Lock the Door Standards Set

The next set of our Hardware Highlights grouping is called Lock the Door and consists of three categories containing the following BHMA Standards:

Residential:
ANSI/BHMA A156.39 - Residential Locksets and Latches
ANSI/BHMA A156.40 - Residential Deadbolts

Mechanical:
ANSI/BHMA A156.2 - Locks and Latches
ANSI/BHMA A156.3 - Exit Devices
ANSI/BHMA A156.5 - Cylinders and Input Devices for Locks
ANSI/BHMA A156.12 - Interconnected Locks
ANSI/BHMA A156.13 - Mortise Locks
ANSI/BHMA A156.28 - Recommended Practices for Mechanical Keying Systems
ANSI/BHMA A156.30 - High Security Cylinders
ANSI/BHMA A156.36 - Auxiliary Hardware
ANSI/BHMA A156.37 - Multipoint Locks
ANSI/BHMA A156.44 - Hardware for Architectural Glass Openings

Electrical:
ANSI/BHMA A156.23 - Electromagnetic Locks
ANSI/BHMA A156.24 - Delayed Egress Locking Systems
ANSI/BHMA A156.25 - Electrified Locking Systems
ANSI/BHMA A156.29 - Exit Locks, Exit Alarms, Alarms for Exit Devices
ANSI/BHMA A156.31 - Electric Strikes and Frame Mounted Actuators
ANSI/BHMA A156.33 - Internally Powered Architectural Hardware Devices
ANSI/BHMA A156.35 - Power Supplies for Electronic Access Control

Overview
These standards are grouped together under the “Lock the Door” set to consolidate the various products that are used to latch and lock doors. Since this grouping covers more than 15 standards, they are organized in three different areas: residential, mechanical, and electrical. The primary users of these standards are manufacturers, specifiers, building owners, homeowners, architects, consumers, and test labs. The BHMA Certified® Products Directory is available for all of these users to find certified products that meet the ANSI/BHMA standards.

This set of standards are used extensively in the United States, specifically commercial buildings as they generally include contracts that require hardware to meet the applicable BHMA standards. Each of the standards have their specific applications, for example, the two standards under “residential” are used for domestic purposes, A156.5 for cylinders and input devices is used for the keys we carry for credentials to get in and out of a building, A156.12 for interconnected locks is used primarily in apartment buildings for security purposes, and many of the previous mechanical locks now have an added electronic feature that have lead to A156.25, A156.33, and A156.35 to warrant those aspects.

History
Many BHMA Standards were originally compiled by the US Department of Commerce then transferred to BHMA under a program to place control and then updated to the private sector. BHMA became an ANSI accredited Standards Developer Organization in 1983 adding “ANSI” to their title. This set of standards began with A156.2, the traditional bored locks, and more varieties and types were added over the years. The below breakdown illustrates when these standards were first published by BHMA.

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