Fire Door Requirements and Specifications

What This Requirement Covers

Fire doors are a critical component of a building's passive fire protection strategy. Approved Document B requires fire doors in specific locations to maintain compartmentation, protect escape routes, and resist the spread of fire and smoke.

Following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the importance of properly specified, installed, and maintained fire doors has received significant regulatory attention, including provisions in the Building Safety Act 2022 and the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022.

Key Requirements

Fire Resistance Ratings

1. FD30 (30 minutes fire resistance): Required for doors opening onto protected stairways and corridors in residential buildings up to 18 metres in height
2. FD60 (60 minutes fire resistance): Required in buildings over 18 metres, and for doors forming part of compartment walls or floors
3. FD30S and FD60S: The 'S' suffix indicates the door also includes smoke sealing (intumescent strip plus cold smoke seal)
4. Doors to protected shafts, service ducts, and plant rooms generally require FD30S minimum
5. Doors between a dwelling and a common corridor or lobby must be FD30S minimum

Performance Standards

1. Fire doors must be tested to BS 476: Part 22 or BS EN 1634-1
2. Smoke control doors must also meet BS EN 1634-3 for smoke leakage
3. All fire doors must be certificated by a third-party scheme (e.g., BWF-CERTIFIRE, BM TRADA Q-Mark, or Warrington)
4. The door, frame, ironmongery, and glazing must all be tested as a complete assembly

Self-Closing Devices

1. All fire doors must be fitted with a self-closing device that returns the door to the fully closed position from any angle of opening
2. Overhead door closers complying with BS EN 1154 are the standard solution
3. Electromagnetic hold-open devices connected to the fire alarm system are permitted, provided they release on fire alarm activation or power failure
4. Rising butt hinges alone are not acceptable as a self-closing device for fire doors in common parts of residential buildings

Gaps and Seals

1. Intumescent strips (and cold smoke seals where 'S' rating is required) must be fitted to the door edge or frame rebate
2. The gap between the door and frame should be no more than 3-4 mm on the hinge side, head, and lock side
3. The gap at the threshold should be no more than 8 mm (or 3 mm where smoke sealing is required)
4. Intumescent strips should be a minimum of 15 mm x 4 mm for FD30 doors

Glazed Panels in Fire Doors

1. Any glazed apertures must use fire-rated glass (e.g., Pyroguard, Pilkington Pyrostop) tested to the same rating as the door
2. Glazing beads must be fire-rated and fixed with appropriate fixings
3. The maximum glazed area depends on the specific door test evidence; always check the manufacturer's scope of certification

Residential vs Commercial

In dwellings (Approved Document B Volume 1), fire doors are primarily required to protected stairways and between dwellings and common areas. In commercial buildings (Volume 2), fire doors are required at a wider range of locations including compartment walls, corridor subdivisions, lobbies to stairs, and openings in fire-rated elements. Commercial fire doors often require higher specifications and more frequent inspection.

Exceptions and Exemptions

1. Front entrance doors to individual houses are not required to be fire doors (unless the house is within 1 metre of a boundary)
2. Bathroom and WC doors within a dwelling are not required to be fire doors
3. In some existing buildings undergoing minor works, Building Control may accept upgraded existing doors with additional protection rather than full replacement
4. Listed buildings may use modified fire door solutions to preserve historic character, subject to an approved fire-engineered approach

Inspection and Maintenance

The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 require the Responsible Person for residential buildings containing two or more sets of domestic premises to

1. Carry out quarterly checks of all fire doors in common parts
2. Carry out annual checks of flat entrance doors (including the self-closing device)
3. Make best efforts to carry out checks of individual flat front doors where leaseholders are required to cooperate
4. Keep records of all inspections

Practical Compliance Tips

1. Always source fire doors with third-party certification and retain the certificate for Building Control sign-off
2. Never trim a fire door on site unless the manufacturer's installation instructions specifically permit it (and state the maximum amount)
3. Ensure intumescent strips are compatible with the specific door and frame combination
4. Test the self-closing device from multiple open angles; the door must latch fully each time
5. Replace any fire door that shows signs of damage, delamination, or excessive gaps
6. Keep a log of fire door inspections with photographs as evidence of compliance
7. When specifying ironmongery, ensure locks, hinges, and letter plates are all included in the door's test evidence