FIRE DOOR TERMINOLOGY
Regulations
Fire Doors are crucial in preventing the spread fire and smoke in buildings.
The Fire Safety Act 2021 clarified that flat entrance doors must be considered in the Fire Risk Assessment mandated by the Fire Safety Order. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 require regular checks to ensure that self-closing devices are working and the fire doors including flat entrance doors are in efficient working order and in good repair. These checks are to ensure that the existing door standard is maintained.
Click here for the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 (www.gov.uk)
Fire Door Ratings Explained
FD30: This rating means that the door has been shown to control the spread of fire and smoke for at least 30 minutes when installed correctly.
FD60: This rating means that the door has been shown to control the spread of fire and smoke for at least 60 minutes when installed correctly.
FD30s/FD60s: the 's' after FD30 or FD60 signifies that the door is not only fire resistant, but also able to stop the spread of cold smoke – these doors have smoke brushes and intumescent strips.
Fire Door Intumescent Strips
What are intumescent strips?
Intumescent strips are fitted to fire doors, and when exposed to extreme heat they expand to close any gaps or edges that might facilitate the spread of smoke & fire.
How much protection is offered by an intumescent strip:
Intumescent strips for fire doors are generally designed to provide around 30 – 60 minutes of fire resistance. This means they contain the spread of fire for a specific period so that occupants have enough time to safely evacuate a building.
Parts of a fire door
A Fire door consists of several components:
- Door frame
- Door leaf
- Essential hardware
- Edge seals
- Glazing (windows)
- Integral side panels or fanlight panels (in an associated door screen)
Fire door Signage
Signage to identify Fire Doors is required by the Health and Safety Executive to ensure they are used effectively to keep your workplace or residence safe. Fire Door signs are used to indicate different required behaviours, such as keeping the door closed, keeping the door clear from obstructions, or keeping the door unlocked when the premises are occupied. Whether it’s a standard or automatic fire door, these instructions are crucial in the event of a fire to stop the spread of smoke and flames and enable the swift evacuation of the building’s occupants. Integral side panels or fanlight panels (in an associated door screen)
Fire Door Closers
Fire door closers are mechanical devices that are installed on fire doors to automatically close and latch the door in the event of a fire. They are designed to help contain a fire and prevent the spread of smoke and flames throughout a building.
There are various types of closer, the most common being: overhead door closers and floor spring door closers. Some models are also equipped with a hold-open feature, which allows the door to be held open during normal operation and automatically close when the fire alarm is activated.
It's important to ensure that fire door closers are properly installed and maintained, and that they are compatible with the fire door they are being used on. Regular testing and maintenance are crucial to ensure that the fire door closers are in good working condition and are able to perform their function in case of a fire.
Fire Door Holders & Retainers
Fire doors play a crucial role in ensuring fire safety within a building. They allow for movement throughout the building while limiting the spread of fire, giving occupants ample time to evacuate safely. However, for fire doors to function properly, they must be closed or close automatically in the event of a fire. Holding them open with objects such as wedges or extinguishers is a common practice but is both dangerous and illegal.
Fire door holders (also known as retainers) offer a legal and safe solution for keeping fire doors open during daily operations. These devices securely hold the doors open, but in case of a fire, they release the doors, allowing them to close and perform their intended function.
Fire door retainers can either be connected to the building's fire alarm system or have an acoustic sensor that detects the sound of a fire alarm. The former type can be powered by batteries or a mains power source, while the latter are usually battery-powered and are generally faster and easier to install.
Drop Down Smoke Seals
Drop-down fire door seals are a crucial component of any passive fire protection system, as they play a vital role in preventing the spread of flames and smoke in the event of a fire. They are typically installed on the bottom edge of a fire door and drop automatically when a door closes, preventing the spread of smoke, fire and materials like dust.
Push Bars
Push bars (also known as panic or crash bars) are usually fitted with a bolt or a latch and are intended for installation on final exit doors which may be used by members of the public in the event of an emergency.
They are designed to be universally simple to use and identify by anyone who is not aware of the building layout to aid in fast evacuation should the need arise. Suitable for use on a wide range of doors
Door Terminology
When looking at or reading about doors, you are likely to come across some new terminology. Here is a list of the words and phrases often used when describing wooden doors. If there is something you need to know about which isn’t on this list, please contact us.
ARCHITRAVE: A decorative moulding that surrounds the door, and bridges the gap between the edge of the frame and the wall.
APERTURE: An opening in a door where glass would be fitted.
BEADING: The mouldings that surround a panel in a solid door, or a pane of glass in a door.
BESPOKE DOORS: Doors that are tailor-made to meet individual requirements. Choosing an alternative to the stock doors from the brochure allows clients to request special sizes and alternative designs to match their specific needs.
BI-FOLD: These are doors that fold together as they open to save space, using a tracking system that enables the door to slide into position. Bi-folds are particularly suitable for smaller spaces and can also be installed as a pair to create a room divider.
CERTIFIRE: An independent, audited process to ensure that Fire Doors are manufactured to specific standards.
CORE CONSTRUCTION: The internal composition of a door.
DOOR PAIRS: Two symmetrical matching doors installed adjacent to each other and modelled to form a pair of doors, creating double the size of opening of an individual door.
FD30 FIRE DOORS: Doors that have been tested by an accredited test house to ensure that they are able to resist the passage of fire for more than 30 minutes. Likewise, FD60 fire doors will last at least 60 minutes.
FINISH: The surface of the door. Doors can be supplied finished, (usually with clear lacquer), or unfinished/natural (where you are able to apply your own finish).
FLAT PANEL: This is a panel on a door that is not raised, bevelled or profiled.
FRAME: The timber components (e.g. linings & casings) that are fitted within a wall opening to which a door is fixed.
FSC®: The Forest Stewardship Council is an independent organisation that promotes the responsible management of forests worldwide. The FSC standard is recognised globally.
GROOVES: These are lines cut into the face of the door that create a pattern or design.
HANDING: Predominantly referring to door pairs, it describes which door in the pair opens first. E.g. RHA (right hand away) or LHA (left hand away).
INLAY: A decorative strip, design or pattern which is embedded into the front of the door. Typically the inlay is made of a complementary material or alternative colour to the door, like a veneer or coloured plastic, and it is flush with the door’s surface.
INSERT: Similar to an inlay but usually slightly thicker and it may not be flush with the door’s face (front of the door).
LATCH PACKS: These packs contain everything you need to fit your door including handles, hinges and a latch mechanism.
LIGHT: This refers to an individual pane of glass within a door e.g. a ‘2 light’ door has two panes of glass.
LININGS/CASINGS: Another name for an internal door frame.
LIPPINGS: These create the door edge and can be reduced slightly in size to fit a specific door opening, without exposing the inner core of the door. Solid lippings (as long as they are large enough) allow the edges of doors to be modelled to form rebated pairs.
MULLION: This is required when fitting an external door with a sidelight.
PAINTED FINISH: The door has been painted to achieve a high-quality finish. This can be a colour or even grained timber effect.
PAIR MAKER: A timber moulding that is shaped to fit on a door edge to easily create a door pair.
PRE-FINISHED: A pre-finished door is one that is ready painted or varnished.
POCKET DOOR SYSTEM: This is a sliding door system that is built into the wall so that the door disappears on opening completely into the pocket. A popular, contemporary door solution that is ideal for properties with limited space.
PRIMED: Doors that have been prepared with an undercoat ready for a topcoat finish.
REBATING: This makes doors into a pair, by machining a groove into the edges of two doors, creating a partial overlap where the doors meet.
SAFETY GLASS: Glass that is heat treated so that, should it break, it becomes granular and does not create sharp shards. All of JB Kind’s pre-glazed doors comply with building regulations and meet European standards.
SEMI-SOLID CORE: The centre of the door is part solid and part cellular components.
SHAKER STYLE: This type of door has a simple, flat, recessed centre panel and usually no detailing. Most often the shaker style doors have right angled edges, although occasionally you will find those that have a slight bevelled finish.
SIDELIGHT: A panel which is usually fixed at the side of a hinged door. A sidelight is normally a narrow panel of glass set alongside a larger door.
SKIRTING: This is a decorative wooden board running along the bottom of an interior wall, to finish the join between the wall and the floor.
SOLID CORE: A heavy and solid centre to a door, it is normally made from wood-based timber components.
STANDARD CORE: Standard core doors have a cellular structure inside the door. This means that the door is lighter in weight than solid or semi-solid core doors and is well suited to domestic use.
STILE: This refers to the side of the door. Specific terms are hanging stile (hinge side), leading stile (side that opens into a room) and meeting stile (door pairs).
SUSTAINABLE SOURCES: To use materials from sustainable sources means that for every resource used/harvested from the land, a replacement will be created.
TIMBER GRAINING: This is a pattern of fibres that you can see when you cut wood open.
UNFINISHED: The door is supplied prepared ready for a top coat finish. E.g. varnish or paint.
VENEER: A thin slice of timber used as a decorative material on the visible face of the door.