Getting FD30 fire doors right in March
From the PE15 postcode district outwards, we take on FD30 fire doors across March for homes, blocks and workplaces.
Around March, small blocks of flats, care homes and small offices all depend on fire doors that close, latch and seal. We survey each opening and tell you plainly which doors need work and which don't.
In March, FD30 doors are the usual choice for escape-route corridors, stairs and kitchen doors where the fire strategy asks for 30 minutes. For a mixed portfolio in March, we can survey every FD30 opening in one visit and price leaf-only and doorset options side by side.
What does a correct FD30 installation include?
A typical timber FD30 leaf is around 44mm thick and hangs on at least three fire-tested hinges. The gaps between leaf and frame are set to the manufacturer's data, usually around 3mm. Intumescent strips, and smoke seals where needed, go in the frame or leaf edge as specified. The closer must pull the door shut and latch it from any angle. Every hole cut for a lock, latch or hinge is lined with intumescent material where the certification calls for it.
Then comes the part that is often skipped: sealing the gap between the frame and the wall with a tested material, as BS 8214:2026 now sets out in more detail.
What you get:
- Survey of the opening, frame and existing ironmongery
- Intumescent strips and smoke seals to the certification
- Overhead closer set to close and latch
- Frame-to-wall gap sealed with an evidenced material
The regulations behind fire doors in March
In March, as elsewhere in England, the starting point is the Fire Safety Order 2005: whoever controls a workplace or the shared parts of a residential block must make sure its fire doors work. When doors are replaced, the Building Regulations and Approved Document B set the standard the new work has to meet.
Blocks above 11 metres have a specific routine under regulation 10 of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022: quarterly checks of communal fire doors and annual best-endeavours checks of flat front doors. If your March building is a higher-risk building under the Building Safety Act 2022, we confirm the approval route with the Principal Accountable Person before any work is ordered.
Who needs FD30 fire doors in March?
From offices to blocks of flats, the requirement for FD30 fire doors in March comes from the fire strategy or risk assessment for the building. We work from that document, or help you interpret your inspection report, before quoting.
What happens after you enquire
- Measure the opening, check the frame and confirm the rating needed
- Order a certified leaf or doorset to size, with matching components
- Remove the old door and assess the frame or structural opening
- Fix the frame and hang the leaf to the certified gap tolerances
- Fit seals, hinges, latch, closer and signage, then test close-and-latch
- Seal the frame-to-wall gap, make good and record the evidence
Guide prices in March
As a guide, budget £300–£600 for a leaf into a sound existing frame; £650–£1,300 for a doorset, ex VAT for FD30 fire doors. The figure for your March building depends on the number of doors, the rating, the condition of the frames, finishes, hardware and access. We confirm a fixed price after the free survey.
Nearby areas we cover from March
Nearby towns we cover include Wisbech, Ely and Peterborough. Distance from March does not change our guide prices, and the survey and quote are free.
Questions from March
Do you cover PE15 and nearby postcodes?
Yes. We cover March including PE15, and nearby towns such as Wisbech and Ely. The survey and written quote are free.
Can you work from an existing inspection report for my March building?
Yes. Send it over and we can often price straight from it, then confirm on site. We report back against the same door references so you can close actions off.
Can a new FD30 door go into my old frame?
Sometimes. The frame has to be sound, square, securely fixed and compatible with the new leaf's certification. Many older frames are not, especially softwood linings or frames altered for previous doors. We check each frame on the survey and recommend a doorset only where the frame cannot be relied on.
Do FD30 doors need a closer?
Most do. Doors on escape routes, flat entrance doors and doors in the common parts of buildings need a self-closing device that shuts and latches the door. Some doors inside houses and locked riser doors are exceptions, depending on the fire strategy.