Preparing for BS 8670-2: The New Expectations for Door Hardware Suppliers

BURY (June 2026) – With BS 8670-2 on the horizon, door hardware suppliers face growing expectations around competence and product stewardship. In this article, Iain Banks, product marketing manager at Allegion, discusses how the in-development Code of Practice presents both challenges and opportunities for manufacturers and suppliers and, if implemented in the spirit intended, should help strengthen the industry and improve confidence in specialist door hardware.

The latest regulatory reform resulting from Dame Judith Hackitt’s report, Building a Safer Future, which influenced an extensive overhaul of building safety legislation, BS 8670-2, is perhaps the most relevant and consequential for product manufacturers and suppliers. At consultation stage at the time of writing, the in-progress Code of Practice looks set to cover core competence criteria for those involved with construction products and the information relating to them throughout their lifecycle and provide recommendations for applying these to competency frameworks.

Supporting the BS 8670 Series

Our understanding is that BS 8670-2 is designed to complement the wider BS 8670 series, which highlights competence for those involved with building safety. This family of related standards is best understood when viewed together, as they address different elements of the built environment ecosystem.

BS 8670-1:2024 covers the core criteria for building safety roles and the competence required to perform the work. This framework covers the required skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours industry professionals need to deliver their roles safely and effectively. By doing this, this standard is intended to promote individual responsibility and accountability.

Specifically addressing what competency entails for all individuals working in the supply and management of construction products, it appears that BS 8670‑2 places emphasis on demonstrable understanding, transparent product information, auditable traceability and documented performance claims.

Five Levels of Specialised Competence

The intention of BS 8670‑2 seems to be to remove ambiguity and the potential for dangerous assumptions about construction products by making demonstrable product knowledge an expectation. For suppliers, the new guidance covers understanding the safety and performance of products, knowledge of legal obligations, understanding how products interact with systems and buildings, awareness of limitations and potential risks, and documenting this in a clear and auditable way.

Featuring five levels of proportionate competence from E to A, the Code progresses through stages of expected competence, with the highest level requiring full and complete product understanding and responsibility. This staged framework is important for door hardware suppliers, as competence becomes hierarchical, role-specific and highly specialist.

Unlocking Higher Standards for Suppliers

Along with technical product knowledge and knowing whether a product is suitable for a particular application, suppliers should expect to provide clear, verifiable information about where products are made and how they are tested. This improved supply chain transparency will also help raise industry standards by keeping counterfeit and uncertified products out of the market, promoting product integrity, and ensuring specialist door hardware is suitable and safe.

Once published, BS 8670‑2 is intended to provide a Code of Practice that could underpin hardware-specific competence schemes; both the Industry Competence Steering Group (ICSG) and the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) will be important stakeholders in how any standard is implemented, so suppliers should prepare.

Building a Safer Market

Many door hardware manufacturers already invest in technical depth, and BS 8670-2 offers an opportunity to have this expertise recognised, acknowledged and rewarded, elevating suppliers with genuine expert product knowledge. As a result, the new Code of Practice hopes to deliver a more expert-led and safer construction products market. Early preparation for this new Code of Practice will put suppliers in the best position to meet purchasing expectations, show competent product stewardship and improve safety outcomes. Those suppliers who review and improve their product data, traceability processes and technical knowledge now will be better placed to meet rising expectations across the supply chain.

Door hardware manufacturers and suppliers hold an important and safety-critical position in the building sector, and BS 8670-2 acknowledges this. Therefore, the new Code of Practice will likely elevate important standards, increase specification confidence, offer technically knowledgeable services greater recognition and reward, and, crucially, help create safer buildings for everyone.