The Lock Is the Least of It: Reading Whole-Window Security Claims on a 2026 Quote

You can tell a lot about a window quote by the way it bigs up the lock. 'PAS 24 multipoint lock' sounds reassuring. It is also a bit like advertising a car as having seatbelts: true, standard, and not the thing that proves the car is safe.

PAS 24 is not a lock standard. It is a whole-window security standard, and the difference matters when you are signing a four-figure order in 2026. Here is the straight version.

What PAS 24 is actually testing

PAS 24 is a product test for windows and doorsets. A complete window - frame, glass, hardware, gaskets, the lot - is attacked in a lab by a trained operative using a set of hand tools for a set period. The question is not 'does the lock feel chunky?' It is: does the glazing stay put, does the frame hold together, and does the whole thing resist a determined manual attack long enough to put a burglar off?

That is why the certificate has to name the whole assembly. A lock can be part of a certificated window, but a lock on its own cannot make a window PAS 24. The same goes for a fancy handle, a laminated pane, or a sticker on the showroom frame.

The phrase 'PAS 24 lock' is a tell

Multipoint locks are everywhere. Most decent modern windows have one. So when a quote leads with 'PAS 24 lock' and goes quiet on the rest, it is usually because the rest is harder to prove.

Look out for these fuzzy phrases:

• 'PAS 24 approved' - approved by whom? PAS 24 is a test and certification route, not a club.
• 'PAS 24 tested' - lots of things get tested. The useful word is 'certificated', with a certificate number.
• 'PAS 24 style' - means nothing. Ignore it.
• 'PAS 24 hardware' - hardware is a component. PAS 24 is a system claim.
• 'Equivalent to PAS 24' - ask for the equivalence document. Usually there isn't one.

None of this means the window is bad. It means the quote has not proved the claim yet.

Five lines to find in the paperwork

Before you sign, ask for the certificate rather than the logo. Read it like a suspicious person, because that is what you are paying for.

1. The standard and the edition

PAS 24:2022 is the current edition, but building-control routes do not always move in lockstep. In England, Approved Document Q - the security bit of the building regs for new homes - has named earlier editions over the years, and the devolved nations have their own routes. The certificate should match the edition your project is being signed off against. If the quote just says 'PAS 24', ask which edition.

2. The test body and the certificate number

You want a third-party certificate from a UKAS-accredited body, with a number you can check. A manufacturer's own declaration is not the same as independent certification. It might still be honest, but it is not the proof PAS 24 is supposed to give you.

3. The scope of the certificate

This is the bit people skip. Does the certificate cover your window type - casement, tilt-turn, flush, bay - in the material and opening configuration you are buying? A certificate for a white uPVC casement does not automatically cover a foiled tilt-turn or a complicated bay. The scope should say what it covers. If it does not mention your window, ask why.

4. The glass specification

There is no such thing as 'PAS 24 glass'. There are glass specifications that have been tested as part of a certificated window. The certificate should tie to a glazing build-up - often a laminated pane on the accessible side, sometimes toughened, depending on the system. Ask what is in your quote: 6.4mm laminated? 4mm toughened? A made-up sandwich with no paperwork?

The glass is usually the easiest way into a window. A good lock on a weak pane is a locked door with a paper wall next to it.

5. Who is fitting it, and under what scheme

PAS 24 is a product certificate. It is not an installation certificate. The best-tested window in the country is only as secure as the fixings, packers, and sealing holding it into the wall. A twisted frame or a badly sealed reveal gives an attacker leverage that the lab never tested.

Your fitter should be able to provide a competent-person scheme certificate - FENSA, Certass, or equivalent - or a building-control sign-off. Ask who is actually doing the work, not just who sold you the window.

The gaps that hide in plain sight

Two claims deserve special suspicion.

The first is 'Secured by Design'. SBD is a police-preferred specification, and it requires PAS 24 plus extra measures - often laminated glass and specific hardware. A PAS 24 certificate alone is not an SBD certificate. If the quote says SBD, ask for the SBD certificate, not the PAS 24 one.

The second is 'PAS 24 throughout'. It sounds thorough. It might mean every window in the house is certificated, or it might mean the salesman said it twice. Ask for the certificate scope property by property if you are buying a mix of window types.

What to ask before you sign

Put these in an email and keep the reply:

• Can I see the certificate itself, not just the logo?
• Which edition of PAS 24 does it reference?
• Does the scope cover my window type, material, and opening configuration?
• What glass specification is certificated, and does my quote match it?
• Who is installing, and which competent-person scheme will certify the fitting?
• If Secured by Design is claimed, where is the SBD certificate?

If the answers come back vague, that is useful information. A decent supplier will have the paperwork to hand. A chancer will change the subject to the handle.

The bottom line

PAS 24 is a whole-window claim, not a lock badge. The lock is the least interesting part of it, because almost every window has one. What you want is a certificate that names the complete assembly, a glass spec that matches your quote, and an installer whose work is covered by a scheme.

Get those three things in writing and the security wording stops being marketing. It becomes a paper trail you can actually use.