Sourcing certified vehicle barriers
BarrierSystems does not manufacture bollards, barriers or gates. We control them. Anyone who needs a crash-tested barrier gets the certified element from the manufacturer; the control on top of it is independent of that.
That is exactly what manufacturer independence means: the choice of blocking element stays free, and the operation stays the same either way. An existing certified installation can be retrofitted without touching the certification, the controller sits in the control, not in the mechanics.
This page places the test classes and says where the certified elements come from. The legal framework behind it is covered by standards and legal framework. Both are for orientation and do not replace legal advice.
What the test classes actually say
A class statement has four parts: vehicle type, mass, impact speed and measured penetration. Without those four figures, the word “certified” says little.
- PAS 68 (withdrawn)
- British specification for hostile vehicle mitigation. It defines how vehicle security barriers are crash-tested and classified by vehicle mass, speed and penetration. Withdrawn on 25 October 2023, new testing follows ISO 22343-1. Installed barriers keep their PAS 68 class.
- IWA 14-1 (withdrawn)
- International Workshop Agreement of the ISO, the international counterpart to PAS 68. Part 1 stated performance requirements and the impact test procedure, part 2 the application in a protection concept. Both parts are withdrawn and were folded into ISO 22343 in 2023.
- ISO 22343-1:2023 and ISO 22343-2:2023
- The current successor to both. Part 1 governs the impact test and the classification, part 2 the application in a protection concept. A tender written today should reference ISO 22343, even where the barrier on offer still states its class under PAS 68 or IWA 14.
- ASTM F2656 and DoS
- American test procedures for vehicle barriers; F2656/F2656M is current in its 2023 edition. Manufacturers often name them alongside PAS 68 and IWA 14-1; which test is required in a given case follows from the tender.
The rules, their standing and the laws beside them are covered in more detail under standards and legal framework.
When a certified barrier is required
Not every entrance needs hostile vehicle mitigation. A test class becomes binding through law, regulation, an official requirement, a contract, a tender or a specific security concept, not through a manufacturer’s catalogue.
- From the protection concept
- The guidance of the German police crime prevention bodies treats vehicle access protection as an ongoing risk management process. The class needed follows from the threat assumption, the approach distance and what lies behind the barrier.
- From the tender
- If the tender demands a class, it has to be met. What decides then is not the control but the test certificate of the blocking element.
- Without a mitigation requirement
- Factory entrance, car park, delivery zone: where no class is demanded, throughput, operation, running and maintenance are what count. A crash-tested barrier costs money there without doing anything.
Where the certified barrier comes from
We supply the control, not the blocking element. The certified elements come from manufacturers we work with. What the four say they offer:
| Manufacturer | What they offer | What they say about testing |
|---|---|---|
| Perimeter Protection Group (PeriGuard) | M30 and M50 bollards, fixed or automatically retractable, plus CityProtector; road blockers | states PAS 68, IWA 14-1 or ASTM F2656 for almost all products |
| ZABAG Security Engineering | folding, swing, sliding and telescopic sliding gates, bollards, road blockers, barriers, turnstiles, control pedestals | lists resistance and ballistic classes as a section of its own |
| Consel Group | bollards automatically retractable, semi-automatic and fixed; barriers automatic, solar and manual; high-security gates and fences, impact protection | on the market since 1997, more than 400 installations by its own account |
| FAAC with MAGNETIC | barriers, bollards, pedestrian gates and terminals | MAGNETIC Autocontrol belongs to the FAAC Group |
We do not state the class per product here. It is not on the manufacturers’ websites, and it does not belong there either: a barrier carries its classification in the test certificate, and that belongs with the quotation. Anyone who needs a particular class gets the evidence from the manufacturer; we help with placing it.
The control is independent of all that: SmartKit and BaseLink connect via potential-free inputs and outputs or Modbus TCP, whichever manufacturer the element comes from. All partners are listed under partners.
Questions about certified barriers
- Does BarrierSystems manufacture bollards and barriers itself?
- No. We supply the control and the software with it. The blocking element comes from the manufacturer, and we are manufacturer-independent: the controller connects via potential-free inputs and outputs or Modbus TCP to any electronically controllable installation.
- Which test class do I need?
- That follows from the protection concept, the official requirement or the tender, not from a catalogue. What matters is the threat assumption, the approach distance and what lies behind the barrier. Where no class is demanded, throughput, operation and running are what count.
- What is the difference between PAS 68 and IWA 14-1?
- PAS 68 is the British specification, IWA 14-1 the international ISO counterpart. Both crash-test vehicle barriers and classify them by vehicle mass, speed and penetration. Which one is required is stated in the tender.
- Can a certified barrier be retrofitted without losing its certification?
- The controller sits in the control, not in the mechanics: it switches the existing inputs and outputs. Whether a particular change affects the test certificate is for the barrier’s manufacturer to answer, ask them before you rebuild.
- Where do I find the classification of a product?
- In the manufacturer’s test certificate, which belongs with the quotation. Public product pages usually name only the test procedures, not the tested values.
Status and sources
- Information about the manufacturers
- From their own websites, retrieved on 18 September 2026. It reflects what the manufacturers say about their range and is not a commitment by us.
- Test classes
- Source: ISO 22343-1:2023 and ISO 22343-2:2023 as the current documents, alongside the withdrawn PAS 68 and IWA 14-1, whose classes still appear on installed barriers; set in context under standards and legal framework. Each edition checked with the issuing body on 19 September 2026.
- Not legal advice
- Which class is required in a given case follows from the protection concept, the official requirement and the tender.
If you do not have a manufacturer yet
The most common case on this page: someone is looking for a certified barrier and ends up at a control system supplier. That is not a detour. We put you in touch with a partner who supplies and installs the barrier itself, and we bring the control that carries the operation afterwards.
- What we need from you
- Where the access point is and what lies behind it, whether a test class is required and what it follows from (an official requirement, a tender, a security concept), and whether an installation is already in place.
- What you get back
- An assessment of what the requirement actually asks for and what it does not; one or more partners for the barrier itself, with an introduction; and the control from us, manufacturer-independent.
- What we do not do
- We do not build barriers and we do not give legal advice. Which class is binding follows from the requirement or the tender; the test certificate comes from the manufacturer.
If an installation is already in place, the route is usually shorter: the mechanics stay and only the control is added, retrofitting barriers and bollards.
Plan barrier and control together
Tell us what needs protecting. We place the requirement, name partners for the barrier itself and make the introduction.