Firstly, Ironmongery can only be used on a fire door if the global assessment that the door has been manufactured to stipulates it can be used, or it’ll say something like it can be fitted ‘providing the product has demonstrated contribution to the required integrity performance of this type of doorset’
Shockingly, we see it time and time again where ironmongery items are specified for use in fire doors that are not up to standard, and may not even have fire test evidence!
Just because an Ironmongery supplier has told you that the hinges, locks, flush bolts etc. are fire rated, you cannot take this as being correct.
For this reason alone, we would strongly recommend you do not take the advice from an ironmongery supplier about what can and cannot be used. You should contact your door manufacturer who will be able to check the global assessments that your doors are being manufactured under and give you the correct answer.
For example, take a mortice and tenon constructed panel door, which are some of the doors we can manufacture up to an FD60 rating. In the certificate for these doors it specifically states;
‘Concealed head mounted closers are not acceptable for the use with this door design since they remove a substantial portion of the head rail and weaken the mortice and tenon joint’
However, you can purchase concealed head mounted closers that have been fire tested, so it wouldn’t be unreasonable for someone to think that one could be used in this door construction, but clearly the certification states that it cannot be used so if one were to be installed then the chances are that this door would now fail in a fire.
This was a real example and was quite clear that these closers had been installed on many of this type of door, incorrectly, and it was only when we where asked to install some that we brought this to the attention of the installers.
A fire resisting doorset without correctly specified or fitted Ironmongery will not perform in a fire they way it should, so make sure you check with the door manufacturer before you next install Ironmongery on a fire door. Its not something that should be over looked.