Fire doors
Fire Door Hardware Guide: Panic Bars, Closers, Hinges, Seals and What Must Be Fire Rated
Fire door hardware explained: panic bars, closers, hinges, locks, coordinators, magnetic holders, smoke seals and vision glass, and which must be fire rated.
Safety Plus technical team · Updated · 8 min read
Hardware is part of the fire rating
A fire door is tested as a complete assembly. During a fire test, the leaf bows as one face heats and the other stays cooler, pulling against the hinges and latch. If a hinge softens, a latch releases or a closer fails to pull the door shut, flames and smoke pass through the gap no matter how good the core is.
That leads to a simple working rule: any hardware that keeps the door closed, keeps it latched, holds it in the frame or seals its edges must be suitable for fire doors, normally shown by a listing, a test report or the door manufacturer's tested hardware schedule. Decorative items such as kick plates or signs are less critical, but they still must not be fixed in ways that damage the leaf, and large plates may need the manufacturer's approval.
When hardware is replaced years later, the same rule applies. Replacing a failed listed closer with a cheap unlisted one is one of the most common ways a compliant door becomes non-compliant.
Fire door hardware at a glance
| Item | What it does | Must it be fire rated? | Bangladesh retail reference price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hinges | Carry the leaf and hold it in the frame under heat | Yes | UL hinge ৳450 each |
| Door closer | Returns the door to closed and latched after every use | Yes | UL door closer ৳2,900 |
| Panic bar / exit device | Lets occupants open the door by pushing, while latching it when closed | Yes, as fire exit hardware on fire doors | Panic bar ৳2,900 |
| Lock or latch | Keeps the door positively latched | Yes | Quotation |
| Coordinator | Makes the inactive leaf of a pair close first | Yes, on rated pairs | Quotation |
| Magnetic door holder | Holds the door open and releases it on fire alarm | Yes, alarm-released and listed | UL holder ৳2,100 |
| Smoke / intumescent seals | Close edge gaps against smoke and, when heated, flames | Yes, as tested | Quotation |
| Vision glass | Gives visibility through the leaf | Yes, fire-rated glass within tested size | Supplied with door |
Observed Bangladesh retail prices in Oct 2026 — project/bulk prices differ.
The rest of this guide explains what to look for in each item. Browse the full fire door hardware category for available items.
Hinges
Hinges carry the full weight of a 50 mm steel leaf and must keep it in the frame while the steel expands and bows in a fire. Look for:
- Material: steel or stainless steel. Low-melting metals and plastic components are not suitable.
- Rating: hinges listed or tested for fire doors of at least the door's rating.
- Quantity: as required by the tested design. Safety Plus fits 4 hinges per leaf; heavier or taller leaves generally need more support, not less.
- Size: matched to leaf weight and width. Safety Plus uses UL-certified 3-hour stainless steel hinges measuring 4.5 × 4.0 in with 3.4 mm leaf thickness.
- Fixing: into reinforced positions in leaf and frame with the specified screws.
A sagging leaf that drags on the floor or no longer latches is often a hinge or fixing problem. Fix it promptly, because a door that does not close fully provides no fire protection.
Door closers and coordinators
A fire door only works when it is shut. The closer makes sure that happens every time someone walks through.
- Choose by leaf size and weight. An undersized closer will not overcome wind pressure, stack effect in stairs or seal friction. An oversized one makes the door hard to open for elderly people, patients or workers carrying loads.
- Adjust both closing and latching speed. The door should close smoothly and then latch positively, without slamming.
- Use a listed closer. Safety Plus doors are supplied with a UL-marked door closer.
- Never disconnect the arm. Disconnected closer arms are a classic inspection finding in busy corridors.
For double doors, a coordinator holds the active leaf until the inactive leaf has closed, so the astragal overlaps correctly. Without one, the leaves can close in the wrong order and leave the pair unlatched. If one leaf is normally fixed shut, it still needs rated flush bolts or an approved arrangement to keep it latched.
Panic bars, exit devices and locks
On escape routes, people must be able to open a door instantly by pushing, without keys or special knowledge. That is the job of a panic bar (also called a panic exit device or push bar). On a fire door it must also be fire exit hardware: a device listed for use on fire doors, so that it latches the door closed during a fire.
Key points:
- Positive latching. Fire doors must latch when closed. Devices that allow the latch to be held retracted (mechanical "dogging") are generally not permitted on fire exit hardware.
- Mounting height and width. The bar should cover a large part of the leaf width so it can be operated by a crowd pushing against it.
- Vertical rod or rim devices. Pairs commonly use vertical rods on one or both leaves. Follow the tested configuration.
- Locks. Where a door is not an escape door, a fire-rated mortice lock or latch may be used. Do not fit padlocks, hasps or bolts that stop the door being opened from the escape side.
Safety Plus doors are supplied with a UL-marked panic exit device. Bangladesh retail listings showed a panic bar at ৳2,900 (observed Bangladesh retail prices in Oct 2026 — project/bulk prices differ). In factories with large shifts, review every exit door against the RMG factory fire safety equipment checklist.
Hold-open devices: the safe way to keep doors open
Busy corridors, hospital wards and production floors often want fire doors open during working hours. Wedges, hooks, ropes and fire extinguishers placed against the leaf are the wrong answer: in a fire nobody will remember to remove them.
The right answer is a magnetic door holder connected to the fire alarm system. The magnet holds the door open in normal use; when the alarm activates, or power is lost, the magnet releases and the closer shuts the door. Requirements to check:
- The holder is listed for this use and wired to release on alarm.
- The door has a working closer; the holder only holds, it does not close.
- The holder is mounted where it does not obstruct the escape width.
- The release is tested regularly as part of alarm testing.
Bangladesh retail listings showed a UL magnetic door holder at ৳2,100 (observed Bangladesh retail prices in Oct 2026 — project/bulk prices differ). Coordinate the wiring with your fire alarm and detection contractor.
Smoke seals, intumescent seals and vision glass
Most deaths in building fires are caused by smoke, not flames. Seals are what stop smoke leaking around the leaf.
- Smoke seals are flexible strips (brush or blade type) that close the gap between leaf and frame at normal temperature. Safety Plus fits imported smoke seal on its doors.
- Intumescent seals expand when heated, sealing the gap as the door and frame move in a fire. Whether a door uses them depends on its tested design.
- Painting over seals reduces or destroys their function. Protect seals during painting and replace damaged sections.
Vision glass must be fire-rated glass within the size and position covered by the test evidence. Safety Plus doors use 6 mm tempered vision glass with a standard exposed area of 450 × 150 mm. Do not enlarge a vision panel on site or replace broken glass with ordinary glass; order the correct replacement from the door manufacturer.
Hardware buying checklist and common mistakes
Before you approve hardware for a fire door package, check:
- Every closing, latching, hanging and sealing item is listed or tested for fire doors.
- Hardware matches the door's rating and the test evidence.
- Closers are sized for the leaf and adjusted on site.
- Escape doors have fire exit hardware, not ordinary locks.
- Pairs have a coordinator and astragal.
- Any hold-open device is alarm-released.
- Data sheets are filed with the handover documents.
The most common mistakes are predictable: closers removed because a door is "too heavy", a cheaper lock fitted after a key was lost, a hook installed to keep a door open, and seals painted over. Each one quietly removes the protection the building paid for. The fire door inspection checklist shows how to catch them.
To order doors with the correct hardware fitted at the factory, send your door schedule through the request a quote page or see the fire rated doors range.
Frequently asked questions
Does every fire door need a door closer?
Yes, in normal practice a fire door must be self-closing so that it shuts and latches after every use. A door held open must use an alarm-released device and still have a working closer.
Can I fit an ordinary panic bar on a fire door?
No. A panic bar on a fire door should be fire exit hardware listed for use on fire doors, so it keeps the door latched in a fire. An ordinary panic device may not.
How many hinges does a fire door need?
Follow the tested design. Safety Plus fire doors use four UL-certified 3-hour stainless steel hinges per leaf.
What is the price of fire door hardware in Bangladesh?
Bangladesh retail listings showed a panic bar at ৳2,900, a UL door closer at ৳2,900, a UL hinge at ৳450 and a UL magnetic door holder at ৳2,100 (observed Bangladesh retail prices in Oct 2026 — project/bulk prices differ).
What is the difference between a smoke seal and an intumescent seal?
A smoke seal closes the edge gap at normal temperature to limit smoke leakage. An intumescent seal expands when heated to close gaps during a fire. A door uses whichever its tested design requires.
Sources
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