Back

How do I ensure my fire doors meets the requirements

Dec 03, 2024

First buy a quality, third-party certified fire door. Make sure to purchase doors from competent suppliers and check that products have been fire tested and certified.

It's not just the door that matters. The frame is just as important as the hardware- they all work together. Buy only fully compatible hardware and components.

Be sure to ask for installation instructions and follow them exactly. Fire doors are not ordinary doors,   must be properly installed by qualified installation personnel

A fire door has a number of features that would indicate whether or not it is a fire door. These are the same characteristics that an individual carrying out an inspection would check for to ensure a fire door is compliant.

Modern doors are equipped with intumescent strips and cold smoke seals. Older ‘notional’ doors may not have these fitted, and are often fitted into frames with a 1 inch or 25 mm door stop.

Gaps – The gaps around the tops and sides of the door should be less than 4mm.

Structure – the door should be solid timber. If the door sounds hollow when knocked, it is unlikely to be a compliant fire door. In addition, the door and frame should be compatible.

Letterbox – if there is a letterbox on the door, it must be either solid metal or certified fire-resistant material. It cannot be aluminium.

Smoke Seals – The seal must be heat-sensitive, preventing the spread of fire and smoke by swelling when warmed – consequently sealing the gap between door and frame. Check the frame and door profile for a thin intumescent strip running down the middle.

Hinges – There should be a minimum of 3 mm.

Door closer – The door should close itself firmly from a halfway-open position and should not stick.