Window security: what RC2 means and why it matters

It is a burglary-resistance class defined by the European standard EN 1627, tested under EN 1630: an expert tries to force the window open using common tools (screwdriver, crowbar, wedge) for a timed attack. To earn RC2, the system, frame, hardware and, in this class, the glass too, has to withstand that attack for at least 3 minutes, within a test lasting 15 minutes in total.

The tested resistance time is the same (3 minutes), but what gets tested changes: under RC2N, the glass isn’t part of the tested attack, so standard glass can be used and all the resistance sits in the frame and hardware. Under RC2, the test includes the glass, which then has to be laminated security glass (class P4A under EN 356). RC2 is the more complete class and the reference recommendation for homes; RC2N is a valid alternative where a direct attack on the glass is a lower risk.

Not exactly. The RC2 rating applies to the whole tested system as a unit, frame, hardware and, where relevant, the glass, not to a single part on its own. Swapping just the lock for a sturdier one always improves real-world security, but it doesn’t grant formal RC2 certification to a window that was never designed and tested as that assembly. To actually hold the rating, you need a new window specified and supplied as a certified RC2 system.

According to European police crime-prevention guidance, RC2 and above already provides good protection against typical break-in attempts in new builds and renovations. RC3 and higher are aimed mainly at commercial premises or high-risk locations, for an ordinary home, RC2 tends to be the right balance between security and cost.

It varies by manufacturer and profile system, and also depends on whether you’re already fitting basic multi-point hardware (common on most current windows) or stepping up from something more basic. We don’t quote a generic percentage. We get the exact figure with and without RC2 in your quote, so you decide with real numbers in hand.

DECO PROteste confirms that having security systems at home, an armoured door, an alarm, permanent surveillance, can be factored in by insurers when calculating the annual premium. We could not, however, find any Portuguese insurer specifically citing the EN 1627/RC2 rating as a discount criterion; what exists is a more generic reference to "protection measures". It’s worth asking your insurer directly whether certified RC2 hardware counts for that purpose. It isn’t something we can guarantee upfront.

It is a falling risk, but not a negligible one: the 2024 RASI records an 11.2% drop in residential burglaries involving forced entry, climbing or false keys in 2023, and it still sits inside the country's most reported crime category. No window removes the risk; what the RC class measures is the time and effort a break-in comes to require.

Yes. The RC2 rating is already offered by profile-system manufacturers in both materials on the Portuguese market, for example, REHAU (PVC) has a dedicated page on burglar-resistant windows, and Salamander (also PVC) explicitly advertises the ability to reach RC2 in its proEvolution system. The principle, reinforced multi-point hardware and, in some cases, security glass, is the same in both materials.

It matters most wherever there’s a more vulnerable access point: ground floor, an accessible balcony, windows facing a shared yard, or an outbuilding roof. In a high-floor flat without that kind of access, the relative gain is smaller, but the decision always depends on the actual risk at the property, not a fixed rule by property type.

It depends on which risk you want to stop. Toughened glass (EN 12150) protects against cuts: it breaks into small, blunt fragments, but the whole pane goes at once. Laminated glass (EN 14449) stays in place after breaking, held by the PVB interlayer — which makes it the right choice wherever a person could fall against the glass (patio doors, low glazing, next to stairs), and it is also the glass required for RC2 and used in acoustic units. In double glazing the two can be combined pane by pane, according to which side the risk is on.

Ask for the RC2 rating to be stated explicitly in the proposal, tied to the hardware system and, where relevant, the specified glass, not just a generic mention of "reinforced security". A serious quote references the tested class, the same way it references the Uw value or the acoustic class elsewhere in the proposal.