The difference between notional and nominal fire doors and when to upgrade

Do you know the difference between a notional fire door, a nominal fire door and an upgraded fire door? And how these differ to certified fire doors?

There can be a lot of confusion over fire doors, so we’ve pulled together all the things you need to know about notional and nominal fire doors and what it means to ‘upgrade’:

What are nominal fire doors?

According to a fire door inspector, a nominal fire door is a timber-based door providing a fire door resistance performance for a specified period of time. However, they are not the same as certified fire doors which have undergone fire door resistance performance tests to give an indication of fire performance and determine their fire door rating. The performance of the door is simply relied upon by the fire door inspector’s opinion.

An explanation of notional fire doors

According to advice by UK government, a notional fire door is a fire door that satisfied the standards applicable to fire door resistance at the time of construction. These types of doors are therefore not the most up-to-date with the latest codes, regulations and tests, and may not have been fitted with intumescent strips and smoke seals, and may not even be constructed correctly.

Stipulations around upgraded fire doors

According to advice by UK government, an upgraded fire door is a notional fire door that has been updated with additional fittings such as intumescent strips, smoke seals and sometimes even a protected letter box, if required.

However, you cannot simply add these additions to any door and call it an upgraded fire door. The overall condition and core construction of the door itself affects the fire resistance, so it needs to match a certified fire door to provide any satisfactory performance. If you added these extras to a lightweight door with thin panels, you would not be making a fire door.

Fire doors, their ratings and how best to upgrade

Nowadays, fire doors undergo fire door resistance performance tests to give an indication of fire performance and determine their fire door rating. These generally rate from between FD20 to FD120, with FD20 allowing 20 minutes fire door resistance and FD120 allowing 120 minutes fire door resistance.

Nominal and notional fire doors have not undergone these performance tests and so do not carry any evidence of fire door resistance or a certificate of approval. They therefore carry a greater risk of fire resistance and should be noted in any fire risk assessment carried out on buildings with these types of doors.

When new fire doors are not always an option, the upgrading of suitable doors to fire doors has been accepted as a useful way to make buildings safe. The best way to do this is to first asses the door for suitability and condition. Following the assessment, undertake any necessary repairs and improvements to make it as close to performing as a suitable fire door as possible. These will depend on the competence of those carrying out the works and the quality of their workmanship.  This is where Enfield Doors can help!

Enfield Doors

For over 30 years, we have been manufacturing bespoke timber doors to suit any application to hundreds of people and our experience is second to none, manufacturing flush, timber-framed bespoke doors.

Our team of experts is always on hand to guide you and give you sound and pragmatic advice based on years of experience and successful installations.

If you would like further information on our company, please contact us and we will respond as quickly as possible. We look forward to helping you.