FD30 and FD60 may appear to be a random combination of letters and numbers, but if you’re the responsible person for a building, you really should know the difference between these fire door ratings and know where they should be placed.
What is a fire door rating?
First, let’s break the code. FD stands for Fire Door whilst the number (typically 30 or 60) represents the number of minutes of protection that door can provide you against fire. So FD30 gives you up to thirty minutes of protection, an FD60 up to sixty minutes and so on.
How to choose the right internal fire door?
The next thing to take into consideration is your building type and layout, for example a small office with no more than two floors would suit an FD30 internal fire door, however – a large building such as a Hospital or School with multiple floors and a large volume of people should have FD60, perhaps even higher, providing people as much protection as possible for as long as possible.
If your building is higher than two stories, doors placed on the third floor and above should really be fitted to an FD60 standard as a minimum – as typically the higher up you’re located, the longer it would theoretically take for the rescue services to get to you.
Remember; every minute is critical in keeping you and your property safe.
Are Fire Doors a legal requirement?
Yes. Fire Doors are a legal requirement in all non-domestic properties, such as businesses, commercial premises, and public buildings. They’re also required in blocks of flats and HMOs.
Building operators in England and Wales should appoint a ‘Responsible Person’ to manage all fire safety precautions including fire doors, this was set out by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. This person might be the employer, the managing agent or owner, or another appointed person with legal responsibilities including a duty to reduce the risk of fire spreading within the premises.
As of March 2024, new legislation came into effect for multi-occupied residential buildings. Responsible persons are now required to undertake quarterly checks of all fire doors (including self-closing devices) in the common parts of the building.
The responsible persons are also required to carry out an annual check of all flat entrance doors that lead onto the building’s common parts. This check will involve inspecting the self-closing devices and making sure they are functioning correctly – however given the complex nature of inspecting fire doors and the implications of getting it wrong, we highly recommend using our inspections service.
Contact us
Want to be sure about what internal fire door you need? Get in touch with a member of the team and we’ll be happy to discuss fire door rating is required for your property. We’ll even give you advice on where to purchase your fire rated doors from and fitting.