What Is Meant By 'Sold Secure' Or 'Secure By Design'?

“Sold Secure” and “Secure By Design” are two terms often mentioned by police, insurers, and security advisers when recommending padlocks. However, these standards do not apply to most padlocks in the way many people assume. The confusion comes from how these schemes were originally created and what they were intended to test.

What Is Sold Secure?

Sold Secure is an independent testing organisation. Their testing focuses mainly on:

Bicycle locks
Motorcycle security chains
Anchors and security devices for bikes

They use a rating system of Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Diamond, based on how well a product withstands common attack tools. While Sold Secure is a credible standard, very few padlocks are actually tested under it. Only a small number of motorcycle-focused padlocks and chains are included, and many of these are specialised products not commonly used in everyday security.

Why Sold Secure Isn’t A General Padlock Standard

The testing is designed for bike security equipment, not general padlocks.
Only a very small percentage of padlocks sold in the UK carry Sold Secure ratings.
Many excellent high-security padlocks have never been submitted to Sold Secure because they are tested under different, more relevant standards.

What Is Secure By Design?

Secure By Design (SBD) is a Police-backed initiative aimed at improving building security. It applies to:

Doors
Windows
Home security products
Property design standards

SBD does not certify general padlocks. Some door locks and building fittings are SBD approved, but padlocks are not included in the scheme. So if you are told to “buy a Secure By Design padlock,” you will not find one.

The Better Standard For Padlocks: CEN Rating

For padlocks, the recognised performance standard is the CEN rating (BS EN 12320).
This is a scale from CEN 1 to CEN 6, where:

CEN 1 is light domestic use
CEN 6 is high security, industrial or commercial use

A general rule:

Choose CEN 4 or above for serious security (gates, units, warehouses)
Choose CEN 5–6 for high-risk environments or where tools may be used in attempts to break the lock

If you select a padlock with a CEN 4+ rating, you meet best practice without needing a Sold Secure or SBD badge.

Summary

Sold Secure mainly tests bicycle security products, not standard padlocks.
Secure By Design does not certify padlocks at all.
For selecting padlocks, use CEN grade ratings, ideally CEN 4 or higher.