LPS 1270 security glazing

LPS 1270 is the LPCB standard for security glazing. It grades how glazing resists forced entry, using a three-digit rating that covers hand hole, arm hole and body passage attacks. Read the three digits for hand hole, arm hole and body passage resistance, then specify the glass with its frame and fixings as one tested system.

• Three-digit ratingHand hole, arm hole and body passage
• LPCBPublished by the Loss Prevention Certification Board
• Forced entry testedGlazing attacked and graded in the laboratory
• Glazing plus frameThe system around the glass matters as much

What LPS 1270 is and who publishes it

LPS 1270 is a security standard published by the Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB). It belongs to the LPS family of forced-entry standards, sitting alongside LPS 1175 for doorsets and shutters and LPS 2081 for stealth attack. Where those standards rate complete doorsets, LPS 1270 rates glazing: the glass and the glazing system that holds it.

The standard exists because glass is often the weakest part of a secure envelope. A doorset rated to LPS 1175 SR3 loses much of its value if the vision panel beside it can be smashed in seconds. LPS 1270 lets a specifier put a matching attack rating on the glazing, so doors, windows and screens can be specified to a consistent level across the whole facade.

The rating is a three-digit code. Each digit relates to one attack outcome: whether an attacker can create an opening large enough for a hand, for an arm, or for a whole body to pass through. The digits are read as a set, and the exact meaning of each class sits in the published standard and in LPCB listings. Always ask the supplier for the certificate covering the construction you are buying, and check the listing reference against the LPCB records.

The three-digit rating

Think of the rating as three answers to one question: what can an attacker get through the glass? The table below sets out the three positions in the code.

When you write the rating into a specification, name the standard and the required three-digit rating in full, for example “glazing tested and rated to LPS 1270”. Do not accept a vague description such as “attack resistant glass” without the rating: without the digits, there is nothing to check the supply against at submittal stage or on site.

The three outcomes matter in different places. Hand hole resistance matters where a hand through the glass could release an internal handle or grab property, such as a door vision panel or a ticket window. Arm hole resistance matters at counters and hatches. Body passage resistance matters at ground-floor windows and screens where an intruder could climb through. Matching the digit to the real risk keeps the specification honest and avoids paying for performance the opening does not need.

Rating and construction go together. An LPS 1270 rating applies to a tested construction: the glass type, its thickness, the framing, the beading and the fixing. Change any of those and the rating may no longer apply.

How the test works

In the LPS 1270 test, a glazed sample is built up exactly as it would be installed, including the frame, beading and fixings. Testers then attack the glazing and record the outcome against each of the three measures: hand hole, arm hole and body passage. The result is the three-digit rating.

Because the sample includes the framing, the test captures a common real-world failure: glass that survives while the beading gives way, or a pane that holds while the frame distorts. A rating therefore describes the glazing system, not a pane of glass on its own. This is why the certificate matters more than a product name: it names the construction that was actually tested, and that is what you must compare against the submittal.

Testing is carried out under LPCB schemes, and rated products appear in LPCB listings. If a supplier claims an LPS 1270 rating, ask for the certificate or the listing reference and check that the glass type, thickness, framing and fixing match what you are being offered. A rating for one make-up of glass does not transfer to another, even if the two look identical from the room side.

How to read an LPS 1270 rating

Read the three digits left to right: hand hole, arm hole, body passage. Each digit grades resistance against that outcome, so the rating tells you at a glance which kind of attack the glazing is expected to defeat and which it is not.

Two cautions apply. First, the rating is only valid for the tested construction, so compare the certificate description with the submittal line by line: glass type, thickness, frame section, beading and fixing method. Second, the rating describes the glazing, not the wall around it. An LPS 1270 screen set into a weak partition, or held by an unrated frame, does not give you an LPS 1270 opening, however good the glass is.

For full doorsets, pair the glazing rating with the doorset rating. A common approach is to match LPS 1270 glazing with LPS 1175 rated security doors, so the door and its vision panels present a consistent level of resistance. Our LPS 1175 guide explains the doorset ratings from B3 to H20 and how the tool categories work.

How LPS 1270 compares with related standards

LPS 1270 is one of several standards a specifier may meet on a single project. The table below shows how they differ and where each one belongs.

The closest relationship is with LPS 1175. The two standards are often specified together, with LPS 1270 on the glazing and LPS 1175 on the doorsets, so that an attacker finds no soft route through the glass beside a hard door. LPS 2081 is the specialist choice where the threat is stealth rather than force: it tests against quiet tools, with SRA covering 1 minute and SRB covering 3 minutes. Our LPS 2081 guide covers it in detail.

PAS 24 sits below LPS 1175. It gives enhanced security for residential doors and windows and suits homes and blocks of flats rather than high-risk commercial sites. EN 1627 is the European route to burglar resistance, with classes from RC1 to RC6, and appears on projects that follow continental specification practice. None of these replaces LPS 1270 where the brief calls for a rated glazing outcome; each answers a different question.

How to specify LPS 1270 glazing

1. Define the threat. Decide which outcome matters for the opening: stopping a hand reaching an internal handle, an arm reaching through a hatch, or a person climbing through a window.
2. State the rating. Write “glazing tested and rated to LPS 1270” and give the required three-digit rating in full.
3. Match the frame. Name the framing, beading and fixing as part of the rated assembly, not as separate items that can be value-engineered later.
4. Ask for evidence. Require the LPCB certificate or listing, and check it covers the exact glass, thickness and framing you are buying.
5. Use a competent installer. Attack performance depends on the glazing being installed exactly as it was tested.

Keep the specification wording tight. A single line such as “All glazing to LPS 1270, [rating], installed as the certified assembly” leaves less room for substitution than a paragraph of description. If the project also needs blast or ballistic performance, state that separately: LPS 1270 covers forced entry, not pressure or projectiles. Our blast resistant glass and bullet resistant glass pages cover those threats and their own rating systems.

Products with LPS 1270 rated glazing

ArxBridge supplies LPS 1270 rated glazing across its window and door ranges. The dedicated LPS 1270 security glazing page covers the glass options in detail. Rated glazing can be built into security windows, high-security double glazing and security sash windows for heritage buildings, as well as slim vacuum insulated glass units where thermal performance matters alongside security. Glazed steel doors and Hammerglass screens can also carry the rating where the construction has been tested as a system. Sectors that ask for LPS 1270 most often include banking, high-value retail and government and defence, and our installation service fits the glazing exactly as tested.

Frequently asked questions