Fire Door Safety Guide

An FD rating indicates the length of time a product can protect against the spread of smoke and fire. Most commonly used are FD30, which protects up to 30 minutes and FD60 which provides 60 minutes of protection. Some ratings, like FD30S, specifically denote smoke resistance.

Most commonly used in domestic dwellings, these provide ample protection for quick evacuation for family homes. Available in various wood materials, finishes and designs, it is easy to find a design that is fashionable and fire resistant.

Often used in commercial settings, these allow more time for a swift and safe exit for many people in a building. Supplied unfinished, there are internal and external styles to choose from and a choice of sizes to get a precise fit.

If a residential property rooms over two floors, including loft conversions, then FD30-rated hardware must be used on between habitable rooms leading to stairwells.

Fire doorways is also required between homes and integral garages. Any entrance that leads indoors from an external building, such as a garage, requires a fire-related fixture.

Flat doorways are, by law, required to have fire-rated components. In the event of a fire, this helps slow the spread of fire and smoke from one apartment to the next.

Multi-storey buildings must have a sufficient number of stairs and alternative escape routes to avoid people being trapped. The fire exits must also be adequately sized and signposted, to allow for a quick and easy evacuation in an emergency.

By law, any rooms which connect to an exit route must be fitted with fire-rated doorsets. This is to prevent the spread of fire and smoke blocking off any escape routes, making it safer and easier to evacuate.

Any internal rooms which are required to be locked at all times, such as storage cupboards, must also be fitted with fire doorset assemblies. You will find this type of entry in commercial settings, schools, and offices.

An 800mm minimum opening is required in commercial properties. For wider corridors of 1200mm or more, the gap needs to span at least 825mm. External exits also need to have a minimum opening of 1000mm.

To ensure an effective and consistent level of fire resistance is achieved in any given location, the ratings of all doorway components and the joining walls must match a minimum rating of FD60. This includes supporting fire-rated components.

A gap of up to 3mm between is required to provide enough space for intumescent strips to expand during a fire. All glazed entrances must have safety glass fitted by a specialist to meet specification set by building control.

Being an integral part of an entranceway’s structure, it is a requirement that specialist framing parts must also be fire rated. This should match the fire rating of other components, such as doorways or lockable parts.

While also providing support, these fire-rated parts have added strength to maintain an entranceway’s effectiveness against fire and the spread of smoke. The FD rating, such as 30, should match the rest of the installation.

This type of specialist component is a legal requirement when fitting a fire-safe entrance. As with other elements, they must match the overall FD-rating of the doorway for it to be fully compliant.

Our fire-safety guide offers useful information on fire doors, where to use them, tops facts to remember on fire-safety, along with a quick fire-safety checklist - all in one document.

Fire-safety assessments should be carried out annually by a qualified fire risk assessor. Fire doorsets should also be inspected by a qualified professional every six months. The government’s HSE also have more tips of fire-safety risks.

Our checklist covers the five key areas of fire-safety hardware. It looks at what to check and how, as well as what to do if your entrances and exits are not up to scratch.