Security door handle buying guide: measure before the finish
Updated: October 2026
You are replacing the lever on an external door, and the chrome in the photo is the part you notice first. A security door handle buying guide only helps if the holes, the thickness and the certificate come before that finish. A set that misses the screw holes goes back, and a title that says high security is not a printed star. You should finish knowing the three measurements and whether you lift the handle. Named prices sit on the [security door handle comparison](/hub/door-and-window-security/security-door-handle). Peter F. used the kept amazon.co.uk listings and public UK sources in October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You are replacing the lever on an external door, and the chrome in the photo is the part you notice first.
You are replacing the lever on an external door, and the chrome in the photo is the part you notice first. A security door handle buying guide only helps if the holes, the thickness and the certificate come before that finish. A set that misses the screw holes goes back, and a title that says high security is not a printed star. You should finish knowing the three measurements and whether you lift the handle. Named prices sit on the security door handle comparison. Peter F. used the kept amazon.co.uk listings and public UK sources in October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | PZ | Screw centres | TS007 on listing | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Yale Yale adjustable chrome PVCu handle | 92 mm | Adjustable; one review cites 204 mm | None printed | 8.0 | about £30.43 | View offer |
 Yale Yale MK3 chrome security handle | 92 mm | 215 mm | None printed | 8.4 | about £30.43 | View offer | |
 UAP UAP Signature silver 219 mm handle | 92 mm on the title | 122 mm on the title; a bullet also says 210 mm | None printed | 5.8 | about £25.99 | View offer |
On this page
What to measure on the door
Write two numbers that are easy to mix up, with the old handle still on the door. PZ is the spindle centre to the keyhole centre. On many modern uPVC locks it is 92 mm, and it still has to match your lock. Screw centres are the fixing holes, a second measurement. Home Secure Shop, writing about its own sales, said about 82 per cent of its uPVC handles were 92 mm PZ, about four in ten of its pitches were 122 mm, and about one in three were 210–215 mm. A 92 mm handle can still miss if the screws are the other pitch.
Thickness is the third number, because the screws have to reach the far plate. ERA's fitting note treats a pack around 44 mm as the usual one for timber or composite, and a pack around 70 mm as the usual one for uPVC doors about 60–70 mm thick. The same note treats an 8 mm spindle as the usual bar through a modern follower. Colour comes after those three checks. If you order the finish first, you are guessing the holes.
The three kept listings show the split without a ranking. The Yale MK3 is fixed at 92 mm and 215 mm. The Yale adjustable set keeps 92 mm and slides the screws. The UAP Signature is the short backplate whose title says 122 mm while the bullets also mention 210 mm and 243 mm.
Lever-lever or lever-pad
The next check is how you lock the door today, because the outside of the set has to copy that habit. If you lift the handle to throw the hooks of a multipoint lock, you need a lever on the outside as well as the inside. A fixed pad will not lift. If the outside is already a fixed pull and you enter with the key, a lever-pad set matches that door, and a second lever can be the wrong shape for the way the lock was designed. Look at the old furniture before the finish.
A lever-lever set and a lever-pad set can share a 92 mm PZ and still be the wrong pair. The difference is the outside operation, not the chrome. Composite doors often want the shorter ERA pack, around 44 mm, so a uPVC screw pack can be the wrong length on that slab. The hole sizes on plastic doors stay on the uPVC security door handle page.
When the wording is not a certificate
High security on a listing is an adjective. A TS007 star is a Kitemark. The Door and Hardware Federation describes two routes to three stars: a Kitemarked 3-star cylinder, or a Kitemarked 1-star cylinder plus Kitemarked 2-star handle or surround. None of the three kept listings print a TS007 star, a Kitemark number or PAS 24. Yale's MK3 page states 92 mm, 215 mm, a cylinder guard, more than 200,000 cycles and a two-year guarantee, and it does not say TS007. The handle that does state TS007 2-star is the Yale Platinum, Kitemark KM 532920, a different product. Yale's shop listed that Platinum at about £52 from about £64.99, and the MK3 chrome at about £31.99 from about £40. The same chrome and the same 92 mm and 215 mm pitch do not make them the same handle.
Approved Document Q covers new dwellings in England, often a complete PAS 24 doorset. It does not require a handle swap on the house you already live in, and fitting one lever does not award PAS 24. If you were told to get three stars, that choice is 2 star door handle or 3 star cylinder. Read the mark on the product, or accept that the listing has not printed one.
What to decide before you pay
Before you pay, look at how far the euro cylinder sticks out of the door face. The Master Locksmiths Association, in its January 2025 minimum-security note, says the outside cylinder should not protrude more than 3 mm beyond the door face or the furniture, and that the furniture should bolt through from the inside. That 3 mm figure is the MLA's guidance. A cylinder guard makes the same problem sharper. One MK3 review says the lock cannot protrude even by 5 mm, which is that reviewer's complaint, not the association's limit. If the barrel stands proud, a guarded handle will clash until the cylinder is shortened or replaced. None of these three sets includes a euro cylinder.
Shelf price is the last check, and it moves. The comparison prices are about £30.43 for each Yale set and about £25.99 for the UAP Signature. A public amazon.co.uk view of the MK3 on 19 October 2026 showed about £39.99 new, so about £30.43 is not today's price. Listings under about £15 in this batch were latches and patio bars, not security handles. If the cylinder is snapped, or this is the only exit and you cannot measure, call a locksmith.
Common questions
What do I measure on the old handle?
Measure PZ, screw centres and door thickness, and note whether the outside is a lever or a pad. PZ is spindle centre to keyhole centre. Screw centres are the fixing holes, which on one UK seller's recent sales clustered around 122 mm and around 210–215 mm. Thickness tells you which screw pack you need. ERA's usual packs are about 44 mm for timber or composite and about 70 mm for 60–70 mm uPVC. Write the numbers down before you choose a finish.
Is 92 mm always right?
92 mm is the common PZ on modern uPVC locks, and Home Secure Shop said about 82 per cent of its own online uPVC handles were that size. That is one shop's mix, not a census of UK doors. If your lock is a different centre, a 92 mm set will not line up with the keyhole. Measure the old handle, or the lock, and match that figure. A popular size is still the wrong size on the wrong door.
Are screw centres the same thing as PZ?
They are different measurements, and mixing them up is a common reason a handle will not screw on. PZ runs from the spindle to the keyhole, often 92 mm. Screw centres run between the fixing holes, often about 122 mm or about 210–215 mm on uPVC. A set can be right on PZ and wrong on the screws. The Yale MK3 states both: 92 mm and 215 mm. The adjustable Yale keeps 92 mm and moves the screws.
Do I need a lever on the outside?
You need an outside lever if you lift the handle to throw a multipoint lock. A fixed pad cannot do that lift. If you already enter with a key and a fixed pull, a lever-pad set matches that door, and a second lever is the wrong operation. Use the door once and copy what it does now. The finish does not decide this.
Does high security mean TS007?
It does not. TS007 is a Kitemarked star rating. The Door and Hardware Federation describes a 3-star cylinder, or a 1-star cylinder plus 2-star furniture. The MK3, the adjustable Yale and this UAP listing do not print a TS007 star. Yale's MK3 page states a cylinder guard and cycle figures, and it does not state the mark. The Platinum is the Yale handle that does, and it is not one of these three listings.
How thick a door will a typical pack suit?
ERA treats about 44 mm screws as the usual pack for timber or composite, and about 70 mm screws as the usual pack for uPVC around 60–70 mm. A review of the adjustable Yale rejected a door over 70 mm. If your slab is thicker than the pack, the screws will not pull the plates together. Measure the edge before you assume a uPVC handle covers every plastic door, and every composite door as well.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK and manufacturer sources from the research digest, used for this page in October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures in this comparison. None of the three handles is treated as a TS007 2-star or PAS 24 product.
- DHF TS 007 (retrieved October 2026)
- Yale MK3 security handle (retrieved October 2026)
- Yale Platinum TS007 2-star handle (retrieved October 2026)
- Approved Document Q (retrieved October 2026)
- MLA minimum security, January 2025 (retrieved October 2026)
- ERA: how to fit a door handle (retrieved October 2026)
- Home Secure Shop: choosing a uPVC door handle (retrieved October 2026)
- West Yorkshire Police: euro-cylinder advice (retrieved October 2026)
- UAP Signature high security door handle (retrieved October 2026)