Aluminum Fire Doors and Windows - Legal Requirements, Selection, Applications

Aluminum fire doors and windows play a key role in ensuring fire safety of buildings. Thanks to the durability, aesthetics and lightness of aluminum, these structures are gaining popularity in modern construction. Below we present current legal requirements, selection principles and specific examples of applications in various facilities.

Applicable legal provisions - basic acts and standards

Fire-resistant doors and windows in Poland are subject to, among others:

• Regulation of the Minister of Infrastructure (Journal of Laws of 2019, item 1065) – “Technical conditions to be met by buildings and their location”;
• Fire Protection Act (Journal of Laws of 2021, item 869);
• European standards:
  • PN-EN 13501-2:2016 – Fire classification of construction products;
  • PN-EN 1634-1:2014 – Fire resistance tests for doors and opening closures;
  • PN-EN 1364-1:2015 – Fire resistance tests for non-load-bearing elements.

Fire resistance classes of aluminum doors and windows

Fire doors and windows are classified based on:

• E (fire tightness) - preventing the passage of flames and hot gases,
• I (fire insulation) - limiting the temperature increase on the unheated side,
• W (limitation of thermal radiation) — reduction of thermal radiation.

The most commonly used classes for aluminum: EI30, EI60, EI120 (30, 60 or 120 minutes of protection).

Principles for selecting fire-resistant doors and windows

Selection of structure depending on location:

• Fire zones: doors in walls separating fire zones must have an EI class not lower than the wall.
• Escape routes: the most common minimum requirement is EI30 and smoke tightness Sa or Sm.
• Load-bearing walls: doors with fire resistance equal to the wall (in practice EI = REI of the wall, except in some cases - see explanation at the end).
• Opening width and direction: emergency doors must open in the direction of evacuation and have an appropriate width in accordance with evacuation standards.

Smoke tightness – an important addition to fire protection

In the event of a fire, smoke is the main hazard on evacuation routes. Therefore, increasingly, fire doors must also meet smoke-tightness requirements:

• Sa (smoke tight at ambient temperature)
• Sm (smoke tightness at elevated temperature of 200°C)

Is it always necessary to meet the EI fire resistance criteria for doors used in escape routes?

Does every emergency door have to be EI class?

• Not every emergency exit door needs to be EI rated, but if it is located in a fire-resistant partition, then yes.
• The regulations state clearly:
  • doors on escape routes must be of adequate width, open outwards, and be easy to open (e.g. anti-panic handles).
  • Class EI is only required when the door also serves as fire separation (zone or smoke control).
• Example:
  • entrance door to a smoke-ventilated staircase must have EI + Sa.
  • doors to the exterior of the building at ground level - do not need to have EI.

In certain situations (e.g. in the case of doors or display windows installed in partitions of REI class) is it necessary to adopt a fire resistance class EI higher for these elements than the fire resistance class of the partition in which they are installed?

Is it possible that EI doors have a higher class than the REI of the partition?

• Yes, such cases do occur.
• This results from the PN-EN 13501-2 standard and the logic of fire tests:
  • A load-bearing wall is tested as REI because its load-bearing capacity (R) is tested.
  • Doors are not load-bearing elements, so only EI is tested.
  • Since doors are usually the weakest point of a partition, it is often assumed that doors should have an EI equal to the REI class of the wall or higher (due to the higher risk of loss of tightness and insulation at the door/partition interface).
• Practical example:
  • Wall REI 60 - door EI60 (min.)
  • REI 120 wall — EI120 door (sometimes a higher class is adopted by design to increase safety, e.g. in hospitals or industrial halls).

Key Note on EI and REI Classes

• Not all emergency exit doors need to be EI class if they do not serve as fire separation.
• Doors in REI class partitions usually have an EI class equal to the REI class of the partition (e.g. REI60 – EI60 doors).
• In design practice, EI doors are sometimes selected higher than the REI partition class to increase safety, especially in high-risk facilities (hospitals, hazardous warehouses, large shopping malls).

In most cases, EI30-Sa or EI60-Sa class doors are required on escape routes.

Examples of use in different types of buildings

Function of fire doors on escape routes

Fire doors on escape routes:

• They ensure the safe evacuation of people,
• They separate the source of fire from evacuation zones,
• They limit the passage of smoke,
• They protect traffic routes from high temperatures,
• They are an element of active fire safety management of buildings.

Assembly and certification

All fire doors and windows must be installed by certified contractors in accordance with the manufacturer's guidelines to maintain full fire resistance.

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fire doors, fireproof windows, aluminum fire doors, fire resistance classes, smokeproof, evacuation routes