What is the British standard for fire doors?
Fire doors in the UK are tested to BS 476-22 or to the European standard BS EN 1634-1, and Approved Document B accepts either. BS 8214 is the code of practice for specifying, fitting and maintaining fire doors with timber leaves. The test result, written as FD30 or E 30, is what proves a door's rating.
By Sebastian Grabowski, DC Fire & Security, Luton. Updated November 2026.
The standards, one at a time
There is no single standard that covers everything about a fire door. Different documents do different jobs, and people often mix them up.
| Standard | What it is for |
|---|---|
| BS 476-22 | The older British fire resistance test for non-loadbearing elements, including doors. Results are written FD30, FD60 and so on, with an S for smoke control. |
| BS EN 1634-1 | The European fire resistance test for doors and shutters. A door passing it is classified under BS EN 13501-2. |
| BS EN 13501-2 | The classification system. It gives codes such as E 30 (30 minutes integrity) and E 30 Sa (the same with smoke leakage control). |
| BS EN 1634-3 | The European test for smoke control on doors, which sits behind the S or Sa part of the code. |
| BS 8214 | A code of practice for non-metallic fire doorsets: how to specify, design, install and maintain them. |
Approved Document B Appendix C says a fire doorset can show its rating by either route, the BS 476-22 test or the European test and classification. Products tested to BS EN 1634-1 that reach the minimum in the document's table are deemed to satisfy the Building Regulations provisions.
Which one applies to your door
For most buildings the practical answer is the rating on the door's test evidence. A newer door is likely to carry a European classification, and an older one a BS 476-22 result. Both are fine. What is not fine is a door with no evidence at all, or evidence that does not match what is hung on the wall.
Approved Document B asks that the test evidence is checked to make sure it covers the complete installed assembly. A small difference in the frame, the glazing or the ironmongery can change the result. That is why an inspector looks at the whole doorset and not just the leaf.
What the standards do not tell you
The tests do not set how often a door is checked or who must check it. In blocks of flats that comes from the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, and in other buildings from your fire risk assessment. Our guide on how often fire doors need inspecting covers the intervals.
The tests also say nothing about the condition of a door ten years on. That is where BS 8214 and the manufacturer's maintenance advice matter, and where an inspection finds worn seals, loose hinges and gaps. Government guidance sets 4mm as the most the gap between door and frame should be, and our page on fire door gap tolerances explains how that works in practice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is BS 476-22 still accepted?
What is BS 8214?
Does a door need a certificate to be a fire door?
Do the same standards apply to steel fire doors?
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