Fire doors are a crucial part of safety design in any building: they serve to separate the blaze and resulting gasses from the people trying to escape them, and they limit the fire’s expansion, making it easier to control and extinguish. They are also a legal requirement in South Africa – all buildings need to comply with the regulations as set out in SANS 10400: Part T – Fire Protection Act. Fire Doors must comply with SANS 1253 (Door & Frame)
A door’s class indicates how well it fares under three criteria:
Different classes of fire doors
Class A fire door is a 1-hour door with a fire-resistant core panel and the following ratings:
Class B fire door is a 2-hour door with a fire-resistant core panel and the following ratings:
Class B fire doors help keep fire from spreading through large chambers of a building, making them ideal for use in elevator shafts and stairwells.
Class C fire door is a 2-hour fire door with the following ratings:
Class C fire doors are most commonly used as room doors or in openings into corridors.
Class D fire door is a 2-hour fire door with a fire-resistant core that can withstand an impact test with a mass of 27kg without creating an opening wider than 25mm between the door and the frame. It has the following ratings:
Class D fire doors are tested to withstand impacts such as flying debris from explosions, and are typically used in external applications.
Class E fire door is a solid door with either a chipboard or solid laminated timber core and the following ratings:
Class E fire doors are commonly used for front doors to (Res 3) multi unit flats of not more than 3 floors high , and to provide a fire barrier in residential homes between the garage and the rest of the home.
Class F fire door is a solid door with either a chipboard or solid laminated timber core and the no fire-resistant core panel and the following ratings:
All fire doors offered by Swartland are Class E-rated (SANS 1253). The range comprises internal fire doors as well as Class 1-rated (SANS 545) Full External classification doors – doors that are resistant to fire and can withstand exposure to the elements, and so can be installed outside.
Other considerations
If you purchase the door only. It is imperative that all components, without exception, are of a reliable standard that complies with the minimum requirements administered by the South African Bureau of Standards. Everything from the fire door frame to the associated hardware – such as hinges, locks and handles – must be fitted in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications.
The door frame is particularly important: a fire door needs to be fitted into a purpose-built fire-resistant frame, which is sold separately from the door. Swartland offers a 30-minute fire-rated timber door frame, specifically designed to complement its range of fire doors. This frame is an 86mm x 67mm section (similar to Swartland’s Cape Culture frame) but has a 25mm rebate (and not the standard 12mm rebate).
Alternatively a 1,6mm steel door frame must be fitted, also with a 25mm rebate.
About the Swartland
STARTING SMALL, THINKING BIG
The Swartland story began in 1951 with Oupa Hanekom in the small town of Moorreesburg – no more than a few wheat fields north of Cape Town. He started supplying the local community with hardware and electrical goods, but Oupa’s ambitions lay far beyond the boundaries of Moorreesburg. It wasn’t long before joinery became Swartland’s specialty.
When Oupa’s son, Oom Jurgens, took over the reins, he brought new ideas to the business. One of them was his personal philosophy of “continuous improvement”. Today, under the leadership of the third generation of Hanekoms – Jurie, James, and Hans – this desire to improve constantly is an integral part of the Swartland culture. It’s a place where traditional values such as hard work and pride live in harmony with new technology and inspired ideas.
The results speak for themselves: our windows and doors are crafted to perfection and manufactured to last. All ranges offer the leading products in their class, and all are backed by knowledgeable national service teams.
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