The fire door class you need depends on the fire resistance duration and insulation criterion required for the specific opening in your project. In the Netherlands, the BBL (Besluit Bouwwerken Leefomgeving, formerly Bouwbesluit) sets minimum requirements, but project-specific fire safety calculations, sector regulations, and client or insurer requirements often determine the actual classification. This article unpacks the key classifications, how requirements are determined, and what documentation you need to close your specification file.<\/p>\n
EI1, EI2, and EW are three distinct fire resistance classifications for doors under EN 13501-2, each describing a different combination of integrity and insulation performance. EI classifications guarantee both integrity (E) and insulation (I), while EW guarantees integrity (E) and limits radiant heat transfer through the door \u2014 EW is the Dutch standard baseline criterion. The number that follows (30, 60, 90, and so on) indicates the duration in minutes for which the door maintains that performance.<\/p>\n
The distinction between EI1 and EI2 is frequently overlooked but matters significantly in specification. EI2 is the less strict insulation criterion: the temperature on the unexposed face of the door may not rise by more than 180 K on average or 220 K at any single point. EI1 applies a stricter criterion, limiting the average temperature rise to a lower threshold. EI1 is typically required when people must be able to approach or touch the door surface during evacuation, such as in certain healthcare or public building scenarios.<\/p>\n
EW classifications are the Dutch standard baseline criterion. An EW door limits radiant heat transfer on the unexposed side but does not control surface temperature. This is sufficient for many industrial openings where the primary concern is containing fire and preventing flame spread, rather than protecting people in immediate contact with the door surface.<\/p>\n
When specifying, never use EI without stating whether it is EI1 or EI2. They represent meaningfully different performance levels, and a supplier or installer who conflates them is a risk to your specification.<\/p>\n
Contact us<\/a>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n The required fire door class for a specific opening is determined through a project-specific fire safety calculation, not by reading a single table in a regulation. The fire safety engineer on your project translates the building’s use, occupancy, compartment layout, and escape route design into performance requirements for each fire-separating element, including doors. That calculation is the authoritative source for what classification applies to each opening.<\/p>\n Several layers of requirements feed into that calculation:<\/p>\n As the specifying architect, your role is to record the classification determined by the fire safety engineer and source a product that demonstrably meets it. A manufacturer like Metacon-Next<\/a> can supply CE-certified doors with independently tested classification reports that map directly to the classification in your specification.<\/p>\n The BBL sets minimum fire resistance durations for fire-separating elements, expressed in minutes, based on the function and height of the building. For most industrial and commercial buildings, the BBL prescribes a minimum fire resistance of 30 or 60 minutes for compartment-separating elements, with doors in those elements required to meet a corresponding classification. The BBL establishes a floor, not a ceiling, and does not prescribe a fixed classification per building type in every case.<\/p>\n One important nuance: the BBL uses EW as its baseline insulation criterion for many applications. This means a door classified as EW 60 can satisfy the regulatory minimum in many industrial scenarios. Whether EI2 or EI1 is required instead depends on the specific application, the fire safety calculation, and any additional requirements layered on top of the BBL \u2014 such as a project deviation, a sector regulation like PGS15, or a client or insurer requirement.<\/p>\n For renovation and change-of-use projects, the BBL applies differently than for new construction. Existing buildings are assessed against the requirements for the new intended use, and the level of intervention required depends on the extent of the change. Fire safety engineers and building permit authorities determine what applies in each case. Never assume that a door that was compliant under a previous use remains compliant after a change of function.<\/p>\n In industrial and logistics buildings, EW 60 and EI2-60 are among the most commonly encountered classifications, though the actual requirement always follows from the project-specific fire safety calculation. Warehouses and distribution centres with large fire compartments often require 60-minute fire resistance on compartment boundaries. Production halls with hazardous materials or specific process risks may require 90-minute classifications or higher, depending on the outcome of the fire safety calculation for that project.<\/p>\n For logistics buildings, the size of fire compartments is a key driver. Large halls that exceed the maximum compartment area prescribed by the BBL require compensating measures, and upgraded fire door classifications on internal separations may be one tool used \u2014 but the appropriate classification in any given case depends on the project’s fire compartmentalisation calculation, which a qualified fire safety engineer must determine. Forklift passages and wide openings present an additional challenge: the door must meet the fire resistance classification while accommodating the operational demands of internal transport. Roller doors and sliding doors designed for industrial use can meet both requirements when correctly specified and certified.<\/p>\n For production environments with continuous internal traffic, automatic fire doors with magnetic hold-open devices are a practical solution. These doors remain open during normal operations and close automatically upon alarm activation. They must be connected to the fire detection system and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s requirements to remain compliant. The Metacon-Next product range<\/a> includes fire-rated roller doors and sliding doors designed for high-throughput industrial environments, with fire resistance classes including EI2-90 available depending on the product type.<\/p>\n A fire door meets its stated classification when it carries a CE marking supported by an independently tested classification report from a notified body, accompanied by a Declaration of Performance (DoP). Together, these documents prove that the door was tested to EN 1634-1 and that the tested configuration matches what is being installed on your project. For industrial fire doors, CE marking is governed simultaneously by EN 16034 (fire and smoke resisting closing elements) and EN 13241 (industrial doors generally) \u2014 both standards apply and neither replaces the other. An EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) is increasingly required for BREEAM and LEED projects and should be available at the specification stage.<\/p>\n The documents you should request before specifying a fire door are:<\/p>\n Metacon-Next publishes all of this documentation openly. Classification reports, CE declarations, and EPDs are available without requiring a formal request or waiting for a sales conversation. This matters during specification: you need to verify compliance at the drawing stage, not after order placement. If a supplier cannot provide the full documentation set upfront, that is a specification risk you carry as the responsible designer. You can review the available documentation directly through the Metacon-Next company profile<\/a> or contact the team for project-specific technical support.<\/p>\n Contact us<\/a>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n Specifying above the regulatory minimum is justified when the fire safety calculation, the client’s operational requirements, or the insurer’s conditions point to a higher risk profile than the BBL minimum addresses. It is not automatically the right decision, and it should not be used as a precautionary default without a clear technical rationale. Over-specification adds cost without necessarily improving safety outcomes if the rest of the fire strategy is calibrated to the minimum.<\/p>\n There are, however, legitimate reasons to specify above the minimum. If the building houses high-value assets, hazardous materials, or processes that cannot be interrupted by fire damage, the client’s insurer may require a higher classification as a condition of coverage. If the compartment layout means that a fire in one zone could escalate rapidly into adjacent areas, a 90-minute classification on internal separations provides a longer window for intervention. And if the building is designed for a use that may change over its lifetime, specifying above the minimum at the outset avoids costly retrofitting later.<\/p>\n The decision should always be grounded in the fire safety strategy developed by the fire safety engineer, not in a general preference for higher numbers. A door classified EI2-90 installed where EW 60 is sufficient does not make a building safer if the overall fire strategy is not designed to that level. Specify what the project requires, document why, and ensure the product you select is independently tested to that classification.<\/p>\n If you are working through a specification and need to match a fire door product to a defined classification, the Metacon-Next product range<\/a> covers EI2-30, EI2-60, EI2-90, EI2-120, EI1-60, EI1-120, EW 60, EW 90, EW 120, and EW 240 across multiple door types, with full technical documentation available for each. For project-specific questions or to request a quotation, you can reach the team directly via the quotation request page<\/a> or the contact page<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" EW, EI1, or EI2 \u2014 discover which fire door classification your project actually requires and why.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":27691,"template":"","categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27365","knowledge-base","type-knowledge-base","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nHow is the required fire door class determined for a project?<\/h2>\n
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What does the BBL actually prescribe for fire doors?<\/h2>\n
Which fire door class is typically required for industrial and logistics buildings?<\/h2>\n
What documentation proves a fire door meets the required class?<\/h2>\n
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Should I specify a higher fire door class than the minimum required?<\/h2>\n