What is BS EN 12209 - Mechanically operated locks and locking plates about?
BS EN 12209 is the European standard on mechanically operated locks and associated locking plates intended for use in fire safety in various environmental and security circumstances.
BS EN 12209 specifies requirements and test methods for durability, strength, security and the functionality of mechanically operated locks and their locking plates:
- For use indoors in buildings
- For use on fire and smoke compartmentation doors fitted with door closing devices, to enable such doors to close reliably and thus achieve self-closing in the event of fire; and
- For use on locked fire doors to maintain the fire integrity of the door assembly.
BS EN 12209 specifies mechanically operated locks and locking systems intended for use in different environmental and security conditions, thus necessitating different grades as well as the dimensions and properties required for security
BS EN 12209 covers locks and their locking plates which are either manufactured and placed on the market in their entirety by one producer or produced by more than one producer or assembled from sub-assemblies produced by more than one producer and designed to be used in combination.
Note 1: BS EN 12209 does not specify Multipoint locks or their locking plates.
Note 2: Assessment of the contribution of the product to the fire resistance of specific fire resistance and/or smoke control door set assemblies is beyond the BS EN 12209.
Who is BS EN 12209 - Mechanically operated locks and locking plates for?
BS EN 12209 on mechanically operated locks and locking plates is useful for:
- Manufacturers of building accessories
- Designers and manufacturers of locks and locking plates
- Manufacturers of doors and windows
Why should you use BS EN 12209 - Mechanically operated locks and locking plates?
Mechanical locks are mechanical devices that secure an opening by keeping a door closed until a release mechanism is activated.
BS EN 12209 provides essential characteristics of the self-closing ability of locks and durability requirements.
BS EN 12209 specifies the door mass and door closing force, suitability for use on fire resistance and/or smoke control doorset, corrosion resistance and temperature, security, key identification requirements of lever locks.
BS EN 12209 navigates you through the test procedure, assessment and sampling methods to test the functionality of mechanically operated locks and their locking plates.
BS EN 12209 provides AVCP with the compliance of mechanically operated locks with the requirements and the performances determining the product type and factory production control.
The coding system and the classification of mechanically operated locks and locking plates are specified in BS EN 12209 along with the marking, labelling and packaging on the lock.
Overall, BS EN 12209 walks you through the features and basic functions of mechanical locks in order to secure doors with an easy-to-operate and attack-resistant lock.
As a result, you can obtain a low-cost, simple-to-install security solution for buildings that require a dependable means of access control.
What’s changed since the last update?
BS EN 12209:2016 supersedes BS EN 12209:2003. BS EN 12209:2016 includes some technical changes with respect to BS EN 12209:2003. These include:
- The type of lock that has been named latch is now integrated in the definition of locks
- The number of classifications has been reduced
- Suitability for use on fire resistance and/or smoke control doorset introduces new classification.
- Temperature range changed to –10 °C to +60 °C;
- Requirements, test methods, forces, torques, figures and tables have been renumbered
- assessment and verification of constancy of performance – AVCP has replaced Evaluation of conformity

