Deadbolts are graded by ANSI/BHMA: Grade 3 is basic residential, Grade 2 is heavy duty, Grade 1 is commercial. Grade matters more than brand or price. A reinforced strike plate and three-inch screws do more for security than upgrading the lock itself.
Door hardware is sold on finish and brand, and graded on performance by a standard almost nobody mentions at the point of sale.
Here is what the grades mean, where the money is worth spending, and where it is not.
ANSI grades
| Grade | Intended for | Roughly | Use it where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | Basic residential | Minimum acceptable | Interior doors, low risk |
| Grade 2 | Heavy duty residential | The sensible default | Most exterior residential doors |
| Grade 1 | Commercial | Highest tested performance | High risk entries, rentals, commercial |
| Ungraded | Unknown | Avoid on exterior doors | Decorative interior only |
The grade reflects tested cycles, strike impact resistance and bolt strength. It is printed on the packaging and it is a far better guide than price.
Where to spend
- A reinforced strike plate with three-inch screws. Under forty dollars and it addresses the real failure mode, which is the jamb splitting rather than the lock failing.
- Three-inch screws in the hinges, replacing one screw per hinge. Five dollars for the whole house and it does the same job on the hinge side.
- A Grade 2 or Grade 1 deadbolt with a one inch minimum bolt throw.
- Solid brass or stainless hardware on an exterior door, because plated zinc corrodes in a road salt climate.
- Ball bearing hinges on a heavy exterior door, which do not sag the way plain bearing hinges do.
- A multipoint lock on a French door pair or a tall entry door, where a single deadbolt cannot pull the door tight along its full height.
Where not to spend
- An expensive handleset on a door where the deadbolt does the actual locking. The handleset is cosmetic and easy to swap later.
- Matching every finish in the house on day one. Hardware finishes are the easiest thing to change and the least consequential.
- A chain latch, which is defeated by a shove and is largely symbolic.
- Smart lock features you will not use. Check the ANSI grade of the underlying mechanism, because some inexpensive smart locks are physically poor.
- Decorative hinges on a door nobody sees.
- Keyed-alike convenience across a large number of doors, which sounds useful and creates a single point of compromise.
The finish problem in a salt climate
This catches people out on exterior hardware. Most residential hardware is plated zinc or plated brass over a base metal, and the plating is thin. On an exterior entry that takes road salt tracked onto the landing, wind-driven rain and a seventy degree temperature swing, that plating fails, usually starting as small pits and then spreading. Solid brass, solid bronze and stainless steel do not have this problem because the material is the same all the way through, and a scratch shows the same metal underneath. On a sheltered door the difference rarely matters. On an exposed north or west facing entry in this region it is the difference between hardware that looks right in ten years and hardware that looks tired in three.
Ranges reflect typical Capital Region projects and are for planning only. Every Sundog quote is written, itemized, and free.
Frequently asked questions
What deadbolt grade should I buy?
Grade 2 for most exterior residential doors, which is heavy duty residential and a sensible default. Grade 1 is commercial and worth it on a high risk entry or a rental. Grade 3 is basic and belongs on interior doors. The grade is printed on the packaging and it is a far better guide than price or brand.
What is the single best thing I can do for door security?
Install a reinforced strike plate with three-inch screws that reach the framing behind the jamb. It costs under forty dollars, takes fifteen minutes, and it addresses the actual failure mode. In almost every forced entry it is the jamb that splits, not the door or the lock.
Are smart locks secure?
Their physical security is whatever the deadbolt mechanism they use is rated for, and it varies widely. Check the ANSI grade rather than the smart features. The genuine security benefits are eliminating keys under the mat and being able to revoke access, which are real but different from resisting force.
Why does my exterior door hardware corrode?
Most residential hardware is thin plating over a base metal, and road salt tracked onto an entry landing attacks it. Solid brass, solid bronze or stainless steel do not have this problem because the material is uniform throughout. On an exposed entry in this region the upgrade is worth it.
Do I need a multipoint lock?
On a standard single entry door, no, a good deadbolt with a reinforced strike is sufficient. On a French door pair or a very tall entry door, a multipoint lock is genuinely useful because it pulls the door tight against the weatherstripping at three points rather than one, which improves the seal as well as the security.
Services this relates to
Keep reading
Local pages
Questions about your own house?
A free measure and a written quote costs you nothing and gives you real numbers to work with.