The BS 476 phase-out: what it means for your fire doors

Most fire doors installed in UK buildings today were tested to a British Standard first written in 1987. That standard, BS 476 Part 22, is now being retired. The government is removing it from Approved Document B in stages, with the final references to national fire resistance classifications due to go on 2 September 2029. From that point, European test standards will be the only route recognised in the guidance for demonstrating fire performance in new building work in England.

If you are responsible for a building full of doors tested to BS 476, the obvious question is whether they are still compliant, and whether you need to do anything. The short answer: your installed doors do not become non-compliant, but the change does affect how new and replacement doors are specified, and it makes good records more valuable than ever. This article covers what the two standards are, the timeline for the switch, what it means for existing doors, and what to check now.

Two standards, one job

For decades the UK has run a dual system for testing fire doors. BS 476-22 is the British method: a doorset is mounted in a furnace and graded by how long it holds back fire, giving the familiar FD30 and FD60 ratings you can read more about in our guide to fire door ratings.

BS EN 1634-1 is the European equivalent, first published around 2000. It tests the same thing but with a more demanding method: differences in how temperature is measured and how furnace pressure is set mean a door that passes BS 476-22 will not automatically pass EN 1634-1. Results feed into the European classification system, BS EN 13501-2, which describes performance using letters and minutes rather than FD ratings: E for integrity (holding back flames and hot gases) and EI for integrity plus insulation (also limiting temperature rise on the unexposed face). So a 30 minute door becomes E 30 or EI 30 rather than FD30, with an additional Sa or S200 marking where smoke control is tested.

Both routes have been acceptable under Approved Document B for years. That is what is now ending.

The timeline

The withdrawal is not a single cliff edge. It is a staged programme, confirmed by the government in September 2024 and written into the amendments to Approved Document B:

• 2 March 2025: the national classes for reaction to fire and roof performance were removed, moving those areas onto the European classification system.
• 30 September 2026: the next set of amendments takes effect, covering second staircases and evacuation lift design. We cover these in our article on the 2026 amendments.
• 2 September 2029: the remaining references to BS 476 for fire resistance are removed. After this date, only the European standards define fire performance in the guidance, including for fire doors.

The gap between announcement and 2029 is deliberate. Manufacturers of fire door assemblies need the coexistence period to re-test product ranges to the European method, a programme of work the industry has described as substantial. Certification bodies have been updating their schemes to match, which connects to the wider push for third-party certification covered in our guide to certification schemes.

Do your existing doors need replacing?

No. Approved Document B is guidance for building work, not a maintenance regime for buildings in occupation. A door tested to BS 476-22, correctly installed and in good condition, does not stop being a fire door in 2029. Nothing in the phase-out creates a duty to rip out and replace doors that were compliant when installed.

What governs your installed doors is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005: the fire risk assessment, and the routine checking regime under Regulation 10 where it applies. A BS 476 test certificate remains valid evidence of what that door achieved when tested. The condition of the door today, its gaps, seals, closer and hardware, is what your inspections exist to confirm.

There is one honest caveat. Because EN 1634-1 is generally the tougher test, assessors and insurers may over time come to view European-tested doors as the benchmark, particularly in higher-risk buildings. That is a gradual shift in expectations, not a legal requirement, and it is another reason to keep clear evidence of what each door is and how it has performed.

What changes in practice

The practical effects land when doors are specified, replaced or added:

• New building work started under the guidance after 2 September 2029 will need doors tested and classified to the European standards. Projects in the pipeline should check the transitional arrangements to confirm which edition of the guidance applies.
• Replacement doors in existing buildings should increasingly come with EN 1634-1 test evidence and a BS EN 13501-2 classification. Expect product literature, labels and certificates to use E and EI language alongside, and eventually instead of, FD ratings.
• Record keeping needs to handle both. For years to come, most buildings will hold a mix of BS 476 doors and EN-classified doors. Your fire door register should record which standard each door was tested to, and the certification evidence behind it, so the golden thread stays intact as the estate changes. Our guide on spotting a certified fire door covers where to find this evidence on the door itself.

It is also worth noting that BS 8214:2026, the code of practice for fire door installation and maintenance, already reflects the direction of travel, so installation practice and testing standards are moving together.

What to check now

Three sensible steps, none of them urgent, all of them easier done early. First, make sure your fire door register records the test standard and certification reference for each door, where known. Second, when specifying replacements, ask suppliers for EN 1634-1 evidence so new doors are ahead of the change rather than behind it. Third, brief whoever handles procurement so FD and E/EI ratings are understood as describing the same job through different systems, and doors are compared like for like.

How DoorTRACE helps

A standards transition spread over years is exactly the kind of thing that gets lost in spreadsheets and filing cabinets. DoorTRACE gives you a digital register of every fire door with its rating, certification reference and full inspection history in one place, so you always know which doors carry which test evidence and can show it when asked. If you want to see how it works for your buildings, get in touch.