If you’ve shopped for a van lock, a tool vault, a padlock or a hitch lock lately, you’ll have seen the Sold Secure logo and one of four words next to it: Bronze, Silver, Gold or Diamond. Most tradespeople nod along without really knowing what separates them — and then find out the hard way when a van gets done over and the insurer asks what rating the lock held.
With around 280,000 tool theft crimes a year across the UK and the average vanload of tools worth getting on for £3,000, the rating on your security kit is not marketing fluff. It’s the difference between a thief giving up and a thief walking off with your livelihood. This guide explains what each Sold Secure tier actually means, how the testing works, and which rating you should be buying for trade use in 2026.
What Sold Secure actually is
Sold Secure is an independent UK testing house, owned by the Master Locksmiths Association, that attacks security products the way a real thief would and certifies how long they hold out. It isn’t a manufacturer’s own claim — products are sent in, beaten on by trained testers using defined tool lists, and given a rating based on how long they resist.
The scheme is closely tied to Secured by Design, the official UK police-backed security standard, and insurers increasingly specify a minimum Sold Secure rating in policy conditions. That’s the part that catches trades out: if your policy says ‘Sold Secure Gold’ and your lock was Silver, a claim can be reduced or refused.
The four ratings, top to bottom
The system runs like Olympic medals, except there’s a tier above gold. Diamond is the highest, then Gold, Silver and Bronze. Each tier is defined by how long the product withstands attack and by which tools the testers are allowed to use — the higher the rating, the nastier the toolkit and the longer the product has to survive.
| Rating | Resists | Minimum attack time | Typical trade use |
| Diamond | Specialist tools incl. angle grinder | 5 min (incl. ~1.5 min grinder) | High-risk: best van vaults, premium D-locks |
| Gold | Dedicated attack, enhanced tool list | 5 min | Standard target for van locks & tool safes |
| Silver | Determined attack, enhanced tools | 3 min | Mid-tier locks, lower-value kit |
| Bronze | Opportunist, basic tools | 1 min | Entry-level deterrent only |
Attack times are minimums the product must survive against that tier’s tool list; exact protocols vary by product category.
Bronze — the opportunist deterrent
Bronze is the entry level. To earn it, a product has to withstand attack from a basic tool list for a minimum of one minute. That means it’ll see off the casual, opportunist thief — someone trying a quick pull, twist or basic lever with whatever’s in their pocket.
For a tradesperson, Bronze is a deterrent and little more. It’s fine for low-value items, a shed bolt or securing something that’s already behind another layer of security. It is not the rating to rely on for a van full of power tools. A determined thief with a decent set of tools will be through Bronze well inside the minute it’s rated for.
Silver — the middle ground
Silver is the compromise tier between cost and security. Products must resist an enhanced tool list — more and better tools than Bronze faces — for a minimum of three minutes. That’s a meaningful step up: three minutes of noisy, visible effort is enough to put off a lot of thieves who’d rather not draw attention.
Silver suits mid-value kit and situations where the item is already in a reasonably secure spot — a locked garage, a yard with cameras, a van that’s rarely left on the street overnight. For frontline van and tool security in a town or city, though, most trades and insurers now want a tier higher.
Gold — the trade standard
Gold is the rating most UK tradespeople should be aiming for, and the one most insurers specify. To pass, a product must hold out against a dedicated attack using an enhanced tool list for a minimum of five minutes. That covers the determined thief working with a proper kit — bolt croppers, levers, drills and the like.
Five minutes of sustained, obvious attack is a serious deterrent on a street or a site. For van slam locks, deadlocks, hitch locks, wheel clamps and tool safes, Gold is the sensible default. Crucially, it’s also the rating you’ll most often see written into insurance conditions, so buying Gold keeps you on the right side of a claim as well as the right side of a thief.
Diamond — maximum security
Diamond sits above Gold and is built for high-threat environments. The defining difference is the angle grinder: Diamond-rated products must withstand a minimum five-minute attack that includes around 90 seconds against a grinder, on top of the other specialist tools. Grinders are now the tool of choice for organised tool thieves, which is exactly why this tier exists.
For trades parking valuable kit in known hotspots, leaving a loaded van on the street overnight, or storing high-value tools, Diamond is worth the premium. The best van vaults and the top-end D-locks and chains carry it. The trade-off is cost and usually weight and bulk — Diamond kit is heavier and pricier, which is the price of grinder resistance.
Why the rating matters for your insurance
This is the part that turns an abstract logo into real money. Many tool and van insurance policies now state a minimum Sold Secure rating as a condition of cover — commonly Gold. If you’re burgled and the lock that failed was a tier below what the policy required, the insurer can reduce the payout or decline the claim outright.
So before you buy, read your policy wording, then match — or beat — the rating it asks for. Keep the receipts and, ideally, photos of the fitted locks showing the Sold Secure marking. It’s cheap insurance for your insurance, and it removes the single most common reason tool-theft claims get knocked back.
Which rating should you buy?
As a rule of thumb for trade use: don’t go below Silver for anything you care about, treat Gold as the baseline for van locks and tool safes, and step up to Diamond if you’re in a theft hotspot, leave kit in the van overnight, or carry high-value tools. Bronze is a deterrent for low-value or already-protected items only.
Layering matters as much as the single rating. A Gold slam lock plus a Gold deadlock plus a Diamond-rated vault inside the van is far harder to beat than any one device, because each layer adds minutes and noise. Thieves work to a time budget; every extra barrier eats into it. Add an alarm, a tracker and don’t-leave-tools-in-the-van signage and you’ve turned your van from an easy mark into someone else’s problem.
Where to check a product is genuinely rated
Look for the Sold Secure logo with the tier named on it, and check the product is listed on the Sold Secure database rather than just claiming a rating on the box. Reputable UK names — Van Vault, Armorgard, Abus, Squire and others — carry verified ratings and were tested as the specific model you’re buying. A rating only applies to the exact product tested, so don’t assume a brand’s whole range shares one model’s certificate.
Final word
Sold Secure ratings aren’t marketing — they’re minutes. Bronze buys you one minute against basic tools, Silver three, Gold five against a dedicated attack, and Diamond five including a fight with an angle grinder. For most UK trades the answer is simple: buy Gold as standard, Diamond where the risk is high, and never let the rating drop below what your insurer demands. With tool theft where it is, the few extra pounds for the right tier is the cheapest job security you’ll buy all year.
FAQs
What is the highest Sold Secure rating?
Diamond. It sits above Gold and requires the product to survive a minimum five-minute attack that includes around 90 seconds against an angle grinder, plus other specialist tools.
What rating do insurers usually want for a van?
Gold is the most commonly specified minimum for van and tool security, though some policies in high-risk areas ask for Diamond. Always check your own policy wording.
Is Bronze any good for tools?
Only as a basic deterrent for low-value items. Bronze resists basic tools for about a minute, which won’t stop a determined thief with a proper kit. Don’t rely on it for a vanload of tools.
Does a Sold Secure rating cover a whole brand range?
No. The rating applies only to the specific model that was tested. Always check the exact product is listed on the Sold Secure database rather than assuming the whole range shares one certificate.
Does a higher rating actually stop angle grinders?
Diamond is the only tier that specifically tests grinder resistance, and even then it’s rated to withstand a defined attack time, not forever. No lock is grinder-proof — the point is buying enough minutes, plus alarms and trackers, to make the theft not worth it.
