Ultimate Guide to Fire Door Hardware

• What is a Fire Door?
• What Hardware Is Required For a Fire Door?
• Fire Door Hinges
• Fire Door Closers
• Intumescent Strips & Pads
• Fire Door Locks & Latches
• Panic & Emergency Hardware
• How To Inspect & Maintain Fire Doors
• Consequences of the Wrong Fire Door Hardware

What Is a Fire Door?

Simply put, fire doors are specially designed to withstand the spread of fire and smoke for as long as possible. They are typically made from hardwoods, composite material or metal and are essential in any building’s fire strategy.

Fire doors undergo rigorous testing and are then given a fire-resistance rating of 30, 60 and up to 240 minutes, depending on their material and intended use. Their ultimate function is to form a barrier that stops the spread of fire when closed, while providing a safe means of escape when open.

For domestic properties above 2 levels, such as loft extensions and conversions, all doors leading to the stairwell must be fire doors where the door leads to a habitable room.

What Hardware is Required For a Fire Door?

It’s important to note that a fire door is tested as a complete assembly, which includes all essential hardware (hinges, handles, latches, etc). Therefore, it will only work correctly if it’s installed using the same equivalent components as when it was tested – these will be listed on the fire door manufacturer’s installation instructions.

Fire doors at the very minimum should have hinges, latch or lock, door handle, intumescent strips and pads, door closer and signage - all of which MUST be fire rated.

Simply buying a fire door and fitting any old hardware to it isn’t enough - all ironmongery fitted to a fire door must be CE and fire rated, as there are many ways that the hardware fitted can weaken the door and render it ineffective in a fire.

Fire Door Hinges

When choosing fire door hinges, they must be CE marked and certified to EN 1935 to ensure they meet fire safety regulations – these certifications must be clearly displayed on the hinges, otherwise they are very likely not suitable for fire doors. Fire door hinges are tested to have a melting point of no less than 800ºC - regular door hinges aren’t designed to withstand high temperatures so will warp or break under the heat of a fire, rendering the fire door useless.

Internal fire doors must be fitted with a minimum of 3 hinges depending on the door size and weight. The size of the hinge fitted should be outlined in the fire door test, although the most common sizes are 100mm and 76mm.

A point that is often overlooked when fitting fire door hinges is that they must be fitted with intumescent pads in order to maintain fire door compliance. In the event of a fire. When morticing hinges into a door frame, this creates a gap around the seal that will allow heat and smoke to enter - the intumescent expands to form a seal in the event of a fire, thus keeping the fire door working correctly. So it’s vital that intumescent pads are fitted at the same time as the hinges.Regular inspection of fire door hinges is essential: signs of wear or sagging indicate the need for immediate replacement to ensure the door's proper function.

Fire Door Closers

Fire door closers are pivotal in ensuring that fire doors remain shut to prevent the spread of fire and smoke. Any closer fitted to a fire door must comply with BS EN1154 standards and be CE/UKCA marked.

BS EN1154 requires closers to perform one of two functions, dependent on whether or not a latch is fitted to the door:

• Latched door: To close the door in a controlled manner into a position where the latch engages.
• Unlatched door: To close the door in a controlled manner into its frame or, in the case of double swing doors, to its dead centre closed position, and maintain this condition for a period during fire exposure until the heat activated sealing system takes over the role of maintaining the door in the closed position.

Key features to look for in a fire door closer include the ability to close the door from any angle within 25 seconds, ensuring accessibility in line with the Equality Act 2010. Electromagnetic door closers are beneficial as they can keep doors open during normal operation and close automatically when a fire alarm is triggered, giving greater peace of mind for occupants.

Intumescent Strips & Pads

Intumescent strips or seals play a vital role by expanding when exposed to heat, sealing gaps around the door to prevent the spread of fire and smoke. Building regulations specify that the gap between a fire door and a frame should be between 2-4mm specifically to accommodate an intumescent strip or smoke seal.

Proper installation is crucial, with seals fitted in one continuous length either around the door frame or in the grooves of the frame. Intumescent seals are often self-adhesive for quick and easy fitting, and can be bought in Fire Only or Fire & Smoke options. It’s important to inspect these seals regularly for damage or improper installation, as compromised seals can significantly reduce fire door effectiveness.

For any hardware that is fitted by cutting into the door, such as a concealed closer, hinges or lock, an intumescent pad or packer must be fitted alongside the hardware in order to maintain the fire rating and keep the fire door compliant.

Fire Door Locks & Latches

Locks and latches on fire doors must be CE/UKCA marked and comply with EN 12209. As stated previously, when installing or replacing these components, appropriate intumescent kits must be used in order to maintain the door's fire rating. These kits help prevent heat transfer through the ironmongery, preserving the door's integrity in a fire.

Locks and latches must be made from a material with a high melting point of 800ºC for a 30-minute door and over 900ºC for a 90-minute steel door. It’s important to note that fire doors must be kept closed to be effective, therefore latches are required for compliance. Most fire doors are lockable but should only be locked when the building is unoccupied, in order to maintain safe exit.

Panic & Emergency Exit Hardware

Panic and emergency exit hardware are designed for quick and safe exit during emergencies. There are 2 standards relating to panic and emergency exit hardware – BS EN 1279 and BS EN 1125:

BS EN 179 – Fire Exit Hardware
This standard relates to emergency exits in areas where the occupants are already familiar with the exit routes and hardware – typically offices and warehouses. Most commonly a lever handle or push pad would be used in these instances. When the device is operated, the mechanism releases the bolts or latches holding the door shut.

BS EN 1125 – Panic Hardware
Panic hardware relates to environments where occupants have no prior knowledge of exit routes or hardware. Panic hardware is an escape device with an activation bar that covers at least 60% of a door face and is easy to operate in a panic situation. Panic bars tested to EN 1125 are a legal requirement in public areas as they are easy to use with no prior knowledge. You will commonly see them in hospitals, restaurants, schools and cinemas.

Compliance with standards such as EN 179 and EN 1125 is mandatory, ensuring that the hardware functions correctly under duress. When selecting this hardware, consider the door's location, material, and whether it needs to allow entry as well as exit.

If in doubt as to which type of exit hardware you need, it’s always safer to specify a panic hardware device that meets EN 1125.

How To Inspect & Maintain Fire Doors

Regular maintenance and inspection of fire door hardware is essential to ensure safety and compliance. Any modifications or repairs should always adhere to manufacturer guidelines and relevant standards to maintain the door's fire rating. For instance, after maintenance, doors should fully close and engage latches or seals properly. Testing the closing speed (ideally around five seconds from a 90-degree angle) can help ensure the closer is working correctly.

Fire doors are not just a “fit and forget” solution. Despite their life-saving abilities, fire doors can be largely overlooked when it comes to building maintenance. 

For commercial premises, the BWF recommends fire door inspections once every 6 months, but this could be increased according to the size of the premises.

The British Woodworking Federation have created this helpful 5 Step Fire Door Check summarising the 5 points to check to keep your fire doors safe:

Conclusion

Fire doors are essentially the last line of defence in the event of a fire, so it’s crucial that they are specified correctly. Hopefully this guide will give you all the information you need, but if you need any further help just contact our knowledgeable team at Tradefit.uk.