EN
A discussion of UL, BS and EN fire door testing requirements
Fire doors play a crucial role in maintaining building safety in the event of a fire. They are deliberately constructed to hamper the spread of fire and smoke, providing people with more time to flee. But how can we know when fire doors will do their job? This is where testing standards such as UL, BS, and EN apply.
UL Standards
UL is an abbreviation for Underwriters Laboratories, which is a company that tests many different products to make sure they are safe for people to use. "Fire doors, they have a whole set of standards around them that they go by. Like how well the door can stand up to fire, how long it takes the smoke to get through, and if the door will work after it’s been in flames. If a fire door meets all of UL’s testing criteria, it can be certified as safe for use.
BS Standards
BS standards are determined by the British Standards Institution, and they exist to ensure that products meet specific levels of quality and safety. For fire doors, BS standards deal with the type of materials the door can be made out of, the construction and get-up of the door and how it performs if there is a fire. If a fire door complies with all of the BS standards then it is fit for purpose in the event of a fire.
EN Standards
EN standards are in use throughout Europe to ensure products are safe and efficient. With Fire Door in particular, the EN standards concern about how the door is put in place, how it will behave during a fire, and how it will keep performing for a number of years. An EN tested fire door is guaranteed to save lives in the event of a fire, if it has passed all the EN standards.
UL Standards
UL Steel Fire Door standards are among the best known in the industry. They span every thing from the way the door is built to the way it performs in a fire. UL tests, for example, how long it takes for a fire door to start burning, how much smoke can get through, and whether the door will still work after being exposed to flame. If a fire door meets all of UL’s requirements, it can be certified as safe enough to be used in a building.
BS Standards
BS fire door standards mostly look at things like what the door is made of, the design of the door, and how the door behaves in a fire. BS is used to test stuff so they can work out how well a fire door survives a sheet of flames, how hot it gets and if it still works after a fire. A fire rated doors that is entirely compliant with all of these requires can be trusted in the event of a fire breaking out.
EN Standards
EN standards for fire doors address issues such as how a door is installed and how it will behave in fire and over time. EN measures things like the duration it takes for a fire door to catch fire, how much smoke is allowed to pass through • a door and whether the door will operate even after the flames have acted on it. An EN tested fire door is a door that complies with all the EN standards, that door is trusted a great deal to help protect life in the event of a fire emergency.