Although RC3 doors are commonly used in residential construction, they are also effective in specialized buildings, such as facilities occupied by law enforcement agencies or warehouses and technical rooms with a moderate risk of burglary. Here’s what you should know about them.
Resistance Class (RC) refers to the classification of a door’s resistance to burglary, specifically its ability to withstand forced entry attempts using physical force or certain tools. This standard divides door joinery into six distinct classes, each representing a different level of difficulty in breaching the door with specific tools. Let’s take a closer look at these classes to better understand their distinctions.
RC1 – This level of resistance protects against forced entry attempts using only physical strength without any tools. The door can be kicked, pushed with the shoulder, lifted, or pulled, and it is expected to withstand such attacks for approximately 3 minutes.
RC2 – Offers protection against attacks using physical force combined with basic tools such as a screwdriver, hammer, wedge, or small hand saw. Breaking through this level should take more than 3 minutes, assuming the intruder has limited knowledge of door security.
RC3 – Designed to resist forced entry attempts involving larger tools like crowbars, chisels, or power drills. Doors with this rating should withstand such attacks for at least 5 minutes.
RC4 – Provides security against the use of heavy tools such as sledgehammers, axes, chisels, hammers, or cordless drills. This level of protection is expected to hold up against an attack lasting at least 10 minutes.
RC5 – Offers advanced defense against power tools including saws, drills, jigsaws, or angle grinders with discs up to 125 mm in diameter. Attempting to break in at this level could take as long as 15 minutes.
RC6 – The highest resistance class, designed to withstand powerful electric tools like jackhammers or angle grinders with discs up to 230 mm. Even a skilled and determined intruder would need more than 20 minutes to breach this level of security. It’s important to note that only highly experienced and persistent burglars can overcome this level of protection.
Examining the list above, it’s clear that RC3 doors offer a moderate level of burglary resistance. Their design allows them to withstand attempts to gain entry using tools that enhance the intruder’s physical force. Such tools may include a small hammer, punch tool, crowbar, or manual drilling device. These methods tend to produce relatively low noise levels, reducing the chance of alerting neighbors.
Why are RC3 doors so popular? Their construction is engineered to resist a break-in attempt lasting about 5 minutes, carried out by someone with a moderate understanding of building security features. Typically, this person acts opportunistically rather than executing a premeditated plan. A resistance time of around 5 minutes can discourage intruders with low motivation or those who risk being caught by neighbors during the attempt.
In summary, RC3 doors provide solid protection suited for properties that require a medium level of security.
