Fire doors: EI or REI? CE marking or Ministerial Approval?

Fire doors are essential components for building safety, as they help limit the spread of flames and hot gases in the event of a fire. To ensure their effectiveness, these doors must undergo rigorous testing to verify their expected performance levels. Let’s explore the necessary tests, the reference standards, and why, in some cases, CE marking is mandatory, while in others, Ministerial Approval is still required.

What inspections must be carried out on fire-resistant doors?

Fire doors must be tested according to EN 1634-1, which assesses the fire resistance of the product in terms of the number of minutes it maintains the parameters of integrity (E) and thermal insulation (I).

Although the term “REI doors” is commonly used, the correct designation should be “EI doors”, since the mechanical resistance (R) — the ability to maintain structural stability under fire — is not a relevant requirement for doors.

For example, a door classified as EI 120 (not REI 120) guarantees 120 minutes of fire resistance in terms of:

• E: Integrity – the ability to prevent the passage of flames and hot gases;

• I: Thermal insulation – the ability to limit the transmission of heat.

Therefore, the REI 120 designation for doors should be progressively phased out. It remains valid only for doors tested under the old UNI 9723 standard, which is still in effect.

CE Marking or Ministerial Approval?

The European regulatory framework for fire doors is still in transition and evolving. As of November 1, 2019, the only doors required to have CE marking are:

• External pedestrian doors

• Industrial doors and gates, both internal and external.

CE marking for fire doors is regulated by EN 16034, in combination with:

• EN 13241 (for industrial doors and gates)

• EN 14351-1 (for external pedestrian doors)

It is also possible to assess additional performance characteristics on a voluntary basis, which become mandatory only for certain types of doors (e.g., emergency exit doors):

• Smoke control (EN 1634-3): verifies that the door limits the passage of cold and/or hot smoke produced in the early stages of a fire. Contrary to common belief, this characteristic is not assessed through EN 1634-1, meaning that a fire door is not necessarily a smoke control door.

• Release capability: verifies the door’s ability to close as required when held open by an electromagnet.

• Self-closing ability: assesses whether the door can close automatically.

Thanks to CE marking, it is possible to identify products that comply with European standards and ensure their long-term reliability.

What about interior fire doors?

For all other fire doors, such as interior fire doors (including hotel room doors), CE marking is not yet possible because the reference standard EN 14351-2 has not yet been published in the Official Journal of the European Union. Therefore, these products are still subject to Ministerial Approval, governed by Ministerial Decree of June 21, 2004.
 

How to obtain CE marking for a fire door?

1. The door must first pass Initial Type Testing (ITT) as specified by EN 1634-1, conducted by a Notified Body, to assess fire resistance performance.

2. The manufacturer must also implement a suitable Factory Production Control (FPC) system, which will be assessed, approved, and monitored by the designated Notified Body.

3. The manufacturer must prepare a Declaration of Performance (DoP), which is the document to be provided with the fire door.

Note:
For doors under Ministerial Approval (e.g., interior fire doors), the document equivalent to the DoP is the Declaration of Conformity of the approved door, as defined in Art. 2, letter h of the Ministerial Decree of June 21, 2004.

To learn more about our activities in the field of fire resistance testing, please visit our dedicated page.

« FOCUS EVIDENCE