Fire rated doors in India: the complete buyer's guide
What the ratings mean, where your building needs them, what to write in the specification and how to tell a real fire door from a look-alike.
What is a fire rated door?
A fire rated door is built and tested to hold back flames, smoke and heat for a stated time, so people can escape and fire stays inside one compartment of the building. The rating belongs to the whole doorset: the shutter, the frame, the hinges, the closer and the seals. A fire-rated shutter in an ordinary frame is not a fire door.
Modern wooden fire doors look like any other interior door. Inside, they use fire-resistant cores, such as the German Sauerland boards and calcium silicate boards Dormak uses, instead of a standard core.
30, 60 or 120 minutes: what is the difference?
| Rating | Typical build (Dormak) | Common uses |
|---|---|---|
| 30 minutes | Sauerland fire-resistant core, 38 mm LVL protection, 3 mm MDF skins, 47 mm pine frame | Apartments, hotel rooms, office cabins, schools |
| 60 minutes | 42 mm German tubular core, 42 mm LVL, 6 mm MDF skins, 67 mm pine frame | Hospitals, malls, corridors, server rooms, factories |
| 120 minutes | Calcium silicate board (Promat NCBN technology), non-combustible and gypsum-free; tested at CBRI | Stair cores, data centres, plants, emergency exits |
Higher ratings are heavier and cost more, so specify each door to the rating it actually needs rather than the highest everywhere.
Where does a building in India need fire doors?
The National Building Code of India (NBC 2016, Part 4: Fire and Life Safety) and state fire services set the rules. The exact requirement depends on building type, height and occupancy, so your fire consultant makes the final call. In practice, fire doors are usually specified for:
- Staircase and lift lobby doors in high-rise buildings
- Corridor and compartment doors in hospitals
- Hotel guest room entry doors and corridor doors
- Electrical, server and plant rooms
- Kitchens in hotels and institutions
- Doors on escape routes in malls, offices, schools and colleges
What to put in your specification
- Rating for each door: 30, 60 or 120 minutes
- Doorset: rated shutter and matching rated frame from the same supplier
- Hardware: fire-rated hinges, door closer and intumescent or smoke seals as your consultant requires
- Vision panels, if any, in fire-rated glass
- Face finish: veneer, laminate or paint to match the building
- Acoustics, where needed: Dormak 120-minute doors reach up to 42 dB
- Documents: current fire test reports for the project file
How to check a fire door supplier
Ask every supplier the same five questions:
- Can you share current fire test reports for this exact construction?
- Do you make the frame for the same rating, or only the shutter?
- What core is inside, and where is it from?
- Can we see a sample or visit the plant?
- How many fire doors have you supplied, and to which kinds of projects?
Dormak answers all five in writing, and developers and architects are welcome at our 20,000 m² plant in Jatawali, Jaipur.
Installation and maintenance
A fire door only performs if it is installed and kept as tested. Do not trim fire doors on site beyond what the supplier allows, never wedge them open, keep closers adjusted, and check seals and hinges during routine maintenance. Replace damaged seals promptly.