A glazed fire door has one or more panes of fire-rated glass fitted in a tested glazing system: the glass, beads, glazing seals and fixings proven together in the door's fire test. The glass alone does not make the door fire resisting; the whole system does.
Why glazing is a common failure point
Vision panels are useful on corridors, classrooms and wards, but they are also where many fire doors go wrong. Ordinary glass gets swapped in after a breakage, beads are fixed with the wrong pins, glazing seals are missing, or an aperture has been cut on site with no evidence behind it. Each of these can undermine the whole door. Our fire door glazing guide covers the details.
New glazed doors or re-glazing?
Where a door already has a certified aperture, it can usually be re-glazed with the specified glass and system after damage. Cutting a new vision panel into an existing fire door is a different matter: it is only acceptable if the door's certification covers that aperture size and position. In most cases a new glazed doorset is the right answer.
Safety and visibility
Glass in doors also has to meet safety glazing rules, so the fire-rated glass chosen needs to be suitable for impact as well. For schools and care settings we also consider where the panel sits so that children or wheelchair users can see through it.
Specification at a glance
- Ratings
- FD30, FD30S, FD60 glazed options
- Glass
- Fire-rated, often with impact performance
- System
- Beads, seals and fixings from the test
- Apertures
- Only as covered by certification
- Typical uses
- Schools, offices, corridors, healthcare
- Re-glazing
- To the original tested system
What's included
- Glazed doorsets with certified apertures
- Fire-rated glass suited to the rating and location
- Tested beads, glazing seals and fixings
- Re-glazing of damaged vision panels to the original system
- Safety glazing and visibility considerations
- Evidence of the glazing system fitted
How the installation runs
- Identify the door's certification and glazing system
- Confirm glass type, size and impact requirements
- Supply glazed doorsets or matching glazing kits
- Fit glass, seals and beads to the tested system
- Check gaps, closer and latching on the finished door
- Record the products used
How much does it cost?
£850 – £1,900 ex VAT
£850–£1,900 per glazed doorset supplied and fitted; re-glazing priced per panel, ex VAT. These are guide figures; your price is fixed after a free survey. See all guide prices or try the guide-price tool.
Questions about glazed fire doors
Can any toughened glass go in a fire door?
No. Fire doors need fire-rated glass of the type and size covered by the door's test evidence, fitted with the matching beads and seals. Standard toughened glass is not fire resisting.
Can you add a vision panel to my existing fire door?
Only if the door's certification allows an aperture of that size and position. Most existing doors cannot be modified this way, so a new glazed doorset is usually needed.
What happens if the glass in a fire door breaks?
It should be re-glazed with the same fire-rated glass and glazing system as the original. A temporary board or standard glass leaves the door non-compliant.
Are wired glass fire doors still acceptable?
Some older doors use wired glass. Whether it is acceptable depends on its fire rating and whether it meets safety glazing rules for that location. We advise case by case.