To kick start 2026, this issue’s Door Trends column from DoorCo, technical and sales manager Ian Glenister discusses the current state of affairs in the UK fire door market.
The UK fire door market was under significant scrutiny for years, but confidence is returning, driven by stricter Building Safety Regulations (post-Grenfell) with more composite fire doors being actively specified.
There’s significant opportunity for the right supplier, and the key is to be in the stable, approved and ready to deliver.
Opportunities
Becoming part of the fire door supply chain can be a long process that requires significant investment in obtaining the third-party certification, and ensuring all the sufficient training, experience, and knowledge of relevant fire safety regulations and standards are met to be a ‘competent person’.
We’re supporting customers with every step of process. Most of the fabricators we’re onboarding are: established in the sector, looking to update their existing fire door offering with the extensive Firecore range; currently operating as a commercial fabricator but looking to add fire doors to their offering; or are in the fire safety market already and want to add composite doors to open up more opportunities.
This is what the commercial customer, be it housing provider, local authority or house builder, is looking for in 2026:
Triple certified products. It’s not enough for the product to be compliant with FD30S anymore. You need to test for fire, smoke and security, on every permutation. Firecore is accredited to EN 1634-1 from both sides, achieving 47 minutes of fire resistance, fully Q Mark 170 Scheme Third Party Accredited, with regular independent audits to ensure consistent quality and compliant with MHCLG Annex A recommendations, providing essential smoke and security resistance.
It is also PAS 2024 security tested, incorporating a range of TS008-compliant hardware. We’ve partnered with Winkhaus to incorporate their proven FD30 / FD60 FireFrame outerframe into the doorset, along with the Winkhaus AV2 auto-locking multi-point door lock with optional electronic access control, which has been tested to resist security and fire including TS008 compliant letterplates, numerals, eye viewers, door knockers and security chains.
Advanced aesthetics. The market is moving away from purely utilitarian fire doors. There is a clear demand for solutions that blend safety with high-quality design that will integrate with the building’s style, offering choice in style, colour, hardware and door furniture.
When we set out designing Firecore we had the same advantage in mind: a comprehensive range of door designs that would enhance the fire door market, including top and side lite products and glazing cassettes.
For 2026, we’re expanding our range further by adding more glazing options to the popular farmhouse door using our fire-rated Flip cassette. We’ve also added new hardware and door furniture options from Winkhaus to the collection.
Incorporating technology. Data is a top talking point in social housing and simplifying compliance with the ‘Golden Thread’ of information using technology, such as the NPC tags we’ve been testing to create digital audit trails, is a major focus right now.
Knowledgeable supply chain. We strongly believe everyone involved in the installation of fire doors is a Responsible Person, and being part of an expert supply chain is paramount.
We engaged with Winkhaus and Norseal to support our vision for Firecore, and fabricators are engaging with us to support theirs and deliver a complete end-to-end, fully certified fire door solution that not only exceeds regulatory requirements but ensures complete peace of mind for the end user, and everyone in between.
Firecore is available as part of DoorCo’s ONE Supplier offering.