FD30 vs FD60 Fire Doors: Which Rating Do You Need?

FD30 and FD60 are the two fire door ratings you will meet in almost every commercial and residential building in England. The number is the fire resistance period in minutes under test; the letters and suffixes tell you more about what the door has been tested to do. Choosing the right one is a design decision set by the building’s fire strategy, not a matter of preference, and fitting the wrong rating is one of the most common findings in our surveys.

What the ratings mean

A fire door rating comes from a furnace test to BS 476-22 or BS EN 1634-1. An FD30 doorset has held back fire for at least 30 minutes in that test; an FD60 for at least 60 minutes. The rating applies to the complete doorset as tested: leaf, frame, seals, glazing, ironmongery and the gaps between them. Change any of those and the rating is no longer proven, which is why installation and repair must follow the manufacturer’s test evidence.

The “s” suffix

FD30s and FD60s doorsets also restrict the passage of cold smoke, usually through a brush or blade seal in addition to the intumescent strip. Smoke control is required wherever a door protects an escape route that people might have to pass through while a fire is still developing, such as corridor doors in flats, hotels and care homes, and doors onto protected stairs. If your fire risk assessment calls for smoke sealing and the doors have no smoke seals, they fail regardless of their fire rating.

Where FD30 is typically required

• Flat entrance doors onto a common corridor or lobby
• Doors to rooms off a protected corridor in offices, schools and hotels
• Doors to cupboards and small plant rooms under 30 minutes’ compartmentation
• Internal doors in houses of three or more storeys and in HMOs

Where FD60 is typically required

• Doors in 60 minute compartment walls between occupancies or between a basement and the ground floor
• Doors to protected stairs and firefighting lobbies in taller buildings
• Doors to plant rooms, boiler rooms, transformer rooms and refuse stores
• Doors in hospital compartment walls designed for progressive horizontal evacuation under HTM 05-02
• Doors between a car park and the rest of a building

How to tell which you have

Look for a certification label or coloured plug on the top edge or hinge side of the leaf. BM TRADA Q-Mark plugs and labels, for example, identify the rating and the manufacturer, and the certificate can be traced online. If there is no label, the leaf may still be a fire door, but its rating cannot be proven and a fire risk assessor is likely to recommend replacement or an assessment by a competent surveyor. Our fire door inspections record the certification evidence for every door alongside its condition.

Can an FD30 be upgraded to an FD60?

Not reliably. The leaf core, thickness and construction are different, and adding thicker seals or extra ironmongery to a 30 minute door does not make it a 60 minute door. Where the fire strategy requires FD60 and FD30 doors are fitted, the answer is replacement with a certified FD60 doorset. Our fire door installation team installs both ratings under BM TRADA Q-Mark certification.

Who decides

The rating for each door comes from the building’s fire strategy and the fire risk assessment, informed by Approved Document B for new work and sector guidance such as HTM 05-02 for healthcare or Building Bulletin 100 for schools. If you are unsure what a door should be, the fire risk assessment is the first place to look. Read five fire door defects you shouldn’t ignore for the other things a survey will check.

Frequently asked questions

Is an FD60 door always better?

Only where the fire strategy requires it. An FD60 doorset is heavier and more expensive, and fitting one where FD30 is specified brings no benefit if the surrounding wall is only 30 minute construction.

Do FD30 doors need smoke seals?

If the door protects an escape route or the fire risk assessment calls for smoke control, yes, which makes it an FD30s. Many flat entrance and corridor doors are specified as FD30s.

How thick is an FD30 door compared with an FD60?

FD30 leaves are typically 44 mm thick and FD60 leaves 54 mm, although thickness alone is not proof of rating. The certification label is.