Fire doors: regulations, EI classification and obligations

The framework for fire doors is read across three distinct reference frameworks depending on the nature of the building.

• ERT (establishments receiving workers): Labour Code Title I (R4216-1 et seq., the client’s obligations at the design stage) and Title II (R4227-28 to R4227-32, maintenance of doors on protected escape routes).
• ERP (public-access buildings): safety regulations (decree of 25 June 1980 as amended), articles CO 47 (double-leaf doors from 50 occupants), CO 50 (opening in the direction of evacuation), CO 47 to CO 60 on compartmentation.
• IGH (high-rise buildings): articles GH ER 33 to 37 (decree of 30 December 2011), CF 2-hour walls (CF120) between compartments of 750 m² maximum.

Fire resistance is measured in minutes and breaks down into four common classes: EI30, EI60, EI90, EI120. Three markers identify a compliant door in operation: NF certification label, intumescent seal housed in the rebate and CE marking since 1 September 2019. For doors predating this deadline, Kytom requires at a minimum the NF label, the intumescent seal and the classification test report archived in the SSI identity file.

Kytom’s position, a deliberate departure from professional orthodoxy: the industry bumps up the EI rating by one notch as a precaution against the inspection office. On an office floor under 500 m² with no special-risk areas, requiring EI60 on standard doors significantly increases the budget per leaf with no regulatory added value. The supporting partition must then be re-rated to CF 1 hour, which multiplies the extra cost. Our rule: calibrate the EI class to the minimum rating required by the applicable reference framework, with supporting documentation, and present the test report to the inspection office rather than yielding to the escalation of caution.

Floor compartmentation and the inseparable door/wall pairing

Two operational rules structure partitioning in French office space.

1. Compartmentation of floors above 500 m²: access to these floors requires 1-hour fire doors (EI60), with automatic closing coordinated with the category A SSI according to the principles of technical instruction IT 247. Triggering responds to fire detection, the door closes without human intervention and restores compartmentation.
2. Length of dead-end escape route: the distance of a dead end is limited to 10 metres under article R4216-9. This rule governs the position of escape doors and the layout of open-plan floors.

The door/wall pairing is inseparable: an EI60 door fitted on a partition of a lower rating loses its regulatory value. The approved inspection office refuses any mismatch, and sizing is carried out jointly according to the test reference framework applicable to fire door assemblies and the manufacturer’s test report. A significant proportion of the reservations cleared at site handover concern a disconnected closing device or a door closer removed by occupants. The door closer is required on the vast majority of EI30 and higher configurations; its removal during operation constitutes a regulatory non-compliance under the employer’s fire safety obligations and blocks the clearing of reservations.

Operational limitation: on high-traffic circulation doors, the conventional mechanical door closer quickly goes out of adjustment and the door ends up staying open. The answer is not to remove the device but to switch to a door with closing controlled by a DAS (safety-actuated device) with an electromagnetic hold-open released upon detection. This solution prevents circumvention by occupants while preserving the EI value.

For the architect and the IRB: integrate the fire door into the project, rather than having it imposed at handover

The subject is addressed late in a majority of projects, which generates three consequences for the architect and the IRB: rework of door frames in finishing that is uncoordinated with the partition layout, an exposed door closer that spoils the entrance sequence, and inspection office reservations at the end of the project that push back delivery by 3 to 6 weeks.

The Kytom reading for the project manager comes down to three operational points.

1. Specification at the APD stage: the EI class, the CF rating of the supporting partition and the type of door closer (mechanical or DAS-controlled) are settled at the detailed design stage, in coordination with the inspection office. A late decision on these specifications systematically generates significant extra costs on the interior joinery package.
2. Architectural consistency: a fire test report exists for the vast majority of common finishes (wood veneer, laminate, lacquer). The manufacturer’s argument imposing a standard technical finish is rarely justified, except on EI120 where references become scarce. Kytom keeps an up-to-date list of test reports by finish and provides it to the architecture firm in the APS phase.
3. SSI layout: the position of EI60 doors governs the routing of IT 247 detection loops and the placement of hold-opens. A door moved by 80 cm in the EXE phase can require SSI rewiring of 3 to 5 days.

For the IRB: on partial restructuring operations, the EI class / cost / schedule trade-off is decided in the diagnostic phase. Our project manager works with the prospective inspection office before the programme is frozen.

The four-step Kytom contractual method

The Kytom approach breaks down into four contractual steps, over an average timeframe of 12 weeks based on our field experience.

1. Regulatory audit: a project manager qualifies the classification (ERT, ERP, IGH), identifies special-risk areas, transformer rooms, boiler rooms, lift machinery, main low-voltage switchboards (TGBT), kitchens above 20 kW, archives, storerooms, areas holding more than 150 litres of flammable liquids, and sets the required EI ratings between EI30 and EI120.
2. Coordinated design: architect, NF-certified manufacturer and approved inspection office validate the door/wall consistency. The supporting partition is sized up to CF 2 hours.
3. Installation and inspection: verification of the intumescent seals