When you are planning or managing a block of flats or a local community centre, fire safety has to be a top priority. It is not only about compliance but about protecting lives. That is why fire-rated doors are more than a regulatory checkbox.
Fire-rated doors can look like regular ones at first but are engineered to prevent fire and smoke from spreading quickly and contain the fire in one area. These doors give people more time to get out safely and help stop a bad situation from getting worse. In some cases, they are the reason people make it out okay.
Fire doors are not only a legal requirement.
In the UK, fire safety rules are outlined in Approved Document B of the building regulations. These rules cover everything from fire resistance ratings to how escape routes should be planned.
Fire safety rules aside, the real reason for installing fire-rated doors is to give people more time to get out safely when there is a fire. An FD30 fire door holds back flames and smoke for up to 30 minutes. An FD60 fire door holds up for up to an hour.
That might not sound like much, but fire spreads really fast. A strong fire-rated door keeps the fire in one place for longer, so more people have a chance to get out safely.
What makes a fire-rated door different from any other door?
It is all about what the door is made of and how it is installed. These doors are built with dense, heat-resistant cores and include materials like solid timber or composite layers. Around the edges, they have intumescent seals, which is a type of material that expands when heated. These seals can grow big enough to close the gaps around the door so smoke and flames can’t spread to other rooms.
But a door is only as strong as its frame. Without proper installation and a fire-rated frame, even the best fire-rated door could fail under pressure or warp, which could allow the fire to breach the barrier.
Integrated safety with design flexibility.
Years ago, safety features like fire-rated doors were purely functional and looked like it. They had heavy and unsightly slabs that clashed with the design of the building around them. But you can now get your fire-rated doors in colour-matched finishes, glazed inserts, wood effects, and slim profiles that go better with the rest of the building.
BWDC’s fire-rated doors, for example, meet FD30 and FD60 fire safety standards, but they can also be customised to how you want them to look. They come in composite or aluminium options and can be made to complement different types of buildings, from modern city flats to restored heritage homes.
Looking for commercial doors in Lincolnshire?
If you are searching for high-quality commercial doors, choose a trusted local company like BWDC. We supply and install commercial windows and doors across Lincolnshire, including Boston, Spalding, Stamford, and Bourne. Our commercial windows and doors are made to meet the needs of social housing, EWI installations, extensions, or mixed-use developments. Contact us today to get your free quote.
