Applying fundamental principles and standards will help you better understand the complicated issue of fire requirements of a door and equipment and the subsequent labeling authority provided. The amount of time (in minutes or hours) that a steel fire door can resist being exposed to fire test circumstances determines how long it is "rated." The highest rating required for any swinging type fire door is three hours, with hourly ratings of 1-1/2 hours, 1 hour, 3/4 hours, and 1/3 hours. In walls that split a huge structure into smaller fire areas or divide buildings into distinct ones, a door with a three-hour fire safety rating is often seen. The wall has a four-hour rating. Walls certified for two hours include doors rated for one and a half hours. These doors are often seen in stairwells or other enclosures used for vertical building communication. Additionally, they happen on outside walls and in boiler rooms, both of which have a high risk of serious fire exposure from outside the structure. 
Doors that are one-hour rated are used in room-to-room walls, which are also often one-hour rated. The two glazing materials that are most often used in fire-rated doors are 1/4" wire glass and ceramic glass. The number and the largest size of the vision lights employed in the door are determined by the hourly rating of the door. Table 2 lists the restrictions on a door's size, surface area, and a number of vision lights. In 3-hour fire doors, vision lights are not permitted unless specifically permitted by the local authority with jurisdiction. For usage in a fire-rated door, the vision light kit or window frame has to be certified. Fire doors are necessary for certain situations to reduce heat transfer from one side to the other of the door, such as in a high-rise building's stairway. People in a burning building may be able to safely exit below the level of origin if the door can temporarily reduce heat transfer. Temperature rise doors are those that are constructed with a core that is specially developed. In 1-1/2-hour and 3/4-hour fire doors, listed fusible-link type louvers up to a maximum dimension of 24" x 24" are authorized with the louver positioned in the bottom half of the door. Louvers are prohibited from being used indoors that are rated for 1/3-hour (20 minutes) or other hourly ratings and may be a component of a smoke and draft assembly. Louvers may not be present on doors with glass lights or doors with fire escape mechanisms. 
The exposure ratings and opening categories that apply to doors do not apply to the frames of fire doors. Unless the labeling on the frame clearly specifies that the frame is rated for anything less than 3 hours, there are no hourly ratings for a standard fire door frame. A frame that has been certified as a fire door framework may support a door with a 3-hour, 1-1/2-hour, 3/4-hour, or 1/3-hour rating. While drywall wall frames are designed to be used with a maximum 1-1/2-hour fire door, masonry wall frames may be used with a maximum 3-hour fire door. There are labeled frames with sidelights, transoms, or a mix of both. Depending on the required hourly rating, the transom and sidelight portions may be equipped with listed panel assemblies or listed glass. For openings with a rating of up to and including 1-1/2 hours, frameworks with solid transom panels and/or side panels may be employed. Some producers are able to provide frames with solid transom panels that are rated for three hours. Doors having a rating of up to one hour may be utilized with frames with identified glass transom lights and/or sidelights. Without a hose stream, transom/sidelight frames may also be rated for twenty minutes. The naming of each manufacturer is the sole restriction on the permitted glass apertures. Fire window frames that are not linked to a door frame are identified as hollow metal glass light frames. According to the manufacturer's listing, fire window frames with a maximum 3/4-hour rating may be offered. 
Glass openings should not be more than 1296 square inches, and their breadth or height shouldn't be more than 54 inches. Only a manufacturer's unique fire test procedure restricts the total size and glass area of fire window frames with a 20-minute rating evaluated without a hose stream. Typically utilized in hallway walls, fire window frames may be made for drywall or masonry construction. Ask the maker of the frame whether they can provide fire window frames for drywall walls. Glass that has been certified by the labeling authorities or wired glass that is not less than 1/4-inch thick may be used for fire window frames. A fire door with a label must be mounted on steel bearing hinges. Steel must be used because non-ferrous metals, which become "elastic" at much lower temperatures, might enable the door to seriously dislocate during a fire. In line with the listing information for the specific hinge, certain non-ferrous metal hinge designs may be used on fire doors. The doors with these hinges often have a lower fire rating. As long as the door labeling expressly indicates "Fire Door to Be Installed with Fire Exit Hardware," exit devices may be used on labeled doors. 
According to this marking, the door has been adequately strengthened for fire escape mechanisms. Doors with this label must pass both the normal fire test and a panic loading test. The panic load test evaluates the door's structural strength and capacity to support the operation of the hardware in an emergency. When choosing escape devices for use on fire-rated doors, caution must be exercised since some devices have only undergone panic loading testing and not fire testing. Exit hardware must be appropriately labeled and designated as such, and it must adhere to size and hourly rating requirements. There are a number of materials that may be utilized to create fire labels that are approved by reputable labeling organizations. These include non-metallic, steel, brass, and aluminum. Drive screws, pop rivets, welding, or riveting are used to affix metal labels. Non-metallic labels have an adhesive back and are either die-slit or tamper-proof. Once placed, the label will rip apart if any effort is made to remove it, signaling to tamper. Labeling agencies also accept embossed labels, which are label indications that are physically pressed into the steel.
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