Fire Safety
What are the differences between an internal and external fire doorset ?
Mark Alton Head of Product Management at Winkhaus UK advises : “ An external doorset as defined in EN14351-1 is “ a doorset which separates the internal climate from the external climate of a construction , for which the main intended use is the passage of pedestrians .”
There are three main differences in legislation between an internal and external fire doorset :
1 . Testing for external fire doorsets must be carried out to the European standard EN1634 for Fire resistance and for Smoke control .
2 . Under the Construction Products Directive ( CPD ), all external fire resistant doorsets are covered by a designated standard and therefore must be conformity marked CE or UKCA . They are also subject to the Assessment and Verification of Constancy of Performance ( AVCP ) system 1 requirements , which effectively means that the AVCP must be completed by a 3rd party to deliver a 3rd Party UKCA certified solution .
3 . External fire doorsets require a Declaration of Performance ( DoP ) and a 3rd Party classification as specified under EN13501-2
In addition , weather protection testing is only completed for external fire doorsets .
3rd Party certification and verification is not only in place to ensure solutions are fit to be brought to market , but that they are continually manufactured , installed , and maintained to the same levels as identified in the original testing and declaration of performance . Design & Test is not only the first activity needed to create a range of fire doorset solutions , but the golden thread that is referenced throughout the lifecycle of a fire doorset . Fire doorset manufacturers are 3rd party audited to ensure they continue to manufacture the same products with ongoing factory process audits , traceability through manufacturing and annual sample testing .
The table highlights the requirements to be included in both internal and external fire door specifications and should be used as a checklist when reviewing tenders for new fire doorsets to ensure all the required points are covered in any proposal .
The introduction of the external range of fire doorset solutions is in addition to the existing range of 3rd Party accredited timber and composite internal fire doorset solutions from Winkhaus . Winkhaus recently further expanded this range introducing a wider scope of internal fire doorset door designs and glazing options for their manufacturing partners to take advantage of .
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Winkhaus fire doorsets solutions are manufactured through our partner network of over 63 3rd Party certified companies .
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All Winkhaus internal and external , timber , and composite fire doorset solutions are MHCLG compliant , are tested to EN1634 for fire resistance and smoke control , are tested to PAS24 for enhanced security and are 3rd Party certified as part
of the BM Trada Q-Mark certification scheme , offering a truly mirrored range . Our new mirrored range of external timber and composite fire doorset solutions are also 3rd Party UKCA certified for fire resistance and smoke control , and 3rd Party certified for security to PAS24 .
Over the past decade the Winkhaus UK Technical team have been involved in the creation and implementation of the latest standards and guidance for fire doorsets . Winkhaus fire doorsets solutions are manufactured through our partner network of over 63 3rd Party certified companies . With our partner fabricators , we have the one of the largest evidence banks of compliant solutions for both timber and composite fire doorsets , all independently audited by BM Trada as part of their Q Mark scheme . This not only ensures our test evidence is always compliant , but always expanding to offer the most comprehensive range of options for all your project requirements .
For further information on the new ranges of external timber and composite fire doorset solutions or our expanded ranges of internal timber and composite fire doorset solutions , or for advice and support with your specifications , please visit www . winkhaus . co . uk / en / firedoorsets or email marketing @ winkhaus . co . uk
CLEARVIEW-UK . COM MARCH 2025
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