A fire door is a door with a fire-resistance rating (sometimes referred to as a fire protection rating for closures) used as part of a passive fire protection system to reduce the spread of fire and smoke between separate compartments of a structure and to enable safe egress from a building or structure or ship. In North American building codes, it, along with fire dampers, is often referred to as a closure, which can be derated compared against the fire separation that contains it, provided that this barrier is not a firewall or an occupancy separation. In Europe national standards for fire doors have been harmonised with the introduction of the new standard EN 16034, which refers to fire doors as fire-resisting door sets. Starting September 2016, a common CE marking procedure was available abolishing trade barriers within the European Union for these types of products. In the UK, it is Part B of the Building Regulations that sets out the minimum requirements for the fire protection that must be implemented in all dwellings this includes the use of fire doors. All fire doors must be installed with the appropriate fire resistant fittings, such as the frame and door hardware, for it to fully comply with any fire regulations.
In the UK the British Woodworking Federation outline the difference between a 'Fire Doorset' and a 'Fire Door Assembly'.
Components
Fire doors may be made of a combination of materials, such as: Glass sections (including vision panels) Gypsum (as an endothermic fill) Steel Timber Vermiculite-boards Aluminium GI
Both the door leaf (the swinging panel of the door) and the door frame are required to meet the guidelines of the testing agency which provides the product listing. The door frame includes the fire or smoke seals, door hardware, and the structure that holds the fire door assembly in place. Together, these components form an assembly, typically called a "doorset" which holds a numerical rating, quantified in minutes or hours of resistance to a test fire. All of the components of the fire door assembly must bear a listing agencies label (with the exception of ball-bearing hinges which meet the basic build requirements of ANSI 156.2 and NFPA 80) to ensure the components have been tested to meet the fire rating requirements.
Door hardware
Door hardware includes: Automatic closing devices or objects Ball-bearing hinges Gas seals Positive latching mechanisms Smoke seals
Seals
Edges of a fire door usually need to have fire rated seals which can be composed of: An intumescent strip, which expands when exposed to heat Gaskets to prevent the passage of smoke Neoprene weatherstripping
When intumescent seals are used in the door design, use of the correct seal is crucial in the fire rating performance the door assembly. Seals may vary in chemical composition, expansion rate, expansion volume, and/or charring characteristics.
Windows
Some fire doors are equipped with integral windows which also have a rating, or have been incorporated at the time of the door test and be subject to the overall door's product certification. Fire-resistive windows must remain intact under fire conditions and hose stream impact resistance, and can include: Wire mesh glass - usually Georgian wired Liquid sodium silicate fills between two window panes Ceramic glasses Borosilicate glass
Wired glass typically withstands the fire, whereas the sodium silicate liquid also acts to insulate heat transfer, due to the endothermic action of this chemical. In the United States, wire glass must pass the requirements of 16 CFR 1201 and be "labeled" to be used in a door. Laminate and ceramic glasses are now more likely to be used, as they more readily meet the requirements of 16 CFR 2101.
Regulations
All components are required to adhere to product certification requirements that are acceptable to the local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) by meeting the requirements of the local building code and fire code. The regulatory requirement change from country to country. For example, in Australia, the National Construction Code dictates that all fire doors must be tested to certain specifications in order to meet resistance approvals and certification.