You're standing in front of a communal fire door with a clipboard. You know you need to check it — regulation 10 requires quarterly inspections of every communal fire door in buildings over 11 metres. But what exactly should you look for?

Most fire door inspection checklists available online are either generic PDFs designed for fire safety professionals or single-page templates that don't explain what a pass or fail actually looks like. If you're a managing agent doing these checks yourself — not a fire door specialist — you need more context.

This is a 15-point fire door inspection checklist with clear pass/fail criteria for each check. It covers everything regulation 10 expects, structured so you can work through it systematically on each door.

For a full breakdown of which buildings need inspections and how often, see our complete requirements guide.

The 15-Point Fire Door Inspection Checklist

Door Leaf

1. Visible condition

Check the door leaf for cracks, splits, holes, warping, or delamination (layers separating). Run your hand across the surface — any bulging or soft spots suggest internal damage.

Pass: Surface intact, no visible damage, door hangs flat
Fail: Cracks, holes, warping, delamination, or soft spots

2. Fire rating label or plug

Look for the fire rating label — usually a colour-coded plug on the top edge or hinge side of the door. FD30 doors provide 30 minutes of fire resistance; FD60 doors provide 60 minutes.

Pass: Label or plug visible and legible (FD30 or FD60)
Fail: No label, label illegible, or label suggests the door is not fire-rated

A missing label doesn't automatically mean the door isn't fire-rated — it may have been painted over or removed. But without evidence of fire rating, you can't confirm compliance. Flag it for further investigation.

3. Unauthorised modifications

Check for anything drilled, cut, or fitted through the door leaf that wasn't part of the original fire-rated assembly: letterboxes, cat flaps, spy holes, additional locks, or cable runs.

Pass: No modifications, or modifications are certified fire-rated components
Fail: Any penetration through the door leaf that isn't certified for use with fire doors

Seals

4. Intumescent strips

Intumescent strips expand in heat to seal the gap between door and frame during a fire. Check the door edge or frame rebate for a continuous strip. It should run along both vertical edges and the top edge.

Pass: Strips present on all three edges, firmly seated, no damage or gaps
Fail: Missing on any edge, cracked, painted over (preventing expansion), or partially dislodged

According to FDIS inspection data, seal problems are among the most common fire door failures. This is one of the most commonly failed checks.

5. Cold smoke seals

Smoke seals prevent cold smoke passing around the door before heat activates the intumescent strips. They're usually a brush or rubber strip fitted alongside or separate from the intumescent strip.

Pass: Seals present, flexible, and making contact with the frame when the door is closed
Fail: Missing, hardened, crushed flat, or not making contact with the frame

Frame and Gaps

6. Door-to-frame gaps

Measure the gap between the door and frame on all four sides. A £1 coin is roughly 3mm thick — useful as a quick gauge.

Pass: Gaps consistent and no more than 3–4mm
Fail: Gaps exceeding 4mm on any edge, or highly uneven gaps

This is the single most common fire door defect. According to FDIS data, excessive gaps are the most frequently cited reason doors don't meet the required standard. Uneven gaps usually indicate the door has dropped on its hinges.

7. Frame condition

Check the frame is securely fixed to the surrounding wall. Push firmly against the frame — it should not move. Check for cracks, rot, or fire-stopping gaps between the frame and the wall.

Pass: Frame solid, securely fixed, no visible gaps between frame and wall
Fail: Frame loose, cracked, rotted, or with visible gaps to the wall

Self-Closing Device

8. Closer fitted and intact

Check that a self-closing device (overhead closer, concealed closer, or rising butt hinges) is fitted to the door.

Pass: Closer present, securely fixed, no visible leaks or damage
Fail: No closer fitted, closer loose, hydraulic fluid leaking, or closer arm bent/broken

9. Door closes fully

Open the door to various angles (45°, 90°, fully open) and release it. The door must close fully into the frame and latch every time, without assistance.

Pass: Door closes fully into the frame from any position
Fail: Door doesn't close fully, sticks partway, or doesn't latch

10. No hold-open obstructions

Check that nothing is preventing the door from closing: wedges, doorstops, boxes, bins, or items stored against the door. Also check for unauthorised magnetic hold-open devices.

Pass: Door can close freely, no obstructions
Fail: Any obstruction preventing full closure

Note: some fire doors have legitimate hold-open devices connected to the fire alarm (they release automatically when the alarm sounds). These are acceptable — check they're connected and functional.

Glazing

11. Glazed panels

If the door has glazed panels, check for fire-rated glass (look for small etched markings in the corner of the glass). Check that beading is secure and the glass isn't cracked.

Pass: Glass is fire-rated (marked), beading secure, no cracks
Fail: Glass not marked as fire-rated, beading loose, glass cracked or damaged
N/A: Door has no glazed panels

Hinges

12. Hinge count and condition

Fire doors must have at least three hinges. Check all screws are present and tight. Check for sagging — if the top of the door leans away from the frame on the lock side, the hinges may be worn or loose.

Pass: Three or more hinges, all screws present and tight, no sagging
Fail: Fewer than three hinges, missing screws, loose hinges, visible sagging

Signage

13. Fire door signs

All fire doors that should remain closed must display a "Fire Door — Keep Shut" sign. Doors that should be kept locked need a "Fire Door — Keep Locked" sign instead.

Pass: Appropriate sign displayed, legible, securely fixed
Fail: Sign missing, illegible, or wrong type for the door's function

Overall Operation

14. Door opens and closes smoothly

Operate the door through its full range. It should open without excessive force and close smoothly without catching on the floor, frame, or threshold.

Pass: Door operates smoothly through full range
Fail: Binding, catching, scraping on floor, or requiring excessive force

15. Overall assessment

Stand back and look at the door as a complete assembly. Does it sit square in the frame? Is the closer arm straight? Do the seals make contact evenly? This final visual check catches issues the individual point checks might miss.

Pass: Door assembly looks correct, sits square, all components aligned
Fail: Door visibly misaligned, hanging at an angle, or components clearly mismatched

What To Do With Your Findings

After checking all 15 points on every communal fire door:

All pass: Record the inspection date, inspector name, and "pass" result. File it as evidence that you've met your regulation 10 obligation for this quarter.

Any fail: Record each defect with the specific door location, the point that failed, and a photo. Prioritise by severity:

Critical (self-closer not working, missing seals, excessive gaps, cracked glazing) — arrange remediation within days
Important (missing label, loose hinges, missing signage) — fix within 2–4 weeks
Monitor (cosmetic damage not affecting fire performance) — schedule at next maintenance cycle

The 75% failure rate from FDIS inspection data means most buildings will have multiple failures on the first round. This is normal — the important thing is having a process to track defects through to resolution. For a detailed look at what 75% failure means for your portfolio, see our analysis of fire door failure data.

Using This Checklist at Scale

Fifteen points per door, 40 doors per building, 10 buildings per quarter — that's 6,000 individual checks every 13 weeks. A paper checklist works for a single building visit, but managing the results across a portfolio is where the real challenge lies.

Generate a per-building inspection checklist with our free tool →

Our interactive checklist generator creates a customised checklist for each building, covering all 15 points with FD30/FD60 variants. You can download it as a PDF to take on-site.

Map out when each building is due for inspection →

FireDoorReady is being built to take this further: run inspections on your phone, record pass/fail per door with photos, track defects through remediation, and export the evidence trail for regulators — across every building in your portfolio. Join the waitlist →

This guidance applies to England. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have separate fire safety legislation.

This article is general guidance, not legal advice. Consult a fire safety professional or legal adviser for advice specific to your buildings.

Sources

Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, regulation 10 — legislation.gov.uk
Fact sheet: Fire doors (regulation 10) — GOV.UK
FDIS survey: three-quarters of UK fire doors fail inspection — Guild of Architectural Ironmongers

Fire Door Inspection Checklist: 15 Points Every Managing Agent Must Check