Fire Rated Internal Doors

An internal fire door helps restrict the spread of fire between different areas of a building. It forms part of the building’s compartmentation, allowing everyday access through walls that separate rooms, corridors and other spaces.

A fire exit door provides a route out of the building in an emergency. The term describes its escape function rather than its fire resistance. Some doors need to provide both functions, so the required fire rating and escape hardware should be established for each location.

The required fire rating depends on the door’s location, the building’s use and the fire safety design. Different openings within the same building may have different requirements, so the rating should be confirmed from the project specification or by the person responsible for the building’s fire safety design.

When requesting a quotation, provide the required performance classification alongside the opening dimensions. Maxium can then help identify a suitable internal steel fire doorset. Fire resistance and smoke control are separate performance requirements and should both be specified where applicable.

Yes, internal fire doors can incorporate glazed vision panels where the glazing arrangement is covered by the selected doorset’s certification. Vision panels provide visibility between spaces and can be useful in busy corridors, schools, healthcare facilities and commercial buildings.

The glass, glazing system, panel dimensions and position must be suitable for the required fire performance. Ordinary glazing should not be substituted for an approved fire-rated system. Maxium can advise on available vision panel options for your chosen internal fire door.

Yes, Maxium offers internal steel fire doors in single, double and leaf-and-a-half configurations, subject to the selected product’s certified size and configuration limits.

Double fire doors can be useful where wider access is needed for people, equipment or deliveries. The specification should consider the clear opening width, how each leaf will operate and the required hardware. Share your opening dimensions and access requirements with Maxium so the team can advise on an appropriate configuration.

Smoke seals and self-closing requirements depend on the door’s location and the building’s fire safety specification. A fire resistance rating alone does not establish that a doorset provides the required smoke control performance.

Where smoke control or self-closing operation is required, the seals and closing hardware must be compatible with the selected doorset. These components should be included in the specification from the outset, with their suitability checked against the relevant certification and manufacturer’s instructions.

An internal fire door can incorporate locking or access control where the proposed arrangement is compatible with the doorset and appropriate for its location. Restricted rooms may need different hardware from doors on shared circulation or escape routes.

The specification must consider both access security and any requirement for people to escape through the door. Locks, electrical hardware and associated modifications should be checked against the selected doorset’s certification. Discuss your access requirements with Maxium before choosing the hardware.

It may be possible in some circumstances, but a replacement fire door leaf cannot be assumed to provide the required performance when fitted into an existing frame. The leaf, frame, seals, hardware and installation details must form a compatible assembly supported by appropriate evidence.

The existing frame’s condition, dimensions and construction also need to be assessed. For replacement internal steel fire doors, a complete doorset may provide a more straightforward specification. Maxium can discuss the available options using photographs, measurements and details of the existing opening.

To quote for internal fire doors, Maxium needs details of the openings and the required door specification. Providing the following information helps the team assess suitable options:

• Number of doors and site postcode
• Structural opening dimensions or project drawings
• Required fire resistance and any smoke control requirements
• Single, double or leaf-and-a-half configuration
• Vision panel, hardware and locking preferences
• Preferred colour and finish
• Whether you require supply only or supply and installation

If some details are still being confirmed, send the information you have, together with photographs of existing openings, to start the discussion.