Fire door changes in 2029: what should you check now?

When you're pricing a fire door job, you need to know which doors to order and what paperwork to ask for. A forthcoming change in England makes that conversation worth having early on projects stretching towards 2029.

What is changing?

From 2 September 2029, subject to transition arrangements, Approved Document B will remove references to the older BS 476 fire-resistance classifications. European classifications will become the route described in that guidance. Approved Document B is government guidance on meeting building regulations in England. Government announcement.

In everyday language, this concerns how a product's fire performance is classified and supported by evidence. It does not mean that every existing fire door must be replaced on that date. Other UK nations have their own building guidance.

What should a specifier do?

If you choose the doors and write the requirements for a project, put a question to your supplier early: “What evidence will you provide for this door on this project?”

Our suggested approach is to make the answer specific. Record the proposed product, the documents being offered and any questions still awaiting an answer. Give the project designer a clear opportunity to resolve those questions before the order is placed.

For example, a school project may be discussed long before its doors are installed. Put the expected programme alongside the proposed door information at the design review. That gives the team something concrete to check if the programme changes.

What should an installer do?

Ask for a clear, agreed specification and the instructions for the product you will actually receive. If the delivery differs from the order, flag it before proceeding with the affected work and ask the responsible project team to resolve it.

A useful question is: “Do these documents belong to the door in front of me?” That is a practical document check, not a new installation duty created by the 2029 announcement.

What about projects already underway?

The transition depends on the relevant notice or application date and the progress of the work. Ordering doors before September 2029 is not, by itself, the transition test. Have the project team check the official arrangements against the actual job. Transition details.

A practical next step

At your next supplier meeting, take one future project and ask who will confirm the applicable requirements, what documents are needed and when they will be available. Keep those answers with the project information so the office, specifier and installation team can refer to the same decision.

Sources checked: 14 September 2026. Source links appear alongside the relevant statements.