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MARKING OUT PERFORMANCE

The GAI has issued guidance to specifiers with regard to the complex area of CE Marking of British and European doors hardware. This area, which has long been a source of confusion for stakeholders, continues to change and evolve across Europe.

Product standards must be “applicable” before products can be CE marked. Some requirements – such as fire resistance performance of a fire-resisting doorset – are mandatory. Others - water and air permeability for instance – will be voluntary. The actual requirements will vary from state to state, but the European standards cover all eventualities.

In general, it has been possible to CE Mark Industrial, Commercial, and Garage Doorsets without Fire Resistance since May 2004, with Windows and External Pedestrian Doorsets with no Fire or Smoke Resistance characteristics to follow by February 2009. For doorsets with fire resistance and smoke control characteristics, the particular characteristics required will vary from country to country but fire and smoke resistance tests to EN1634-1 and EN 1634-3 respectively will be essential.

There are a number of pan-European codes for the various classes of fire-resisting doors. The letter ‘E’ signifies Integrity; ‘I’ is for Insulation; ‘W’ for (heat) radiation control. These codes are used alongside the time period which signifies the duration of the doorset. Additional characteristic codes will be added in the future.

CE marking is a reassurance to specifiers that a doorset as a whole satisfies all the claimed characteristics with all of the component parts in situ. The product labels which collectively constitute this declaration have the status of a legal document and any false claims can result in prosecution.

The GAI’s Technical Committee brings together some of the industry’s most knowledgeable experts who work hard to ensure that the AI industry continues to operate in accordance with the highest technical standards.