Jim Richards | |
FEBR doors are Forced Entry Bullet-Resistant Doors. A true FEBR door should be separately tested for bullet-resistance and forced entry resistance, offering protection from both types of attacks.
What Can FEBR Doors Do?
FEBR doors can stop shots from a variety of handguns and rifles, depending on rating, and withstand up to an hour of focused attempts to breach the door by an organized team of up to six people.
FEBR doors are available in a range of configurations tested to different levels described in the UL-752 standard. A FEBR tested door to the lowest of these levels (Level 1) will stop three or more shots from a 9mm pistol, while doors tested to the highest level will stop many shots from a wide range of firearms, including bursts from a submachine gun and multiple rounds from a range of high-powered and tactical rifles. By comparison, a standard steel door cannot stop a single .22-caliber bullet.
FEBR doors are also tested against prolonged focused attacks from a six-person “mob” of adult men armed with tools like sledgehammers, crowbars, saws and chisels, a propane torch, and a 120-pound battering ram wielded by a two-person team.
A non-FEBR steel ballistic door may offer some resistance to forced entry attempts. But, standard ballistic doors are neither designed for or tested to forced entry standards, so if you need this type of protection, we always recommend choosing barrier products that are tested to withstand your specific concerns.
FEBR Door Testing Standards
FEBR doors have been tested to a series of strict standards set by government agencies and independent agencies. This testing confirms that the door will reliably withstand a range of attacks without allowing assailants to get through the door or harm those behind the door.
- ASTM F3038: The Standard Test Method for Timed Evaluation of Forced Entry-Resistant Systems
- ASTM F3561-22: The Standard Test Method for Forced Entry-Resistance of Fenestration Systems After Simulated Active Shooter Attack
- DOS SD-STD-01.01 Rev. G (Amended): The Department of State Certification Standard for the Forced Entry and Ballistic Resistance of Structural Systems
- UL 10C: The Standard for Positive Pressure Fire Tests of Door Assemblies
- NFPA 80: Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives
- UL 752: The Standard for Bullet-Resisting Equipment
Testing to these standards is performed at an independent third-party testing lab or NRTL, not in-house by the manufacturer or vendor.
A Note on Fire Testing and Ratings
The individual door components making up an FEBR door have usually been tested against one or more fire rating standards. That is not the same as the entire door being tested as an installed assembly, which is why FEBR doors are not automatically labeled as fire rated, even though all of the door’s parts could pass a 60-, 90-, or 120-minute fire-rating test.
How Much Do FEBR Doors Cost?
High performance brings a high price tag. A true, tested, and rated FEBR door costs six times as much as a comparable bullet-resistant door, and 35 times as much as steel “security doors” from a big-box hardware store.
Taking all of that into account, who needs FEBR doors? Organizations and individuals who have a very good reason to make a big investment in both ballistic security and meaningful resistance to forced entry attempts. In most cases, that means either government entities or data centers.
Forced Entry Bullet-Resistant Doors from Total Security Solutions
We now offer Forced Entry Bullet-Resistant doors that meet ASTM F3038 and DOS SD-STD-01.01 forced entry standards, in addition to being tested to various ratings under the UL 752 standard for bullet resistance.
Our new range of FEBR doors are available in configurations tested to withstand 5-, 15-, 30-, or 60-minute attempts to break through the door. These mob attacks include two attackers for the five-minute test, and six attackers for all other tests. During tests, “attackers” use bare fists, a push broom, hammers, sledgehammers, a wood splitting maul, a wood-splitting wedge, an ax, several crowbars, a hacksaw and keyhole saw, chisels, screwdrivers, wrenches and pliers, bolt cutters, end nippers, a battering ram, and a propane torch to attempt to force open the door.
Given the materials needed to meet both the strict Department of State forced entry requirements and ballistic demands, TSS FEBR doors are tested to either UL-752 Level 3 or Level 8 standards. Level 3 doors will stop at least three shots from any pistol. Level 8 doors will stop five-shot bursts from any type of tactical rifle up to a 7.62. Level 8 doors will also stop lower caliber long guns and pistols.
TSS Offers FEBR Door Options to Meet Your Needs
TSS FEBR doors are available as either single or double doors. Any TSS FEBR door is available as a flush assembly slab door. Alternatively, five- and 15-minute rated FEBR doors can have larger windows installed, while 30-minute FEBR doors can have a smaller, 10” by 10” view lite window. A 60-minute FEBR door can have a peephole, but not a window.
All of our FEBR door components are tested to the 90-minute UL 10C standard for fire resistance. It’s worth noting that this is a somewhat more challenging positive pressure test, performed under conditions that more accurately reflect those of most structural fires. A 90- to 180-minute fire rating is fairly standard with any decent steel door, and is available on any of TSS’s ballistic steel doors. But those tests are usually performed to National Fire Protection Association standards, not UL 10C standards.
We now offer a range of FEBR and Fire Rated Bullet-Resistant (FRBR) doors. If you want to consult our ballistic experts about your security requirements, and get answers to your questions, please reach out to TSS today to request a free consultation. Our team is ready to help you meet your security needs.
