What Kinds of Buildings Need Fire Rated Doors?

Fire rated doors are doors designed to keep smoke and fire out of an area for a designated amount of time, usually between 20 and 90 minutes. Of course, different buildings require different amounts of time — while one office building might be satisfied with 45-minute doors, a more at-risk factory would probably prefer doors built to withstand the full 90 minutes.

Rated doors are more common in commercial buildings than residential homes, although the needs vary dramatically per space. Some buildings only require fire rated doors for their emergency exit stairwells, while others will want nearly all of their doors to be fire rated. Overall, fire rated doors are most frequently used in public buildings, offices, and communal living areas such as dormitories.

Fortunately, fire rated doors aren't all function — they are also available in a variety of attractive forms, featuring MDF, stile and rail, and flush wood materials. And like any custom wood doors, fire rated doors can be modified to include any combination of glass, hardware, veneers, and more. They can even be certified under LEED criteria!