsors third-party certification of commercial hardware products as well. Like residential product certification, there is a formal third-party certification process to independently verify that a commercial product meets specific requirements or criteria.