FD30 fire doors: our service in Essex
For FD30 fire doors anywhere in Essex, one team handles the survey, supply, installation and handover, covering Southend-on-Sea, Basildon, Colchester and the rest of the county.
Each FD30 leaf we supply for Essex is sized for the opening, rather than trimmed beyond what its certification allows. For a mixed portfolio in Essex, we can survey every FD30 opening in one visit and price leaf-only and doorset options side by side.
Essex has a mix of buildings, from purpose-built blocks to converted houses and commercial premises. We tailor the programme to the building, not the other way round.
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.
The regulations behind fire doors in Essex
The rules that apply to fire doors in Essex are England's. The responsible person under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 must keep fire doors in non-domestic premises and the common parts of flats in working order; the Fire Safety Act 2021 confirmed that this includes flat entrance doors onto common parts.
Where a Essex block is above 11 metres, regulation 10 of the 2022 regulations means communal doors are checked every three months and flat entrance doors annually on a best-endeavours basis. Replacement doors must also satisfy the Building Regulations, with Approved Document B as the guidance most building control bodies work from.
Our process in Essex
- 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
Prices for FD30 fire doors in Essex
Guide pricing for FD30 fire doors: £300–£600 for a leaf into a sound existing frame; £650–£1,300 for a doorset, ex VAT. Volume work across several doors in one Essex building usually brings the per-door cost down. Your written quote is fixed once we have surveyed.
Common questions
Do you provide FD30 fire doors across Essex?
Yes. We cover all of Essex, including Southend-on-Sea and Basildon. Surveys and written quotes are free.
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.