Choosing a front door involves balancing thermal performance, security, maintenance demands and budget. The three dominant materials in the UK market, composite, uPVC and solid timber, each suit different priorities. This guide sets out the construction differences, regulatory requirements and realistic installed costs so you can compare them on equal terms.

Construction

Composite doors are a sandwich product: Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) skins over an insulating core, usually rigid polyurethane (PU) foam though some makers use solid timber, with an engineered timber or composite subframe around the perimeter; the finished leaf is typically 44 mm–48 mm thick. The GRP skin can be moulded to mimic timber grain. The result is dimensionally stable, does not warp or swell, and the foam core provides excellent insulation.

uPVC doors use a multi-chamber extruded PVC profile reinforced internally with steel box sections. Panel infills are usually solid uPVC or a thin foam-filled composite panel. Total slab thickness typically runs 44 mm–70 mm depending on the profile specification. uPVC is the budget option and dominates volume sales.

Timber doors are either solid hardwood (iroko, oak, meranti) or engineered-core hardwood with a veneer face. Typical slab thickness is 44 mm for standard external doors rising to 54 mm–68 mm for enhanced-specification models. Solid timber breathes and moves with humidity; well-maintained examples can last over a century.

Security: PAS 24 and Approved Document Q

Since October 2015, Building Regulations Approved Document Q has required new dwellings, including a dwelling formed by a material change of use such as a barn or office conversion, to use secure doorsets.1 It applies to new dwellings only, so it does not reach an extension or a replacement door in an existing home, where PAS 24 is worth specifying by choice rather than by regulation.1 The approved document asks for doorsets shown by test to meet PAS 24:2012, or a standard of similar or better performance; PAS 24 has since been revised, and the current edition is PAS 24:2022.1 PAS 24 is a British Standards publication of enhanced security requirements for doorsets and windows, and its tests cover:1

  • Mechanical loading and timed manual attack tests on the complete doorset: leaf, frame, hinges, locks and glazing together
  • Cylinder resistance to snapping, drilling and picking (TS 007 or an equivalent rating)
  • Glazing and infill panel resistance to attack
  • Letter plate security where a letter plate is fitted

All three materials can meet PAS 24 when correctly specified. Composite and higher-specification uPVC doors are commonly sold PAS 24 certified, while budget uPVC doors and softwood ledge-and-brace doors often are not, so ask for the certificate for the complete doorset rather than for the lock alone.

Cylinder locks: regardless of door material, specify a TS 007:3-star anti-snap cylinder or a Sold Secure Diamond-rated alternative. Cylinder snapping is a well-known way of forcing basic euro-cylinder locks.

U-Values and Thermal Performance

Approved Document L Volume 1 (the 2021 edition, in force from 15 June 2022) sets a limiting U-value of 1.4 W/m²K for a new or replacement external door in an existing dwelling, or alternatively a Doorset Energy Rating of band B (band C where more than 60% of the internal face is glazed).2

For a new dwelling the limiting door U-value is 1.6 W/m²K, but the notional dwelling that sets the energy targets assumes 1.0 W/m²K for opaque and semi-glazed doors, so new-build front doors are usually specified close to that figure.2

MaterialTypical U-value (W/m²K)Notes
Composite (solid panel)0.9–1.3PU foam core; best performers reach 0.9
uPVC (solid panel)1.2–1.6Multi-chamber profile; better with foam infill
uPVC (half-glazed)1.4–1.8Depends heavily on glazing specification
Hardwood timber (44 mm solid)2.0–3.0Poor inherently; needs thermal break or foam core
Hardwood timber (engineered core)1.2–1.6Foam or composite core improves performance
Composite (half-glazed)1.1–1.5Glazing unit spec determines result

A pure solid hardwood door at 44 mm struggles to reach 1.4 W/m²K without modification. Engineered timber doors with a foam core or a thermal break are needed to achieve modern regulatory compliance in practice.

Lifespan and Maintenance

Composite: GRP skins do not rot, do not need painting and are resistant to UV fade for at least 10–15 years before any colour change becomes noticeable. Expected functional lifespan is typically quoted at 35–50 years with only periodic hinge and locking mechanism servicing. Wipe-clean maintenance only.

uPVC: Similar to composite in terms of low maintenance, wipe-clean, no painting. Profile fading can become apparent after 15–20 years in south-facing orientations. Functional lifespan 20–30 years; older frames with worn gaskets become draughty and are difficult to repair economically.

Timber: Requires periodic decoration every 2–5 years (stain or paint) depending on exposure. Untreated or neglected hardwood will swell, crack and eventually rot at joints and bottom rails. With proper maintenance, hardwood doors last 50–100 years or more and retain a repairable, craftsman quality that composite cannot match. Softwood external doors are not recommended for UK front doors, even with paint, they rarely last more than 10–15 years without significant intervention.

Cost (Installed, 2026 UK)

Prices include supply, hanging, new frame if required, multi-point lock, letter box and two hinges. Glazing upgrades (side lights, decorative panels) increase cost.

TypeTypical Installed CostHigh-Spec Installed
uPVC (standard, solid)£600–£950£1,000–£1,400
Composite (GRP, mid-range)£1,000–£1,500£1,600–£2,500
Engineered hardwood£1,500–£2,200£2,500–£4,000
Solid hardwood (bespoke)£2,500–£3,500£4,000–£7,000+

Prices vary significantly by region (London prices are typically higher) and whether a new structural frame is needed versus a direct replacement into an existing frame.

Which to Choose

Choose composite if you want low maintenance, good thermal performance (achievable at 1.0–1.3 W/m²K), PAS 24 compliance as standard and a mid-range budget.

Choose uPVC if budget is the primary constraint and you are comfortable with a functional rather than premium aesthetic. Ensure PAS 24 certification is confirmed in writing and check the cylinder rating, since budget doors may ship with a basic cylinder that is worth upgrading.

Choose timber if the property is a period building where local planning policy or conservation area guidance requires traditional materials, or if you are prepared to invest in maintenance for the character and repairability that comes with a quality hardwood door. A replacement front door on a house does not usually need planning permission if it is of a similar appearance to the one it replaces.3 In a conservation area, though, many councils have made an Article 4 Direction that brings door replacements under planning control, and they often resist uPVC; a well-maintained hardwood door (or a high-quality GRP composite designed to mimic timber closely) is the practical route.3

For a listed building, consult your local authority’s conservation officer before ordering any replacement door: Listed Building Consent is needed for any alteration that would affect the building’s character, and the council will usually expect the original material.4

The rules in this note are those that apply in England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own building standards and permitted development rights.

References (4)

Figures in this note were checked against the sources below on 30 September 2026. Superscript numbers in the text point to them. Every source the site cites, by topic.

  1. 1technicalvery strongMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.RN-VGR6O6The security standard for doors and windows, ISBN 978 1 85946 601 8, in force from 5 March 2015 and last updated 22 November 2024. Requirement Q1 applies only to new dwellings, and to easily accessible doors and windows giving access into a dwelling from outside, into a building containing flats from outside, or into a flat from the common parts. Paragraph 1.2 requires secure doorsets tested to PAS 24:2012 or designed to Appendix B, with STS 201 Issue 5:2013, LPS 1175 Issue 7:2010 security rating 2, STS 202 Issue 3:2011 burglary rating 2 and LPS 2081 Issue 1:2015 security rating B accepted as equivalents. Paragraph 1.3 caps a letter plate aperture at 260mm x 40mm and points to DHF technical specification TS 008:2012. Paragraph 1.4 requires a door viewer on the main entrance door unless clear glass or an adjacent window serves the purpose, plus a door chain or limiter. Paragraph 2.2 requires ground floor, basement and other easily accessible windows and rooflights to be tested to PAS 24:2012, with STS 204 Issue 3:2012, LPS 1175 rating 1 and LPS 2081 rating A as equivalents, and paragraph 2.3 requires frames to be mechanically fixed to the structure. Appendix B specifies a doorset in solid or laminated timber to a minimum density.
  2. 2technicalvery strongMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.RN-L0FCJXThe in-force U-value tables a DIY insulation or door note must quote, with the exact numbers. Table 4.2, limiting U-values for new fabric elements in existing dwellings, sets roof 0.15, wall 0.18, floor 0.18, swimming pool basin 0.25, window 1.4 or Window Energy Rating Band B minimum, rooflight 2.2, doors with more than 60 per cent of the internal face glazed 1.4 or Doorset Energy Rating Band C minimum, and other doors 1.4 or Doorset Energy Rating Band B minimum. Table 4.3, for existing elements, gives a roof threshold of 0.35 and an improved value of 0.16, which is the figure a loft insulation note needs: paragraph 4.12 says a retained element whose U-value is higher than the column (a) threshold, for example through a loft or garage conversion, should be upgraded to the column (b) value. Paragraph 4.13 allows a lesser upgrade only where the improved value is not technically or functionally feasible or would not achieve a simple payback of 15 years or less. Paragraph 4.8 requires a replacement element to be no worse than the one it replaces as well as meeting Table 4.2. Paragraph 4.10 gives the heritage exception: where character must be maintained, a centre pane U-value of no more than 1.2 or low-emissivity secondary glazing. Note 9 records that the timber window concession of 1.6 or Band C ended on 14 June 2023. The 2021 edition came into force on 15 June 2022; a 2026 edition exists at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69c122a6cfa346b9d4704a55/ADL1_2026.pdf.
  3. 3technicalvery strongPlanning Portal, guidance.RN-LIPHMWThe Planning Portal on planning permission for doors and windows: usually not needed for repairs, maintenance and minor improvements including replacing windows like for like, with the exceptions that catch people, listed buildings, conservation areas, flats, and where permitted development rights have been removed.
  4. 4technicalvery strongThe National Archives (legislation.gov.uk), legislation.RN-XN22L9The provision that decides when listed building consent is actually needed, and the answer to the common overstatement that any alteration to a listed building requires consent. Section 7(1): 'no person shall execute or cause to be executed any works for the demolition of a listed building or for its alteration or extension in any manner which would affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest, unless the works are authorised under section 8.' The trigger is therefore effect on character as a building of special architectural or historic interest, not alteration as such, so work with no effect on that character falls outside the restriction. Section 7(2) makes subsection (1) subject to section 33(1) of the Planning Act 2008, which excludes the requirement for other consents where development consent is required. Authorisation itself comes from section 8.

  1. Approved Document Q, Security: Dwellings, 2015 edition, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, accessed 14 September 2026. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk

  2. Approved Document L, Conservation of fuel and power, Volume 1: Dwellings, 2021 edition incorporating 2023 amendments, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, accessed 14 September 2026. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk

  3. Doors and windows: planning permission, Planning Portal, accessed 30 September 2026. planningportal.co.uk

  4. Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, section 7, legislation.gov.uk, accessed 30 September 2026. legislation.gov.uk