Specific requirements for doors and doorsets in Part B.

Fundamental performance.



Approved Document B Volume 1 & 2 are one of a series of Approved Documents have been published by the Government for the purpose of providing practical guidance with respect to meeting the requirements of the Building Regulations.
  • Approved Document B – Fire Safety: Volume 1 – Dwelling houses
  • Approved Document B – Fire Safety: Volume 2 – Buildings other than dwelling houses

Both volumes include fundamentally the same guidance with regards to fire doors, although some of the specifics with regards to classification period and self-closing devices does vary depending on the location and application.

Appendix A deals with fire performance of materials. Table A4, specifically for doors on escape routes, limits the area of glazing within the door where relevant performance can only be achieved in terms of integrity. Where both integrity and insulation performance can be met, there is no restriction on the amount of glass.

Appendix B sets out specific requirements for fire doors. In particular, fire resistance is defined in terms of testing to BS 476: Part 22 or EN 1634-1 (classified in accordance with EN 13501-2). The new draft Part B stresses that test evidence must adequately demonstrate compliance of the complete installed assembly, which is more straight forward with doorsets.

Table B1 of Part B links various door locations with minimum fire resistance, generally FD20 or 30 (or E20 or E30 if tested to EN 1634-1). Traditionally, an FD20 doorset has been assumed to be an FD30
without intumescent seals. Where FD20 doorsets are specified, CERTIFIRE approved manufacturers will supply FD30 doorsets with instructions to fit seals if they have not already been fitted, as no specific evidence is available to support doorsets without seals. The suffix ‘S’ indicates a requirement for restricted ambient smoke leakage when tested in accordance with BS 476: Section 31.1 (or ‘Sa’ when tested to EN 1634-3).

In addition: Volume 2 requires  all fire doors  to have self-closers (except cupboards and service ducts, normally locked shut). However, Volume 1 only requires self-closing devices to be fitted to fire doors serving an attached or integral garage in dwelling houses.

- Where closed fire doors with self-closers could be a hindrance, they may be held open in some circumstances by devices such as fusible links, automatic release mechanisms or closure delay devices.

- Two fire doors may be fitted in the same opening if the sum of their fire resistances equals the total needed and other requirements are met.

- In the absence of satisfactory tests, hinges should be made of a material with a minimum melting point of 800C.

- All fire doors - except within houses, into and within flats, for bedrooms and lift entrances - must have fire safety signs to BS 5499 : Part 1: 'Specification for fire safety signs'.

- No more than 25% of the length of a compartment wall should consist of door openings unless the doors can provide both integrity and insulation.

Specific reference to BS 8214 is made in relation to the specification, design, construction, installation and
maintenance of fire doors with non-metallic leaves, with the DHF Code of practice for fire resisting metal doorsets.

- In addition BS 9999:2008 ‘Code of practice for fire safety in the design, management and use of buildings’, which has taken over ten years to develop, was published by the British Standards Institution in October 2008. The document builds on the existing government guidance to provide an enhanced design guide which is based on scientific analysis and research.

Previously, when designing a building, there was a raft of different guidance documents including the 12-part BS 5588 series of documents. BS 9999 consolidates much of the BS5588 guidance into one document, providing one source of reference. BS 9999 supersedes the BS 5588 series.

- Recommendations which may affect the insurance of particular buildings are available from advisory bodies and are more concerned with protection of property, and may require higher periods of fire resistance than Part B in some situations.

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