Paul Williams, Commercial Director at steel door manufacturer Robust UK, discusses the key factors that architects and specifiers should consider when selecting steel doorsets.

In many buildings, a doorset acts as a security barrier, an access-controlled point and plays an important role in fire compartmentation. When a door is designed to withstand multiple threats, it can provide a higher level of protection. And as building regulations become stricter and architectural demands require more flexibility, the demand for both security and fire performance doorsets grows. However, achieving this dual capability requires a tested and certified approach.  

Why dual performance matters

Many areas in a building require doorsets to deliver effective fire protection and a high level of security performance. These requirements cannot be achieved by simply combining individual fire-rated and security-rated components. A doorset must be tested, assessed and certified as a complete system against both criteria. Essentially, fire and security performance must be treated as equal priorities, as a weakness in either can compromise the overall integrity of the door.

Both fire and security performance rely on the same core principles – structural stability under extreme conditions, robust frames and hardware that functions under stress, controlled gaps and tolerances, and predictable behaviour when exposed to heat or forced attack. This is why a fully tested and certified fire and security-rated doorset is more attractive than a door that only addresses one problem.  

Role of material selection

Material choice plays a crucial role in delivering consistent dual performance. Steel doorsets are renowned for their inherent strength, long-term durability and reliability, particularly in higher-risk environments. 

Compared with traditional timber, steel offers superior resistance to impact, forced entry, warping and long-term wear. Its non-combustible nature and predictable behaviour make it especially suitable for fire-rated applications, while its structural resilience meets demanding security requirements. Doors made from Magnelis® steel are well known for their exceptional strength and resistance to corrosion, ensuring performance is maintained throughout their service life. This reduces maintenance demands and provides long-term assurance that the door will perform effectively over time during fire emergencies and security breaches. 

Achieving dual fire and security performance

Security-rated doors are tested against recognised standards such as PAS 24 or LPS 1175, which assess resistance to forced entry under controlled conditions. These standards evaluate a doorset’s ability to withstand attacks on critical components such as locks, hinges, and frames.

PAS 24 (2022) verifies a door’s ability to resist forced entry using a range of attack methods, providing strong security and protection against unauthorised entry. For environments with higher risk profiles, greater resistance to determined and tool-assisted attacks may be needed. This enhanced level of protection can be achieved through LPS 1175 certification, which offers eight different security ratings (SR). These ratings provide a high level of resistance from opportunist attempts using physical force and hand tools, to extreme means of attempting forced entry with the use of power tools, firearms or vehicles. These security standards allow architects, specifiers and contractors to select the appropriate level of security.

Doorsets tested to LPS 1175, such as the TUFF-DOR range, provide a range of resistance to forced entry. Whilst TUFF-DOR 2.1 is certified to SR2, offering resistance to opportunist attempts, TUFF-DOR 3.1 achieves an SR3 rating, providing moderate resistance to determined attempts of physical force and hand tools. For higher-risk environments, SR4 offers resistance to experienced determined attempts at forced entry using hand tools and battery-powered tools. Once a steel doorset has achieved PAS 24 or LPS 1175 certification, it may also be eligible for Secured by Design approval, the police initiative focused on designing out crime through proven security solutions. 

Steel doorsets can also be tested to EN 1634-1 and certified for up to 240 minutes of fire resistance, playing an important role in maintaining safe evacuation routes and effective compartmentation within a building. A range of fire-rated steel doorset solutions is available to suit different applications. For example, OUTA-DOR THERM offers up to 60 minutes of fire resistance while also achieving a thermal performance of 1.5 W/m²K, making it suitable for external applications where both fire protection and energy efficiency are required. 

Where a project demands a combination of fire resistance and enhanced security, selected steel doorsets can be specified to meet both requirements. This allows architects and specifiers to address safety and security risks within a single fully tested doorset solution.

Steel doorset with fire-rated glazing options 

Security and fire-rated doors can be supplied glazed or unglazed to suit visibility, acoustics, aesthetic or daylighting requirements. Where glazing is required, selecting a strong certified glazing system is essential to maintain fire performance and integrity.

For instance, GLAS-DOR is a fully glazed steel profile solution for hinged or sliding doors, partitions, facades and screens which provides up to 60 minutes fire resistance (E60) or both resistance and insulation for up to 90 minutes (EI90).

Whichever fire-rated solution is selected, fully glazed, security-rated and general-purpose steel doorsets for internal or external use deliver a balanced combination of strength, durability and design flexibility, without compromising on performance.

Choosing the right steel security door

Selecting the appropriate steel security doorset is about choosing a door solution that has been independently tested and proven to perform. A well-specified doorset should be fully certified to meet the needs of its environment, whether that includes fire and security protection or enhanced acoustic performance. By evaluating certification, fire resistance, quality and long-term maintenance requirements, architects and specifiers can ensure they select security fire-rated steel doors that deliver the right level of protection.