Test purchases – is what you bought what was tested?

When a door is tested, it isn’t tested as a leaf in isolation. It’s made up as a complete doorset, with a frame, ironmongery and often other elements such as glazing.

Test reports go into enormous detail about how the doorset was made up, for example with beading even the shape of the edge is listed.

What has been tested and certified almost certainly isn’t the same as the spec you have in front of you. So how can you make sure that your spec is certifiable?

The certifying body will use the test reports to extrapolate a series of parameters for use of the door.

These will tell you what you can and can’t do. E.g. a maximum size for the glazed area – so you know anything that size or smaller is okay. Or a minimum wood density for the lipping so anything of that density or greater can be used.

The trouble is, these reports can run to hundreds of pages.

This is where our third tip of fire Door Safety Week comes in: get technical advice. Any door manufacturer worth their salt will help you to make sure that your spec is certifiable. If it isn’t, they’ll advise you what changes need to be made or if the spec is non-negotiable, they can arrange for the spec to be specially tested.

To be certain of this, we would always recommend that your door manufacturer is 3rd-party certified, as it assured you they have been independently audited.

If you need technical advice today, you’re welcome to give us a call whether you’re a customer or not. Our technical experts have detailed knowledge of the Building Regulations, certification schemes and the performance of all the products used in door manufacture.