About the Test
Tests are conducted on complete door assemblies, meaning that the entire fire door and doorframe, with all the requisite hardware (e.g. locks, latches, hinges, etc), is tested. The assembly - or doorset is fixed in a wall representing its use in practice. Should a door be tested in one type of frame and then used in another, no guarantee could be given of its performance under fire conditions.
The test procedure is fully described in the Standard (BS476-22.1987 or BS EN 1634-1:2014) and consists of exposing one face of the door to the heat conditions of a fire while observing the door for stability and integrity. The Standard requires the tests to be carried out with the upper part of the door under a small positive pressure, to simulate the conditions likely to occur in a fire. It also provides an objective method of establishing the loss of integrity of a fire door by the use of a combustible fibrous pad on the unexposed side of the door to see when it ignites.
As a fire door should be tested from each side to establish its performance with either face exposed to fire conditions, two door specimens are required for the testing procedure. The results of these tests can then be used to reasonably assess that all doors and frames made to those exact specifications will achieve the same fire resistance results.