Important Fire Door Safety Information

Fire interior doors offer more than just a passage way, they offer safety and peace of mind not only in commercial settings, but homes as well. Fire interior doors are rated by time in minutes or hours that a door can withstand fire test conditions.

Fire interior doors are extremely important in multi-unit housing locations such as apartment buildings and condos. The type of fire interior door required is determined by the type of wall in which it's being used.

Two hour fire rated walls require 90 minute fire rated interior doors. This is normally required in openings such as stairwells or elevator shafts. One hour fire rated walls that require 60 minute fire rated interior doors are walls which divide apartments in apartment buildings.

One hour fire rated walls that require 45 minute rated doors are found in walls of corridors and room partitions.

One hour walls that require 20 minute fire rated interior doors are used mainly where smoke control is the primary concern.

Glass can be used in fire interior doors, but there are limitations on how much according to the fire rating of the door. The glass does need to have a particular type of glazing when used in fire interior doors.

One important aspect to consider with fire rated doors, the door frame and hardware should also be certified for that particular type of door. Many fire rated doors are pre-hung, which means they are already installed in their door frame. Check with the manufacturer to make sure the frame is fire rated as well and any hardware provided is certified for use with the door.