Do composite doors meet Approved Document Q?

Approved Document Q is the security rule that worries self-builders and developers. The short answer is that composite doors comply readily — but only the right specification, and only where the rule actually applies. Here are the details.

What Approved Document Q requires

Approved Document Q (Security — Dwellings) is the section of the Building Regulations in England dealing with the security of new homes. Its requirement is straightforward in principle: easily accessible doors and windows — those a person could reach without a ladder, such as ground-floor and other accessible openings — must be designed and installed to resist unauthorised entry. The intention is to build a baseline of burglary resistance into new housing from the outset, rather than relying on owners to upgrade later.

The Approved Document does not ask a builder to invent their own test of security. Instead it sets out that the requirement is met where the door or window is made to a design that has been tested to PAS 24 (or another standard providing similar performance). In other words, Document Q defines the goal (resist forced entry) and PAS 24 provides the recognised way to prove a product achieves it. For doors, that means a complete door set — leaf, frame, hinges, lock and cylinder — that has passed PAS 24's mechanical and manual attack tests. A composite door specified and certified to PAS 24 therefore meets the Document Q requirement directly.

When Document Q applies

The scope of Document Q matters as much as its content. It applies primarily to new dwellings — newly built homes, and new homes created through a material change of use such as converting a commercial building or a house into flats. For these, the accessible doors and windows must meet the security requirement, so a self-builder or developer should specify PAS 24 door sets for the front, back and any other easily accessible doors.

For an existing home, the picture is different. Replacing a door like-for-like in a house that is already built does not generally bring the strict Document Q forced-entry requirement into play in the way it does for new dwellings — the controlled aspects of a replacement are mainly energy (Approved Document L) and, where relevant, access. That said, choosing a PAS 24 door even when not strictly required is sensible: it gives the same independently tested security, and many reputable composite doors are PAS 24 tested as standard, so it often costs little or nothing extra. Because the boundaries between new dwelling, conversion, extension and simple replacement can be technical, and the rules differ across the UK nations (Document Q is specific to England), confirm the requirement for your particular project with building control or a knowledgeable installer.

How to be sure a door complies

To be confident a composite door meets Approved Document Q where it applies, focus on the certification of the complete door set. Ask the supplier to confirm that the specific door — the exact leaf, frame, hinges, locking mechanism and cylinder — is tested to PAS 24, and to provide the certificate or test reference. Because PAS 24 is a whole-set result, the certification must cover the configuration you are actually buying; substituting a different cylinder or frame can invalidate it, so the door should be supplied as tested.

Two further checks make compliance robust in practice. First, look for an anti-snap cylinder (TS007 3-star, or 1-star with 2-star security handles, or a Kitemark cylinder), since the cylinder is the common attack point and a well-specified PAS 24 door pairs with one. Second, ensure competent installation: a PAS 24 door only delivers its tested resistance if it is fitted correctly into a sound opening, with the keeps aligned so the locking points engage fully. Where the door is part of a new dwelling, the work will be checked through building control or a competent-person route, which provides the formal sign-off. Done this way — certified PAS 24 set, anti-snap cylinder, proper fitting — a composite door comfortably meets Approved Document Q.

What Document Q means for self-builders and developers

For anyone building a new home or creating new dwellings, Document Q is a requirement to plan for rather than an afterthought. The rule covers all easily accessible doors and windows, which in practice means the front door, back door, and any other door or window a person could reach without a ladder — so the specification of PAS 24 door sets needs to be built into the order from the start, not just for the front door. Because the requirement is demonstrated by testing, the simplest route to a clean building control sign-off is to choose doors that are certified to PAS 24 (many composite doors are, as standard) and to keep the certification documents with the project records.

A couple of practical considerations follow. First, glazing within easily accessible doors and windows is part of the picture: where Document Q applies, the glazing in those openings is expected to provide appropriate resistance, which for doors usually means laminated glass in glazed areas within reach of the lock, and the PAS 24 testing of the door set accounts for this. Second, because Document Q is satisfied by a tested design, substituting components after the fact — a different cylinder, a non-matching frame — can undermine the compliance, so the doors should be installed as the certified configuration. Coordinating this with the installer and building control early avoids the awkward situation of doors that look secure but cannot be shown to meet the standard. For a self-builder, the headline is reassuring: composite doors readily satisfy Document Q, provided they are specified as PAS 24 sets, installed as certified, and documented.

Frequently asked questions

Sources & further reading

• gov.uk — Building Regulations Approved Document Q (security)
• Secured by Design — official police security initiative

Figures on this page are typical UK ranges drawn from published sources and depend on your specific door and opening. They are guidance, not a quotation.