There’ s a renewed emphasis on the importance of choosing, installing and maintaining fire door hardware correctly. Despite widespread guidance, door hardware is too often an afterthought or poorly maintained – undermining the very purpose of a fire door – but plays a pivotal role in ensuring buildings meet both legal and performance standards.

Every hinge, closer, lock or latch plays a part in ensuring doors perform as intended in the event of a fire.

For locksmiths, contractors and facilities managers, the challenge lies in navigating complex standards, avoiding installation pitfalls, and ensuring maintenance is carried out consistently.

Against this backdrop, product innovations and best-practice guidance from manufacturers are helping to support compliance, security and performance.

Avoiding failure through correct installation

Every component, including hinges, closers, locks or latches, must be installed exactly as tested. Seemingly minor deviations – such as screw substitutions or incorrect seal placement – can invalidate certification and compromise safety.

We would always urge installers to follow the manufacturer’ s fitting instructions, use templates where provided, and check that the door operates correctly and the right intumescent or smoke seals are used. These steps ensure that tested performance translates to real-world conditions.

Maintenance: a critical yet overlooked responsibility

Beyond installation, planned maintenance is often the weakest link in hardware performance. The Regulatory Reform( Fire Safety) Order 2005 mandates routine, logged maintenance of fire safety systems, including door hardware. Neglecting these checks doesn’ t just risk performance failure – it breaches legal duty.

The Guild of Architectural Ironmongers( GAI) recommends monthly checks on high-use doors and quarterly inspections

elsewhere. Tasks such as tightening fixings, lubricating with manufacturer-approved products, and inspecting for corrosion are simple but vital.

Warning signs – such as dragging doors, leaking closers, misaligned latches, or loose hinges – can impair fire resistance and should never be ignored, especially on fire doors where performance is paramount.

Retrofitting and specifying for performance and sustainability

Not all fire-rated products are interchangeable. When retrofitting or upgrading, it’ s essential to match hardware to the door’ s specific test evidence. For example, a lock tested with one configuration of intumescent seals may not perform the same way with a different arrangement.

Manufacturers like HOPPE( UK) and ARRONE, a HOPPE Group brand, are working to support the industry with tested solutions and clear documentation.

Certification provides confidence – and futureproofing

Specifiers and facility managers should prioritise third-party certified hardware. Certification schemes such as Certifire, operated by Warringtonfire, involve rigorous testing and regular audits to verify that products perform as claimed when installed correctly. Regular certificate reviews give vital assurance not just at the outset, but throughout the product’ s entire lifecycle.

The bigger picture

Ultimately, effective fire safety hardware relies on the synergy of correct specification, competent installation and routine maintenance. No matter the product or its function, the goal is always the same: safer, compliant, and better-performing buildings.

Fire door safety is only as robust as its weakest component. Whether specifying for new building projects or maintaining existing stock, decision-makers must prioritise certified, correctly installed, and regularly maintained hardware.

www. hoppe. co. uk