What do intumescent hinge pads do?
Intumescent hinge pads play a critical role in enhancing the fire safety of buildings by providing passive fire protection to door assemblies. The strips are designed to expand significantly when exposed to high temperatures, commonly encountered during a fire, and sealing any gaps around the hinges to prevent the spread of either (depending on the type of seal):
- Flames
- Smoke
- Smoke and Flames
Are intumescent hinge pads necessary on fire doors?
Yes, intumescent hinge pads must be installed alongside fire-rated hinges. Without the intumescent hinge pads, your door will be classed as non-compliant, as the hinge pads expand and seal any gaps around the hinges of your door to prevent the spread of fire and smoke and contribute towards effective compartmentalisation of a fire.
What is CE and Certifire certification?
The CE marking indicates that the marked product complies with the legislative requirements set by the European Union and is recognised for ensuring the product meets regulatory standards.
Certifire certification is achieved via an independent third-party scheme that focuses solely on fire product certification. Certifire assures you of a product’s quality and conformity, as well as ensuring the performance, quality, reliability and traceability of the product is up to standards. The Certifire brand is globally recognised as the international mark for fire safety.
What does fire door rating mean?
Fire doors and components are tested to see how effective the door and additional hardware would be at preventing the spread of fire and smoke. The fire door rating tells you how long that door would withstand a fire, providing all the additional hardware has the same rating.
The required rating of a fire door changes depending on its location, the layout of the building, and the risks listed in your risk assessment, so it’s vital to get the right fire-rated door for the right location that would prevent the spread of fire long enough to allow for a full evacuation.
| Fire Door Rating | Minutes of Fire Resistance |
|---|---|
| FD30 | 30 |
| FD60 | 60 |
| FD120 | 120 |
| FD240 | 240 |
The most commonly used fire doors are rated at FD30, which is the minimum requirement, however, if a fire risk assessment requires a higher fire-rated door, they must be installed instead with the same FD-rated hardware. (i.e. door closer, latches, seals etc.)