Fire door hinge requirements UK
Updated: October 2026
You have a flat entrance door, a fire door, or an outward-opening front door, and a search for hinges has left you on cupboard and gate hardware. Fire door hinge requirements UK treat the leaf, the frame, the seals and the ironmongery as one tested set, and a 35 mm kitchen cup sits outside that set. Peter F. read the eleven amazon.co.uk listings in our [hinges comparison](/hub/door-and-window-security/hinges) in October 2026. We did not test them in a lab, and none of those pages shows a BS EN 1935 code. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. This page names no hinge to buy for that door.
You have a flat entrance door, a fire door, or an outward-opening front door, and a search for hinges has left you on cupboard and gate hardware.
You have a flat entrance door, a fire door, or an outward-opening front door, and a search for hinges has left you on cupboard and gate hardware. Fire door hinge requirements UK treat the leaf, the frame, the seals and the ironmongery as one tested set, and a 35 mm kitchen cup sits outside that set. Peter F. read the eleven amazon.co.uk listings in our hinges comparison in October 2026. We did not test them in a lab, and none of those pages shows a BS EN 1935 code. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. This page names no hinge to buy for that door.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Fire marking | Hinge type | Stated load | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  HBL' HBL' 110° soft-close clip-on | No | Clip-on cup | n/a | 9.1 | about £20.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  APACALI APACALI 24-pack full overlay | No | Concealed cup | n/a | 8.5 | about £22.55 | View offer |
 Dveezull Dveezull 30 cm gate hinges | No | T-strap gate | n/a | 5.3 | about £15.19 | View offer |
On this page
This set is the wrong hardware
Every listing in that comparison leaves fire-door evidence unstated. The shelf runs from HBL, APACALI and AOLISHENG through Furniware's packs, LLRY, XiangJunly, YOFASEN, Fizzix and Dveezull: concealed cups, small butts, face-fixed tees and a gate strap. A 30 cm gate strap is a garden hinge. Toolstation's guidance draws that line for ordinary butts on heavyweight doors such as fire doors. The LLRY butts and the YOFASEN folding butts sit at the light end of this list.
The top pick and the best value in the table are cupboard hinges. Neither prints a BS EN 1935 code, and the gate strap has no review count to lean on either. If you bought one of these for a cupboard, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 still means the goods should match that cupboard description. The Act does not grade the hinge for fire. The hinge buying guide sorts cups, butts and straps for furniture and light gates. When the door is a flat entrance or a fire door, that guide's last job is to send you here and then stop.
What BS EN 1935 is asking for
BS EN 1935 classifies single-axis hinges. The Guild of Architectural Ironmongers' guide to the 2002 edition sets out an eight-digit code: duty, cycles, test mass, fire suitability, safety, corrosion, security, and a grade from 1 to 14. HOPPE's UK notes describe those digits when they are printed on the hinge. None of the eleven listings prints the code, so this shelf has no grade you can carry across to a door.
Digit 4 is the fire and smoke digit. SFS UK reads 0 as unsuitable for fire and smoke, and 1 as suitable only after a satisfactory assessment of that hinge's contribution on the door. A fire digit of 1 still has to be the hinge in that door's evidence. BWF Fire Door Alliance expects conformity-marked hinges tested to BS EN 1935, including Annex B, and on its certificated doors rising-butt hinges and spring hinges are not permitted. A cupboard spring sold as soft close sits on the wrong side of that warning. The soft-close cabinet hinges page stays with dampers and springs for kitchen doors. A door closer can also change the mass the hinge is assumed to carry. If your paperwork names a different hinge, another product's code does not authorise a swap from this comparison.
Three hinges, length, and the screws
London Fire Brigade guidance note GN92 says fire-door hinges are normally three per door, at least 100 mm long, in metal that melts at 800°C or above. Those figures are the brigade's usual picture, and door makers publish their own positions and sizes. A third hinge in the wrong place does not repair a door tested with another layout. A 100 mm catalogue butt is not automatically the butt named in the evidence, so you follow the door maker before you follow the round number.
GOV.UK's fire door guidance for the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 is for responsible persons doing simple checks. On the hinges, the example of a defect is missing or loose screws. The same page covers a flat entrance swapped for a non-fire-resisting door, damaged seals, and a door that will not close. That page is England guidance. It is not the fire-safety law of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. A cupboard hinge remains the wrong object in every part of the UK. Those checks belong to the responsible person. The how to fit cabinet hinges page is a 35 mm cup on furniture. If the screws are loose, or the door has been replaced, call a professional.
A hinge bolt is not a fire hinge
An outward-opening front door can leave the knuckles where an attack lets someone lift the leaf off. A hinge bolt, sometimes called a dog bolt, is a pin that projects into a keep in the frame when the door is closed. Surelock McGill describes that pin as security hardware. It makes the leaf harder to lift if the hinges are attacked. It does not give the hinge a BS EN 1935 grade, and it is not a concealed cupboard hinge.
Fitting that bolt belongs with the person who has the evidence for that frame and that leaf. A tee hinge from this comparison is not a stand-in. A hinge bolt answers an attack on the hinge line, and it leaves the fire evidence, the seals and the screws untouched. If your door is a fire door, a flat entrance or an outward-opening front door, call a professional.
Common questions
What hinge does a UK fire door need?
A UK fire door needs the hinge named in that doorset's evidence. BWF Fire Door Alliance expects a conformity-marked hinge tested to BS EN 1935, including Annex B, together with the leaf, frame and seals. Rising-butt and spring hinges are not permitted on BWF certificated doors. None of the eleven listings here shows that code, so you buy from the door's paperwork rather than from this cupboard shelf.
What is BS EN 1935?
BS EN 1935 classifies single-axis hinges with an eight-digit code. The Guild of Architectural Ironmongers' guide to the 2002 edition lists duty, cycles, test mass, fire suitability, safety, corrosion, security, and a grade from 1 to 14. HOPPE's UK page explains a code that is printed on the hinge. Without those digits on the listing, there is no grade to claim.
Does a fire digit of 1 mean I can fit that hinge on any fire door?
No. SFS UK reads digit 4 of BS EN 1935 as fire and smoke suitability. Grade 0 means not suitable. Grade 1 means suitable only after a satisfactory assessment of that hinge on that door. The hinge still has to be the one the doorset was tested with. A closer on the leaf can also change the mass the hinge is assumed to carry.
How many hinges should a fire door have, and how long should they be?
London Fire Brigade guidance note GN92 says fire-door hinges are normally three per door, at least 100 mm long, in metal that melts at 800°C or above. Those are usual figures, not a layout for every leaf. The door maker publishes the positions and sizes for that doorset. If the paperwork names another length, follow the paperwork and a professional.
Can I use a soft-close cabinet hinge on a flat entrance door?
No. A soft-close cabinet hinge is a cupboard fitting, often a 35 mm cup with a spring or a damper. BWF Fire Door Alliance does not permit spring hinges on its certificated fire doors. None of the soft-close listings in this set shows a BS EN 1935 code. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 can hold a seller to a cupboard description, and it does not grade the hinge for fire.
Is a hinge bolt the same as a fire-door hinge?
No. A hinge bolt, or dog bolt, is a pin that projects into a keep in the frame when the door is closed, so the leaf is harder to lift off if the hinges are attacked. Surelock McGill treats that pin as security hardware. It does not grade a hinge to BS EN 1935, and it is not a concealed cupboard hinge. Fitting it belongs with someone working to that door.
Who should change the hinges on a fire door?
A professional working to that door's evidence should change the hinges. That covers a fire door, a flat entrance and an outward-opening front door. GOV.UK's England guidance asks a responsible person to look for missing or loose screws, and for a leaf swapped for a non-fire-resisting door. The check is not a licence to treat the hinge like a cupboard fitting. Ask before you unscrew anything if the evidence is unclear.
Related pages
Sources
Public sources from the research digest, last checked on 21 October 2026. Prices and review counts are amazon.co.uk listings, not a laboratory test.
- GAI guide to BS EN 1935:2002 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- HOPPE: BS EN 1935 coding (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- London Fire Brigade GN92 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: fire safety England regulations 2022, fire door guidance (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Häfele UK: cabinet hinge FAQs (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- ABC Home: kitchen cabinet door hinge types (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- e-Hardware: gate hinges guide (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 21 October 2026)