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Door chain vs door restrictor

Updated: October 2026

A courier is on the step and you want the door to open a short way. Listings say door chain, door bar or door restrictor, and those are three devices. A door chain vs door restrictor choice depends on your hands and on the door. The twelve products in the [door chain comparison](/hub/door-and-window-security/door-chain) are chains for a short slide on timber. ERA describes a bar when that slide is too fiddly. A handle restrictor is the buy if you must not drill a uPVC face. Peter F. compared the listings. Prices are from 19 October 2026. There is no laboratory test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

A courier is on the step and you want the door to open a short way. Listings say door chain, door bar or door restrictor, and those are three devices.

Our top picks

Yale Yale WS6 door chain, polished chrome

Best overall

Yale Yale WS6 door chain, polished chrome
9.2/10about £8.80
View offer
KAFENDA KAFENDA spring-button door chain

Rank 2

KAFENDA KAFENDA spring-button door chain
8.4/10about £12.99
View offer
SOL SOL chrome door chain, pack of two

Best value

SOL SOL chrome door chain, pack of two
8.0/10about £4.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Three different devices
  2. 2.Timber door, and stiff hands
  3. 3.uPVC, without drilling the face
  4. 4.What to buy from this comparison

Three different devices

A door chain runs from the door to the frame. You slide the end into a slotted plate and the chain goes tight. DIY Doctor puts that gap at about an inch, roughly 25 mm. A door bar is a rigid arm. ERA's TS 003 bar is the one they suggest when a chain is awkward, and they describe it for timber. A handle restrictor is a loop on the inside handle, and DIY Doctor notes that it does not drill the door. West Yorkshire Police say a chain will not secure a locked door against burglary, so identify the caller first. A spring button does not turn a chain into a bar. KAFENDA is a 170 mm spring-button chain at about £12.99, released from the inside.

Timber door, and stiff hands

Choose a chain when you can work a short slide on solid timber. The Yale WS6, the top pick, states 13.5 cm and was about £8.80. It is the only title here that prints DHF TS 003. That test can cover a chain or a limiter, and it is not why you would pick a bar. You change device when the slide is too fiddly, or when the door will not hold the screws. ERA treats the bar as the easier device on timber for someone who struggles with a chain. Age UK says take the chain off if carers or the emergency services need access. A key-operated chain can block your exit, the Master Locksmiths Association notes. None of these twelve is key-operated.
Yale Yale WS6 door chain, polished chrome

Testsieger

Yale Yale WS6 door chain, polished chrome
9.2/10about £8.80
View offer

uPVC, without drilling the face

ERA says a TS 003 chain can suit timber, solid-core composite or PVCu. The face is the limit. Many uPVC leaves are skinned or hollow, and a wood screw in that skin is weak. ERA's bar is described for timber. When the face must stay undrilled, use a handle restrictor on the existing handle screw, as DIY Doctor describes. Warranty and the door company's screw rule are on the door chain for a uPVC door page. A chain if you can work the slide on timber. A bar if that slide is too fiddly and the door is timber. A handle restrictor if the uPVC face stays undrilled.

What to buy from this comparison

Every row here is a screw-in chain, about £4.13 to about £12.99 on 19 October 2026. Spring-button models remain chains. The table has no bar and no handle loop. The SOL two-pack is the best value at about £4.99, and it is still two chains. If a chain is right, the door chain buying guide covers material, a printed test, length and the screws. The best door chain page makes one conditional pick for a timber front door. Entry-price reviews include a break when a child opened the door. You still lock the door. Avon and Somerset Police describe double-locking uPVC by lifting the handle, then turning and removing the key.

Common questions

Is a door restrictor the same as a door chain?
No. A door chain is links on a slide between the door and the frame. A restrictor may be that chain, a rigid bar, or a loop on the inside handle. Only the chain is in this amazon.co.uk set. Read the listing for links, a bar or a handle fitting before you compare the price.
Which is easier if my hands are stiff?
A bar is easier when you cannot seat a chain in its slot. ERA describes its TS 003 bar for that reason, and only for timber. A spring button releases a chain from the inside, and the chain stays a chain. On an undrilled uPVC door, a handle restrictor uses the handle screws, if those screws will hold.
Which is better on a uPVC door?
A handle restrictor fits when you must not drill a uPVC or composite face. DIY Doctor puts it on the existing handle screw. ERA allows a TS 003 chain on PVCu if the fixing is sound, but a uPVC word on a title does not prove the screws. ERA's bar page is timber. The warranty question is on the uPVC page of this comparison.
Can a chain be locked with a key?
Some chains take a key. None of these twelve does. The Master Locksmiths Association says a key-operated chain can resist a child and can stop you leaving if it stays locked. That is a different product. If carers or the fire service may need the door, a missing key is worse than a slide you can undo.
Will a bar stop me getting out?
It must not. ERA requires egress on a TS 003 chain and on a TS 003 bar. The bar holds the first opening so you can see the caller, and you release it from inside without a tool. Take it off for carers and the emergency services. Do not leave it on overnight instead of the lock.
Do I still need the door lock?
Yes. West Yorkshire Police say a chain will not secure a locked door against burglary. See the caller at a window or a door viewer, keep the lock, and use a chain, bar or handle restrictor only for the short opening. On uPVC, lift the handle, then turn and remove the key, as Avon and Somerset Police describe. The restrictor does not replace that.

Related pages

Door security bar

Door chain

Best door chain: Yale WS6 against the narrow XFORT

Door chain buying guide: screws, length and TS 003

How to fit a door chain: rail, screws and outside test

Door chain for a uPVC door: warranty and the fixings

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, used for this page in October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures dated 19 October 2026. TS 003 is not treated as a burglary lock, and Secured by Design is quoted only for the live Yale WS6 table on that date.

  1. West Yorkshire Police: door and window advice (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. Avon and Somerset Police: door security (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. Age UK: doorstep scams (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. ERA: certified solutions and TS 003 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. DHF publications, including TS 003:2012 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. DIY Doctor: fitting a door chain (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Master Locksmiths Association: door chain security (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Yale WS6 on amazon.co.uk (retrieved 19 October 2026)