Complete doorsets, not site assemblies
A fire door is only as good as the tested assembly it came from. Our standard position is the complete factory-assembled certified doorset — leaf, frame, seals and ironmongery manufactured and tested as one unit — rather than a site-assembled door hung in a separate frame. It costs no more once you account for the labour, and it removes the single biggest source of installation failures: untested combinations.
Survey & specification
Openings measured and structural conditions checked; each doorset specified against the fire strategy — FD30 to FD120, smoke control, vision panels, ironmongery and finish.
Certified supply
Doorsets sourced from third-party certified manufacturers, in timber or steel, with the test evidence to prove the rating on every unit.
Installation to the tested scope
Fixed exactly as the manufacturer's tested details require — gaps, packers, fixings, seals — by operatives competency-assessed under the scheme.
Label, register, evidence
Every scheme doorset Q-Mark labelled and entered in the installation register, with photographed evidence traceable to the operative who fitted it.
From single doors to phased programmes
Single replacement doorsets in occupied buildings; multi-phase programmes across car parks, stations and terminals; steel security doorsets for external and high-abuse locations. Live-environment delivery — out-of-hours working, permit control, floor-by-floor phasing — is our specialism, not an extra.
Timber certified doorsets — FD30/FD60 single and double leaf, vision panels, hardware to BS EN 1154/1155, decorated or primed.
Steel doorsets — External, plant room, escape and security applications — including push-bar and access-control configurations.
Listed & heritage settings — Sensitive replacements specified around listed-building constraints, verified against the fire strategy.
Making good & finishes — Frames, architraves, mastic and decoration handled within the same package — one accountable finish.
What FD30, FD60 and the ‘S’ actually mean
A fire door’s rating describes how long it held back fire in a test — not how long it will last in your building if it is fitted badly. FD30 means the door achieved 30 minutes’ integrity; FD60, 60 minutes. The S means it also passed a smoke leakage test at ambient temperature, with smoke seals fitted.
The European classification writes the same performance differently: E 30 for integrity, EI 30 where insulation is also achieved, and Sa for ambient smoke leakage. Approved Document B gives the equivalents, so an FD30S door in a specification will often appear as E30 Sa in the test evidence.
Most fire doors installed in the UK over the past few decades were tested to BS 476-22, and that evidence remains valid for the doors it covers. For new building work, BS 476 references are due to come out of Approved Document B on 2 September 2029, after which new installations will need evidence to BS EN 1634-1 for fire and BS EN 1634-3 for smoke.
What good installation looks like
BS 8214:2026, the code of practice for fire-resisting and smoke control doors, replaced the 2016 edition in March 2026 and now covers doors of every material, not just timber. We install to it alongside the manufacturer’s tested instructions, which take precedence on details such as gap sizes.
Gaps
Typically 3 mm, plus or minus 1 mm, at the head and sides unless the manufacturer’s evidence allows otherwise, with the threshold gap set to the evidence.
Frame fixing
Fixings and packers in the tested positions, and the gap between frame and wall sealed with a system tested for that width and wall type.
Ironmongery
Hinges to BS EN 1935 and closers to BS EN 1154 with Annex A, plus locks, latches and hardware that appear in the door’s test evidence. Nothing substituted on the day.
Seals and glazing
Intumescent and smoke seals of the type and size in the evidence, and vision panels glazed and beaded to the tested system.
Closing and latching
The door closes from any angle and engages its latch, without slamming or sticking.
Marking
Each certified doorset labelled and recorded, so it can be traced to its evidence and to the operative who fitted it.
The rules that apply
New building work
Approved Document B sets where fire doors are needed and the performance they must give, and building control checks the work. At handover, Regulation 38 fire safety information goes to the responsible person.
Existing buildings
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires fire doors to be kept in efficient working order and good repair. Since the Fire Safety Act 2021, that explicitly includes flat entrance doors in blocks of flats.
Residential over 11 m
Regulation 10 of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 requires communal fire doors to be checked at least every three months, and flat entrance doors on a best-endeavours basis at least every twelve months.
Higher-risk buildings
In buildings of at least 18 metres or seven storeys with two or more homes, the Building Safety Act 2022 golden thread expects accurate records of what was installed, where, and on what evidence.
One point that causes confusion: external fire doorsets placed on the market carry UKCA or CE marking under BS EN 16034 and BS EN 14351-1. Internal fire doorsets cannot currently carry either, because no product standard has been designated for them — so a demand for a UKCA mark on an internal doorset is a misunderstanding. What matters is the test evidence and the certification behind it.
From enquiry to certification
Enquiry
Tell us about the building and the works you need.
Site survey
Every asset inspected, photographed and QR-tagged.
Specification
Clear scope and pricing against tested systems.
Certified works
Competency-assessed operatives under scheme control.
Evidence pack
Photos, registers and product data for every asset.
Certification
Q-Mark labelled, registered and traceable for life.
Answered by the people who do the work
The questions we are asked most about fire door installation. More on the full FAQ page.
What is the difference between a fire doorset and a fire door assembly?
A doorset is manufactured and supplied as a complete unit — leaf, frame, seals and usually ironmongery — and tested as one. An assembly is put together on site from separately sourced parts, each of which must be covered by compatible evidence. Doorsets take most of the guesswork out, which is why we specify them by default.
Can you fit a new fire door leaf into our existing frame?
Only where the new leaf is covered by evidence for use in that frame, which is rare when the existing frame is unknown. In most cases a complete doorset is the safer route, and once labour is counted it is rarely the more expensive one.
Do new fire doors need a UKCA mark?
External fire doorsets do, under BS EN 16034 and BS EN 14351-1. Internal fire doorsets cannot currently be UKCA or CE marked because no product standard has been designated for them. For internal doors, ask for the test evidence and third-party certification instead.
What does a Q-Mark label on an installed door tell us?
That the installation was carried out by a BM TRADA Q-Mark certified installer under scheme 052, and that the door can be traced to our installation records. It sits alongside the manufacturer’s own label, which identifies the doorset and its evidence.
Do we have to replace doors installed to older standards?
Not simply because the standards have moved on. If an existing door is in good working order and adequate for the risk, the law does not require it to be brought up to today’s new-build specification. Replacement is the answer when a door cannot be repaired within its evidence, or when the fire strategy needs something the existing door cannot give.
How long does a fire door installation take?
It depends on the opening and the access. A straightforward single doorset replacement is usually completed in a day, including making good. Larger programmes are phased floor by floor or carried out out of hours.
Do you install steel fire doors?
Yes. We install steel doorsets for plant rooms, external escape routes and security applications, as well as timber doorsets for internal use.
What do we receive at handover?
A register entry for every doorset: its location, the doorset and its evidence, photographs, the label reference and the operative who fitted it, plus the product data you need for your fire safety information.
Planning doorset replacements?
Send us the schedule or book a survey — we'll price against tested systems with a clear scope, and tell you which doors don't need replacing at all.
Ask about fire door installation
Send us the details and anything you already have — drawings, an old survey or photos. We will be in touch within one working day.
- BM TRADA Q-Mark certified, certificate 4515
- Named Approved Persons accountable for the work
- Every asset photographed and recorded
Prefer to talk? Call 020 8769 8869 (Mon–Fri 07:30–17:30) or email fire@arcticltd.com.