Fire Door Inspections & Field Labeling

Like other fire resistance rated construction materials under the purview of the U.S. system of codes and standards, fire doors have more than a century’s worth of testing experience published in the various listing directories made available for reference in project specifications. This testing and listing experience provides a level of confidence for door manufacturers, insurance underwriters, design professionals and approving governmental authorities that a particular door assembly has undergone stringent testing protocol, and that it can be expected to curtail losses associated with a given building fire event. By looking at the historic development of building codes and test standards related to this specific component, it is helpful to determine what has shaped the current fire door industry and better evaluate future trends in listing and labeling provisions including the increasing use of field-labeling for existing applications. This is a great challenge of compliance that Facility Managers, and Authorities Having Jurisdiction are now facing.