Flagship guide · 3 min read
Do I Need Fire Rated Internal Steel Doors?
A fire rating is decided by where the door sits, not by what it is made of. Here is how to work out which of your openings need one, and who signs it off.
FD30 vs FD60 Explained
Two numbers, one principle. Here is what each rating is tested to do, and what usually drives the choice between them.
3 min read
FD stands for fire door; the number is the tested period in minutes. FD30 holds for thirty minutes, FD60 for sixty. The suffix S, as in FD30S, indicates cold smoke control in addition to fire resistance.
Neither figure is a promise that the door survives a fire intact. It is a tested period of integrity under standardised furnace conditions, which is what makes doors from different manufacturers comparable.
What the test measures
- Integrity (E)
- Resistance to flame and hot gases passing through
- Insulation (I)
- Resistance to heat transfer through the doorset
- Smoke (Sa)
- Control of cold smoke leakage around the leaf
- Standards
- BS 476-22 or BS EN 1634-1
Glazed steel doorsets are generally certified for integrity. Insulation is achieved only in specific tested build-ups, because glass conducts heat readily. If the fire strategy calls for an insulated rating, say so early — it narrows the glass options considerably.
What drives the choice
| Situation | Typical rating |
|---|---|
| Integral garage to house | FD30S |
| Room onto a protected stair, two storey home | FD30 |
| Loft conversion landing doors | FD30S |
| Plant or boiler room, larger property | FD30 or FD60 |
| Apartment entrance door | FD60S |
| Compartment lines in hotels, offices, schools | FD60S |
Storey height, shared occupancy and the compartmentation strategy push a project towards FD60. Individual houses rarely need it internally. Specifying FD60 where FD30 is required is not automatically better — it adds weight, cost and hardware without changing compliance.
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