Questions & answers
Fire door questions, answered directly
Complete answers in under sixty words each — the way a technical specifier would answer them on the phone.
Regulations & law
Are fire doors a legal requirement in the UK?
Yes, in many buildings. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person must maintain fire doors in workplaces, HMOs and the common parts of flats in England and Wales. In private homes, Building Regulations require fire doors in specific situations, such as loft conversions and integral garages.
How often should fire doors be checked?
In England, Regulation 10 of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 requires that, in multi-occupied residential buildings over 11 metres, communal fire doors are checked at least every three months and flat entrance doors at least every 12 months on a best-endeavours basis. In other premises, the fire risk assessment sets the frequency.
Do I need fire doors in my house?
Most two-storey houses do not need fire doors. Building Regulations guidance in England requires them where a house has three or more storeys, typically on doors opening onto the stairway escape route, after a loft conversion, and between the house and an integral garage. New kitchens or bedrooms alone do not trigger them.
Do I need fire doors for a loft conversion?
Usually, yes. Converting a loft in a two-storey house creates a third storey, and Approved Document B guidance is to protect the stairway as an escape route. In practice this typically means FD30 fire doors to habitable rooms opening onto the stairs. Your building control body confirms the exact requirements for your layout.
Does an integral garage need a fire door?
Yes. Approved Document B guidance in England is that a door between a house and an integral garage should be a fire door, typically FD30, fitted with a self-closing device, because vehicles and stored fuels present a higher fire risk. The garage's external vehicle door is not required to be fire-rated.
Are fire doors required in HMOs?
Yes, in practice. HMO licensing conditions and the LACORS fire safety guidance commonly require FD30 or FD30s fire doors on escape routes, typically to bedrooms and high-risk rooms such as kitchens. Requirements vary with the layout, storeys and local authority conditions, so landlords should check their licence and fire risk assessment.
Who is the responsible person for fire doors?
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person is the employer in a workplace, or otherwise whoever has control of the premises, such as the landlord, freeholder or managing agent. Article 17 requires them to keep fire doors in an efficient state, efficient working order and good repair.
Can you prop open a fire door?
No. A wedged-open fire door cannot hold back fire or smoke, defeating its purpose, and in regulated premises it can breach the Fire Safety Order 2005. Where doors must stay open for access, use an approved hold-open or free-swing device meeting BS EN 1155 that releases the door when the alarm sounds.
Ratings & product
What is the difference between FD30 and FD60 fire doors?
FD30 doors resist fire for at least 30 minutes and FD60 for at least 60 minutes, when tested to BS 476-22 or BS EN 1634-1. FD30 leaves are typically 44 mm thick and FD60 leaves 54 mm. FD30 suits most flats, HMOs and offices; FD60 is specified for higher-risk locations and protected stairs.
What is a fire doorset?
A fire doorset is a complete unit comprising the door leaf, frame, seals, hinges and essential hardware, manufactured and tested together as one product. Because every component is covered by the same test evidence, a doorset gives more dependable fire performance than a door leaf hung in a separately sourced frame on site.
How can you tell if a door is a fire door?
Look for a certification label or coloured plug on the top edge of the door, intumescent seals in the door or frame, three hinges, a leaf around 44 mm or 54 mm thick, and a self-closer. If there is no label or certificate, a competent inspector can assess it, but its rating cannot be assumed.
What does FD30s mean?
FD30s denotes a 30-minute fire door that also restricts cold smoke. The 's' suffix requires smoke seals, usually combined intumescent and smoke seals around the door edges, because smoke spreads long before temperatures rise. FD30s doors are the usual specification for flat entrance doors and doors protecting escape routes.
What do E30 and EI30 mean on European-classified fire doors?
Under EN 13501-2, E measures integrity, holding back flames and hot gases, while EI adds insulation, limiting temperature rise on the unexposed face. E30 is broadly equivalent to FD30, but EI30 is a stricter criterion, so an FD30 door cannot be assumed to achieve EI30. Sa and S200 denote smoke control classes.
What is a nominal or notional fire door?
A nominal (or notional) fire door is an older door judged by its construction, often solid timber of a certain thickness, to offer some fire resistance, but with no test evidence or certification. Its actual performance is unverified. A fire risk assessor decides whether upgrading with seals and hardware is acceptable or replacement is needed.
Do fire doors need intumescent strips?
Yes. Intumescent strips, fitted in grooves in the door edge or frame, expand at around 200°C to seal the gap between door and frame, which is essential to achieving the tested fire rating. Many are combined with brush or fin smoke seals. Missing, painted-over or damaged strips are a common inspection failure.
Installation & maintenance
Who can install a fire door?
There is no statutory licence, but the installer must be competent: a fire door only performs as tested if fitted to the manufacturer's instructions and BS 8214 guidance. Third-party installer certification schemes, such as FIRAS or BM TRADA Q-Mark, are the widely recognised way to demonstrate that competence and provide traceable evidence.
Can a carpenter fit a fire door?
A carpenter can fit a fire door if they are genuinely competent in fire door installation, following the doorset's installation instructions and BS 8214 guidance on gaps, fixings and intumescent protection. General joinery experience alone is not enough; certificated installers under schemes like FIRAS or Q-Mark provide documented evidence of correct installation.
Can you paint a fire door?
Yes, with care. Ordinary paint or varnish in thin coats on the door faces and edges will not affect fire performance. Never paint intumescent or smoke seals, hinges or other hardware, as this can stop them working, and avoid heavy paint build-up. Always follow the door manufacturer's finishing instructions.
Can you cut or trim a fire door?
Only within the limits stated in the door's certification or manufacturer's instructions, commonly a few millimetres per edge, typically around 3 to 6 mm depending on the certificate. Trimming beyond these limits, or cutting the top or bottom excessively, can expose the core and invalidate the fire rating entirely.
Do fire doors need self-closers?
Most do. Fire doors in non-domestic buildings, flat entrance doors and doors protecting communal escape routes must close themselves fully from any open position, so a controlled self-closing device is fitted. In private houses, closers are generally only expected on the door between the house and an integral garage under current guidance.
What gap should a fire door have around it?
BS 8214, the code of practice for timber fire door assemblies, indicates a consistent perimeter gap of typically 2 to 4 mm between the door leaf and frame. The threshold gap under the door should follow the doorset's certification, and is commonly smaller where smoke control is required. Gaps are checked with gauges.
Can you put a cat flap or letterbox in a fire door?
Cat flaps, no: cutting one breaches the door's core and invalidates its fire rating. Letterplates are only acceptable if they are fire-rated units covered by the doorset's certification and installed to the manufacturer's instructions. Any aperture not supported by test evidence compromises the door and can create a compliance failure.
Inspection
Who can inspect fire doors?
Inspections must be carried out by a competent person. Routine visual checks can be done by trained staff following the checkpoints in government guidance, but detailed surveys are best carried out by qualified inspectors, such as those holding an FDIS (Fire Door Inspection Scheme) diploma, who provide door-by-door reports and remedial schedules.
What does a fire door inspection check?
A typical inspection checks certification evidence, door and frame condition, perimeter gaps measured with gauges, intumescent and smoke seals, hinges and their fixings, the self-closer's operation from any angle, glazing, locks and hardware, signage, and any unauthorised alterations. Findings are recorded door by door with photographs and a remedial action schedule.
What happens if a fire door fails an inspection?
The responsible person must act on the findings: minor defects such as worn seals or misadjusted closers can be repaired, while core damage, excessive gaps or unknown certification usually mean replacement. Leaving defects unaddressed can breach the Fire Safety Order 2005, and fire and rescue authorities can issue enforcement notices or prosecute.
How many fire doors fail inspection in the UK?
A widely cited figure comes from the Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS), supported by the British Woodworking Federation: in 2021, about 75% of more than 100,000 inspected fire doors did not meet the required standard. Common failures included excessive gaps, damaged or missing seals, and poor installation or maintenance.
Do fire door checks need to be recorded?
Recording is strongly advisable and, in practice, expected. The responsible person must be able to demonstrate that Regulation 10 checks and maintenance duties under the Fire Safety Order 2005 are being met, and written or digital records with dates, findings and remedial actions are the accepted evidence for regulators, insurers and residents.
Cost & buying
How much does a fire door cost?
As market-typical UK estimates drawn from published industry cost guides: an FD30 timber door supplied and fitted is commonly around £350 to £700, an FD60 around £550 to £1,200, and supply-only doors start from roughly £115. Steel and composite flat entrance doorsets cost more. Specification, hardware, access and location all affect quotes.
How much does fire door installation cost?
Published UK cost guides typically put supply-and-fit at around £400 to £1,200 per door, with labour making up roughly 30% to 50% of the total at day rates of about £250 to £400. A straightforward like-for-like replacement usually takes two to four hours. Volume programmes generally achieve lower per-door rates.
How much does a fire door inspection cost?
There is no fixed national rate. A published UK inspection cost guide puts professional surveys at roughly £3 to £12 per door, with per-door rates falling as door counts rise and minimum call-out fees applying to small jobs. Access, reporting depth and location all affect pricing, so obtain itemised quotes.
How long do fire doors last?
Fire doors have no fixed legal expiry date. A well-made, correctly installed and maintained doorset can last decades, while heavily used communal doors may need replacement much sooner. Lifespan depends on traffic, abuse and maintenance, which is why regular inspections matter: a door only remains compliant while every component still performs.
Are fire doors soundproof?
Not automatically, but they help. The dense solid cores used in FD30 and FD60 doors reduce noise more than hollow doors, and well-fitted seals cut sound leakage around the edges. Where acoustic performance is specified, purpose-made acoustic fire doorsets are tested to achieve stated sound reduction ratings alongside their fire rating.