BS EN 1906 – Lever Handles and Knob Furniture

 

 

The European standard specifies the performance requirements and test methods (i.e. durability, static strength, operating torque, corrosion, safety, etc.) for sprung and unsprung lever handles and knobs for doors on backplates or roses. It applies only to lever handles and knobs that operate a lock or latch. The standard has 4 grades of performance. Compliance with the standard ensures a margin of strength in excess of that needed for normal operation. The standard has additional graded safety requirements where a high risk of falling exists.

 

BS EN 1906 classifies door furniture by using an 8 digit coding system. A similar classification applies to all building hardware product standards so that complementary items of hardware can be specified to, for instance, a common level of corrosion resistance, category of use, etc. Each digit refers to a particular feature of the product measured against the standard's performance requirements.

 

Digit 1: Category of Use

 

Four grades are identified:

 

Grade 1: Medium frequency of use with a high incentive to exercise care and a small chance of misuse,

                e.g. internal residential doors.

Grade 2: Medium frequency of use by people with some incentive to exercise care but where there is

                some chance of misuse, e.g. internal office doors.

Grade 3: High frequency of use by public or others with little incentive to exercise care and with a high                               chance of misuse, e.g. public office doors.

Grade 4: high frequency of use on doors which are subject to frequent violent use, e.g. football stadiums,

                Oil rigs, barracks, public toilets, etc.

 

Digit 2: Durability

 

Two categories of durability are defined:

 

Grade 6: 100,000 cycles.

Grade 7: 200,000 cycles.

 

Digit 3: Test Door Mass

 

No Requirement

 

Digit 4: Fire Resistance

 

Two grades of fire resistance are identified:

 

Grade 0: Not approved for use on fire/smoke door assemblies.

Grade 1: Suitable for use on fire/smoke door assemblies.

 

Note: A Grade 1 classification means only that the furniture has been designed for use on fire/smoke control

          doors; the actual fire performance achieved (e.g. fire integrity of 30 minutes on a partially glazed

          timber door etc.) will be contained in a separate fire test report.

 

Digit 5: Safety

 

Two grades of safety are identified:

 

Grade 0: Normal use.

Grade 1: Safety application - to qualify for this grade, handles must have high strength handle-to-plate

                and plate-to-door fixing and/or handle-to-spindle fixing, such that they would withstand a person

                grabbing in order to prevent falling. It is recommended that only Safety Grade 1 furniture is used at

                the top of cellar steps or other staircases.

 

Digit 6: Corrosion Resistance

 

Five grades are identified according to EN 1670:

 

Grade 0: No defined corrosion resistance

Grade 1: Mild resistance - minimum requirement for internal use

Grade 2: Moderate resistance

Grade 3: High resistance - minimum requirement for external use

Grade 4: Very high resistance - recommended for use in exposed marine atmospheres or very polluted

                industrial environments.

 

Digit 7: Security

 

Five grades are identified:

 

Grade 0: Not approved for use on burglary resistant doors.

Grade 1: Mild burglary resistance

Grade 2: Moderate burglary resistance

Grade 3: High burglary resistance

Grade 4: Extra high burglary resistance

 

Note: The main requirements include resistance to drilling, close fitting plates or escutcheons to help protect

           the lock and support the cylinder. They must be resistant to removal from the outside of the door and

           make provision to minimize the cylinder projection to a maximum of 3mm. Full details of the

           requirements can be found in BS EN 1906.

 

Digit 8: Type of Operation

 

Three operation types are identified:

 

Type A: Spring assisted furniture

Type B : Spring loaded furniture

Type C : Unsprung furniture

 

Example

 

 

 

 

The above marking denotes a lever handle for high frequency use on a door that is also subject to frequent violent usage. There is no classification for door mass, but it is suitable for use on fire/smoke door assemblies, and for where safety is important. It has a very high corrosion resistance suitable for external doors. It has high burglary resistance and is of the unsprung type.