A frame label with no hours on it
The label says “Fire Door Frame” and nothing else. Is that frame good for your opening? Usually yes — with one thing to check.
Someone on the team called me one day about a fire door frame label that didn’t have a time on it — only “Fire Door Frame.” My answer was that if it doesn’t have a time, it’s good for wherever it’s installed. This past weekend I was traveling and ran across one of these labels, and it jogged my memory.
The basic answer is that a frame with a “Fire Door Frame” label can match whatever barrier it is installed in. It will support doors from 20 minutes to 3 hours. Naturally your masonry walls are going to carry a higher rating than stick-built drywall barriers, but the frame label covers you either way.
I wish all manufacturers would use one label that covers everything. You still see a select few that label frames and doors “20 min – 3 HR.” It makes sense, but there isn’t as much money in it in the long run.
No hours on a frame label means the frame is good for doors up to 3 hours. The opening is rated by its lowest part — so read the door label too, and check the frame suits the wall it is in.
What the code says
What the Steel Door Institute says
Basic fire door frames have no hourly rating unless the label states the frame is rated less than 3 hours. A frame with a recognized fire door frame label may support doors rated 3 hours or less.
The one thing to check: the wall
SDI also notes that frames in masonry walls may be used with up to a 3-hour door, while frames in drywall stud walls are intended for up to a 1½-hour door — unless the manufacturer’s listing shows the frame tested in drywall at 3 hours. Grout is not required for rating in either wall. So in a stud wall with a 3-hour door, ask for the frame manufacturer’s listing.
The opening takes the lowest rating
NFPA 80 (2013, A.6.3.1.1): if a frame does carry an hourly rating, the installed assembly is rated at the door or the frame, whichever is less. The same goes for the hardware.
Reading the label
The label in the photo shows the listing mark, “Fire Door Frame No.” with the frame’s serial number, and a file number for the listing the frame was built under. It does not need to show hours to be valid. A label you can’t read — painted over, ground off — is the real finding.
Practice drill: check it on your next round
- Frame label present and readable (look on the hinge jamb, often between the hinges).
- Door label present and readable — the door sets the opening’s rating more often than the frame.
- Stud wall + 3-hour door? Get the frame manufacturer’s listing for drywall.
- Frame labeled under 3 hours (e.g. “90 min”)? The opening can be no higher than that.
Sources and further reading
- Steel Door Institute — Fire Rated Doors and Frames (overview slides) ↗· shared by Donald
- Steel Door Institute — SDI 118, Basic Fire Door and Frame Requirements ↗· shared by Donald
Section numbers are from NFPA 80 (2013) and NFPA 101 (2012), the editions CMS and The Joint Commission enforce for hospitals. Check the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.