Fire-rated pocket door kits - do you need one?

Where a property is required to install fire doors to comply with building safety regulations, then fire-rated pocket doors are the ideal solution. While pocket doors offer practical solutions such as saving space and providing flexibility in how you utilise space, and they also have aesthetic qualities in a contemporary building, there are specific fire safety laws in the UK which dictate that certain doors must be fire-rated in order to prevent the spread of fire. In this case the pocket doors you install must be fire-rated, such as the FD30-rated doors supplied by the Pocket Door Shop.

Fire safety laws in the UK

Safety controls employed in a commercial or residential building are usually preventative, such as fire alarms, fire extinguishers and having an escape plan, and fire doors also fit into this category. Fire-rated doors are a passive form of fire protection and are designed from a denser type of wood and tested to withstand the spread of smoke and fire in a property. Fire safety laws in the UK require non-domestic buildings, such as commercial businesses and public buildings, to be fitted with fire doors. They are also required in some domestic properties, these include blocks of flats and apartments, houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) and residential homes where there is a third storey.

The FD30-rated pocket door kits supplied by the Pocket Door Shop require doors that have been tested and comply with the British Standard BS476: Part 22 1987 and BS EN 1634-1 2000, which is the UK adoption of a European standard. An FD30-rated door means the fire door has been tested and can withstand the spread of fire for up to 30 minutes, and a certificate should be supplied with the door that shows this. FD30-rated are the most common type of fire doors, but others are available, such as an FD60, which is tested to withstand the spread of fire for up to 60 minutes. These would be used in buildings where there is a higher risk of fire, but for most commercial, public or residential buildings, FD30 is typically deemed to be sufficient.

Which rooms in a building require a fire door?

In order to establish which rooms require a fire-rated pocket door in a non-domestic property, a responsible person should carry out a fire risk assessment. This should look at parameters such as room location and size, and the nature of the operations that normally take place in the room. Generally speaking, however, a fire door would normally be required for all rooms that are normally occupied, and all rooms that lead to an escape route. Fire doors would also be required for any rooms where there is a higher risk of fire due to the nature of the operations taking place. So this would normally include boiler rooms, maintenance rooms, or rooms where flammable materials are stored. Many buildings in this type of situation tend to install fire doors for every door, in order to ensure compliance and to avoid the risk of non-compliance through an incorrect interpretation of the regulations.

In a domestic property such as an HMO or in a block of flats, where a property is divided into separate living quarters for different individuals, and therefore these rooms are normally occupied, a fire-rated pocket door would be required. Also, where a property has a third storey, fire doors are required for rooms that are normally occupied for a significant period of time, such as living rooms, kitchens and bedrooms. They aren’t usually required for bathrooms.   

Fire-rated pocket doors from the Pocket Door Shop

At Pocket Door Shop we can supply FD30-rated pocket door systems for both single and double doors. These are suitable for standard UK doors which can range in size from 626mm to 926mm in width, and up to 2040mm in height. Fire-rated pocket doors have the same visual appearance as standard pocket doors and can provide all the same practical benefits.

So if you have any doubt about whether your doors are required to be fire-rated, you should seek professional advice. Whether you are managing a commercial or public building, or a residential property, a comprehensive fire risk assessment carried out by a responsible person should identify which rooms in a building require a fire door. Once this assessment has taken place and you have identified how many fire-rated doors you need, you can browse our range of fire-rated pocket door systems and order the pocket door systems required for your property.