Riser and cupboard fire doors close off service risers, meter cupboards and stores that open onto corridors or stairs. They stop fire and smoke spreading through service voids, and are often kept locked shut rather than fitted with a closer, depending on the fire strategy.
Why riser doors get overlooked
Service riser doors are small, often hidden and rarely opened, so they are easy to forget until an inspection finds them. Common faults include cheap access panels that are not fire rated, missing seals, broken locks and doors that have been removed for access and never refitted. A riser runs through every floor, so a weak door can let fire or smoke bypass the building's compartments.
Closer or lock?
Doors on stores and risers that are kept locked shut usually do not need a self-closer, as long as the strategy allows it and the door is marked accordingly. Doors that are used regularly, such as cleaner's stores, usually do. We follow the fire strategy and the risk assessment for each opening.
The fire stopping behind the door
The door is only half the picture. Inside the riser, the services passing through each floor must be fire stopped. That is a separate specialist task. Where we find gaps or missing fire stopping while fitting riser doors, we record it and flag it to you so it can be addressed.
Specification at a glance
- Ratings
- To match the wall, often FD30 or FD60
- Configurations
- Single or double, often flush
- Operation
- Kept locked shut, or self-closing
- Finishes
- Paint-grade to blend with walls
- Common faults
- Non-rated panels, missing seals
- Also checked
- Visible fire stopping in the void
What's included
- Fire-rated riser and cupboard doorsets
- Single and double flush configurations
- Locks and keep-locked arrangements as specified
- Seals and frame gap sealing
- Signage as required
- Record of any fire stopping concerns found
How the installation runs
- Survey risers, cupboards and wall ratings
- Confirm locked-shut or self-closing for each door
- Order doorsets sized to the openings
- Install and seal frames, hang leaves
- Fit locks, seals and signage
- Photograph and report on visible fire stopping
How much does it cost?
£450 – £1,200 ex VAT
£450–£1,200 per riser or cupboard doorset supplied and fitted, 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 riser and cupboard fire doors
Do riser doors need closers?
Not if they are kept locked shut and the fire strategy allows it; they should then be labelled accordingly. Cupboards that are opened regularly normally need self-closers.
Can I use a standard access panel for a riser?
Only if it is a fire-rated product with evidence for the wall rating. Many ordinary access panels and cupboard doors are not fire rated.
Do you fix fire stopping inside risers?
Fire stopping is a separate specialist trade. We record anything we see while fitting doors and can coordinate with your fire stopping contractor.
What rating should a riser door be?
It should match the fire resistance the strategy requires for the riser enclosure, commonly 30 or 60 minutes. We confirm it before ordering.