A fire door specification for a tender must define the required fire resistance classification, the opening dimensions, the installation conditions, and the documentation the manufacturer must supply at or before the tender stage. Getting this right at the drawing stage protects your design from being challenged during permitting, fire safety review, or construction handover. The sections below address the most common questions architects and specification writers encounter when specifying fire-rated industrial doors in new construction projects.
What information must a fire door specification include?
A complete fire door specification must include the required fire resistance classification (such as EI1-60, EI2-60, or EW60), the clear opening dimensions, the installation environment, the direction of travel, the intended use (pedestrian, forklift, automated), and the documentation requirements the manufacturer must meet. Omitting any of these elements creates ambiguity that contractors will exploit during tendering.
In practice, specifications for industrial projects frequently underspecify the performance criteria. A classification label alone is not enough. The specification must also state whether the door needs to be self-closing, whether it will be held open with a magnetic hold-open device, and whether it needs to integrate with a fire alarm system. Each of these operational requirements affects which products are technically eligible to respond to the tender.
For large or atypical openings, dimensional constraints and structural boundary conditions should also appear in the specification. A manufacturer who receives only a classification and a rough size cannot guarantee compliance without knowing the wall construction, the floor finish, or the available installation depth. Providing this information upfront reduces the risk of non-compliant substitutions during construction.
- Fire resistance classification: State the full classification code, including the criterion (EI1, EI2, or EW) and the duration in minutes. Always distinguish EI1 from EI2 — these are not interchangeable.
- Opening dimensions: Clear width, clear height, and any tolerance requirements.
- Operational requirements: Self-closing, hold-open, automation, integration with alarm systems.
- Installation conditions: Wall type, structural surround, floor condition.
- Documentation requirements: CE declaration of performance, classification report, EPD, installation instructions.
How do you determine the correct fire resistance classification for an opening?
The correct fire resistance classification for a specific opening is determined by a project-specific fire safety calculation, not by a blanket rule tied to building type or year of construction. The BBL (Besluit Bouwwerken Leefomgeving, formerly the Bouwbesluit) sets only the absolute minimum requirements. A heavier classification than the BBL minimum may be required for a number of distinct reasons: the project deviates from standard building regulations, a sector-specific regulation such as PGS15 mandates a stricter classification, the insurer requires it, or the client sets an above-statutory requirement. The cause always determines the appropriate response — there is no single fixed classification that applies universally.
This is one of the most common misunderstandings in fire door specification. Architects sometimes assume a standard classification applies to all warehouses or all production halls. In reality, the required classification depends on the fire compartment layout, the occupancy, the contents, the escape route design, and any additional requirements imposed by the authority having jurisdiction or the insurer. For complex projects, consult a qualified fire safety engineer or contact Metacon-Next directly rather than relying on general rules.
The distinction between EI1, EI2, and EW is particularly important to get right at specification stage. These classifications are defined under EN 13501-2, which covers fire resistance performance of closed door assemblies. EW is the Dutch standard baseline criterion: the door blocks flames and hot gases (E) and limits radiant heat transfer through the door (W). EI2 goes further by also limiting the temperature rise on the unexposed side, using a less strict insulation threshold. EI1 applies the strictest insulation criterion, requiring the unexposed face to remain below a lower temperature limit than EI2. These are not interchangeable classifications, and substituting one for another without engineering justification creates a compliance gap.
For complex industrial projects, the fire safety calculation is typically produced by a fire safety engineer working alongside the design team. The architect’s role is to specify the door in line with that calculation and to confirm that the product selected by the contractor actually carries the classification stated in the calculation report, not an approximation of it.
What does CE certification mean for a fire door in a tender?
CE certification for a fire door means the product has been tested and classified in accordance with EN 1634-1 and that the manufacturer issues a Declaration of Performance confirming the door meets the stated fire resistance classification under EN 13501-2. In a tender context, CE certification is the baseline proof of compliance that allows a fire door to be legally placed on the European market and specified in a permit-ready design.
For industrial fire doors, two CE marking standards apply simultaneously: EN 16034, which covers fire- and smoke-resisting closing elements, and EN 13241, which applies to all industrial doors regardless of fire rating. These two standards are not interchangeable — both are mandatory, and content or documentation that presents only one of them gives an incomplete picture of compliance.
CE marking alone does not confirm that a specific product meets the classification stated in your specification. The Declaration of Performance lists the classification achieved in testing. The architect or specification writer must verify that the declared classification matches or exceeds the requirement in the fire safety calculation for that opening. Always check that the declared classification explicitly states EI1, EI2, or EW — never accept a declaration that refers to “EI” without the qualifying suffix, as EI1 and EI2 represent meaningfully different performance levels.
Independent testing by a recognised body such as Efectis adds a further layer of confidence. When a manufacturer’s classification report references an accredited test laboratory, the result is traceable and verifiable. This matters during permitting and during any post-construction fire safety inspection, where the authority may request evidence that the installed product was independently verified.
For architects working on projects with environmental certification requirements such as BREEAM or LEED, CE certification is necessary but not sufficient. Those schemes increasingly require Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) to document the environmental impact of specified materials. Confirming that a manufacturer can supply both the CE documentation and an EPD before finalising the specification saves significant time later. Metacon-Next’s fire-rated product range includes EPDs for most product lines, making it straightforward to meet this requirement at specification stage.
Which technical documents should a manufacturer supply at tender stage?
At tender stage, a fire door manufacturer should supply the CE Declaration of Performance, the full classification report referencing the relevant test standards (EN 1634-1 for fire resistance testing, EN 1634-3 for smoke control testing where applicable), installation instructions, dimensional data sheets, and an EPD where one exists. Requesting these documents before awarding the tender is standard due diligence and protects the design team from documentation gaps that surface during permitting or handover.
The classification report is the most critical document. It records the exact test conditions, the product configuration tested, and the classification achieved under EN 13501-2. If the product supplied during construction differs from the configuration in the classification report, the CE declaration is no longer valid for that installation. Architects should specify that the classification report must be provided with the tender response, not requested after order placement.
Installation instructions matter more than many specification writers realise. A fire door that is installed incorrectly loses its classification, regardless of the quality of the product itself. Specifying that installation instructions must be available in the project language, and that the installer must follow them, creates a contractual basis for quality control during construction.
Transparency about documentation availability is itself a differentiating factor among manufacturers. Metacon-Next publishes certificates, classification reports, and EPDs openly on its website, which means architects can verify documentation independently before even contacting the company. This removes the delay caused by chasing documentation through a sales process.
How do custom dimensions affect fire door specification in industrial projects?
Custom dimensions affect fire door specification because a door can only carry its stated fire resistance classification within the dimensional limits defined in its classification report. If a required opening falls outside those limits, the manufacturer must either hold an extended field of application (EXAP) assessment under EN 15269 or have conducted additional testing that covers the required dimensions. This must be confirmed before the door is specified.
Industrial projects routinely require openings that exceed the dimensions covered by standard product tests. Logistics centres need wide openings for forklift and internal transport traffic. Production halls may have tall openings for overhead equipment or large goods movement. These are not edge cases — they are the norm in industrial construction, and the specification must account for them explicitly.
When specifying a fire door for a non-standard opening, the tender document should require the manufacturer to confirm in writing that the proposed product, at the specified dimensions, is covered by a valid classification report or EXAP assessment under EN 15269. A manufacturer who cannot provide this confirmation cannot legally supply a compliant product for that opening, regardless of what their catalogue states.
Working with a manufacturer that has in-house R&D and a broad product range simplifies this process considerably. Custom dimensions can be evaluated against existing test data, and in some cases additional configurations have already been tested to extend the applicable dimensional range. The fire-rated industrial doors from Metacon-Next are available for openings that standard products cannot accommodate, with full technical documentation to support the specification.
For architects who need to work through dimensional options quickly, access to a product configurator that only presents combinations that are manufacturable and normatively valid removes the risk of specifying something that cannot be delivered. This kind of tool reduces the back-and-forth between the design team and the manufacturer that typically slows down the specification process on complex industrial projects.
If you are working on a new construction project and need to confirm whether a specific opening can be met with a certified fire door, contact Metacon-Next directly or request a quotation with your dimensional and classification requirements. Full technical documentation is available from the outset, so your specification file is complete before the tender goes out.
Locations where a change was made:
- Paragraph under “What does CE certification mean for a fire door in a tender?” (second paragraph of that section): “EN 13241-1” changed to “EN 13241” in the sentence referring to the CE marking standard that applies to all industrial doors regardless of fire rating.