Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHMA) is a
Registered Provider with The American Institute of Architects
Continuing Education Systems. Credit earned on completion of
this program will be reported to CES Records for AIA
members. Certificates of Completion for non-AIA members are
available on request.
This program is registered with the AIA/CES for continuing
professional education. As such, it does not include content that
may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement
by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or
manner of handing, studying, distributing or dealing in any
material or product. Questions related to specific materials,
methods and services will be addressed at the conclusion of this
presentation.
The Importance of
BHMA Certification
Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association
Presentation Objectives
• General Overview of the BHMA
Certification Program
• The Benefits of Certification
Specifying Builders Hardware
Because it impacts life safety and security, builders hardware is one of
the few categories of functional hardware that are specified. Builders
hardware is subject to repeated use and wear, and yet has to remain
operational at all times.
The security, fire resistance and egress capability of exits and entrances
is reliant on the quality of their collective parts, including:
• Locksets
• Electric strikes
• Exit devices
• Electromagnetic locks
• Door closers
Why Specify Certified Products?
Standards establish performance requirements for hardware products,
and in turn, products that are certified are guaranteed to meet the criteria
called for by their standards.
Performance assurance is especially important for products that impact:
• Life Safety
• Security
Certified products are:
• Tested
• Graded
• Proven to meet the relevant standard
• Assured to do their job
What does certification mean?
A product that has been certified has been formally tested and shown
to meet or exceed the minimum criteria of its standard.
Builders hardware that has been certified meets the associated
ANSI/BHMA standard for:
• Durability
• Strength
• Performance
• Security
All BHMA certified hardware is subjected to independent third-party
testing.
Benefits of Certification
• Product Improvement
• Quality Control
• Enhanced Industry Integrity
Steps to Certification
1. Testing: Performed at an independent laboratory or at an
in-house lab that has been approved by an independent
lab.
2. Statement of Compliance: An independent laboratory’s
written statement declaring that the product complies with
the standard.
3. Auditing: Regular follow-up factory audits of the product
by an independent laboratory.
Certification Levels
• Self-certification
• Affiliated certification
(two-party
certification)
• Third-party
Certification Process
Finding and Identifying Certified
Products
• Third-party certification
may be labeled “BHMA
Certified” and listed in the
BHMA Certified Products
Directory.
• BHMA Certified
Products
Display the Mark
Builders Hardware Standards
•
BHMA has developed 35 standards for builders
hardware, each of which impact safety and security,
either directly or indirectly.
•
The standards include products from hinges to exit
alarms.
•
Each product, when specified and installed properly, can
make a significant difference in the event of an
emergency.
Standards-At-A-Glance
BHMA’s Standards-at-a-Glance offer an abbreviated
requirement listings and explanations of standards for
products that are in the certification program.
Performance Grades
Within the standards there are grades which indicate the
extent to which the product meets or exceeds its standard.
• Grades are determined by tests designed to
measure a product’s performance capabilities.
• They assist the specifier in determining which
product is most appropriate for a project.
Certified Standards
• ANSI/BHMA A156.1 Butts & Hinges
• ANSI/BHMA A156.2 Bored &
Preassembled Locks & Latches
• ANSI/BHMA A156.3 Exit Devices
• ANSI/BHMA A156.4 Door Control-Closers
• ANSI/BHMA A156.5 Auxiliary Locks
• ANSI/BHMA A156.8 Door Controls,
Overhead Stops & Holders
• ANSI/BHMA A156.9 Cabinet Hardware
• ANSI/BHMA A156.11 Cabinet Locks
• ANSI/BHMA A156.12 Interconnected
Locks & Latches
• ANSI/BHMA A156.13 Mortise Locks
• ANSI/BHMA A156.15 Release Devices
• ANSI/BHMA A156.17 Self-Closing Hinges
• ANSI/BHMA A156.18 Materials & Finishes
• ANSI/BHMA A156.19 Power Assist & Low
Energy Power Operated Doors
• ANSI/BHMA A156.21 Thresholds
• ANSI/BHMA A156.22 Gaskets
• ANSI/BHMA A156.23 Electromagnetic
Locks
• ANSI/BHMA A156.24 Delayed Egress
Locks
• ANSI/BHMA A156.25 Electrified Locking
Devices
• ANSI/BHMA A156.26 Continuous Hinges
• ANSI/BHMA A156.29 Exit Locks & Alarms
• ANSI/BHMA A156.30 High Security
Cylinders
• ANSI/BHMA A156.31 Electric Strikes
• ANSI/BHMA A156.36 Auxiliary Locks
Butts and Hinges
ANSI/BHMA 156.1-2006 Butts and Hinges
Choosing the appropriate hinge is crucial to ensuring the proper
installation and problem-free functioning of doors, including emergency
exits.
This standard established requirements for lightweight, standard weight
and heavy weight hinges.
Tests include:
• Cycle
• Vertical and Lateral Wear
• Hinge Pin Rise
• Hinge Pin Play
High Security Cylinders
ANSI/BHMA A156.30-2007 High Security Cylinders
High security cylinders must meet two standards, one written specifically
for the product type and another written for general cylinders.
Cylinders are tested for durability, reliability and strength. Electrical high
security cylinders are also tested for their ability to withstand sophisticated
break-in attempts.
Tests include:
• Mechanical Pick Resistance
• Electrical Pick Resistance
• Magnet Resistance
Exit Devices
ANSI/BHMA A156.3-2008 Exit Devices
Exit devices include panic hardware and fire exit hardware, which
provides fire protection when used as part of a fire door assembly.
Tests gauge the ability to withstand repeated use and applied force.
Tests include:
• Cycle
• Exit
• Outside
• Inside Pull
• Push
• Force to Door Latch
• Finish Evaluation
A Grade 1 exit device can withstand 500,000 cycles of being opened and
closed, while a Grade 3 product is required to withstand 100,000 cycles.
Locks and Latches
ANSI/BHMA A156.2-2011 Bored & Preassembled Locks & Latches
Qualified locks and latches are designed to allow free egress while
maintaining security from the outside.
Criteria dictated by the standards include amount of torque required to
engage and disengage the lock, and the amount of force knobs and levers
can withstand.
Tests include:
• Operational
• Strength
• Cycle
• Material Evaluation
• Finish Evaluation
Door Gasketing Systems
ANSI/BHMA A156.22-2005 Door Gasketing Systems
This standard covers the installation and performance of gasketing
systems, including intumescents applied to, or mortised to, doors
and/or frames.
Performance tests are intended to provide installation guidelines,
gauge resistance to smoke and air infiltration, and measure the life
and durability of gasketing materials.
Tests include:
• Latching
• Adhesion
• Smoke/Air Infiltration
• Specific tests for Intumescent and Non-Intumescent Gaskets
Certify for Life Safety and Security
Specify certified for quality products that:
• Provide quality assurance
• Are assured to do their job again and again
• Will perform at or above standard
requirements
Don’t be Misled
CLAIMS of ANSI compliance or statements to
the effect that products meet requirements of
the standard are NOT THE SAME as BHMA
certification.
Soft Words
• Implication of BHMA Certification
• Mistaken use of “soft words”:
• Meets ANSI BHMA Standards
• Tested to ANSI BHMA Standards
• Complies to ANSI BHMA Standards
The Difference
VS.
• The BHMA Member
Logo should NOT be
used to promote
certification
• Non-members can
participate in the BHMA
Certification Program
Specify Certified Products
Be Safe. Be Secure. Look for the Mark.
Thank you for Attending!
BHMA
355 Lexington Avenue, 15th Floor
New York, NY 10017
(212) 297-2122
www.buildershardware.com