The main components of a fire rated steel door are frame, leaf, hinges, lock, handles and intumescent seals. These are the minimum requirements for a steel fire rated door to be tested in a laboratory for a certificate. Though in some projects the requirements are standard, in most of the cases doors become more complicated and customized due to the extras required in the bill of demands.
The price of a fire rated steel door is formed according to the particular demands of the projects. The factors that affect the price of a fire rated steel door are as follows:
Wall to wall opening dimensions where the door is to be installed (how big the door will be)
Whether the door is single or double leaf
Size of individual leafs on a double leaf door
Door color (standard-RAL 9002- or special RAL color)
Fire resistance of the door (60 / 90 / 120 min)
Frame type (corner or full frame)
Accessories demanded
Handle both sides + Lock
Panic bar/handle+ lock
If double leaf then the accessories requested on each leaf
Fire Rated Window and its size
Louver
Door closer
Door stopper
Electrical strike on frame for access systems
Coordinator for double leaf doors
Weather seals
Of course it is hard to give a price level for so many options.
Let’s keep it simple and talk about a standard steel fire door with the following specifications
Wall opening 900x2050 mm
90 min fire rated
Corner Frame / Reversible
RAL 9002 Powder coated
Spring hinge
Panic bar+lock+handle
Factory price of such a fire door ranges between 135-500 Euros depending on the manufacturer.
The price in the market for such a fire rated door is at 250-750 Euro range.
What makes the difference?
Let’s go through the factors behind this price difference:
Quality
Design Quality of the Door
If the door is not designed with a professional engineering point of view-the behavior of the door during a fire, long term usage and production processes are not taken into account-then this door may never be labeled “high quality”. One of the biggest mistakes made by design engineers is to sacrifice the strength of the door against fire test results. Many European producers manufacture weak doors due to this concern. These design preferences result in weak doors which have to be replaced every 1-2 years depending on the intensity of usage.
Raw Material Quality (e.g. galvanized steel vs normal steel)
Low cost preferences in raw materials always lower the quality of the door. One basic example is using normal steel instead of galvanized steel which in turn deteriorates the corrosion resistance of the doors. Also low cost epoxy polyester powders used in coatings diminish the UV resistance of the doors.
Production Quality (bad corners, welding spots etc.)
Unless hi-tech equipment and machinery is used in manufacturing, the final product will never be of high quality.
Quality of Accessories
Accessories that are used (handles, locks, panic bars etc.) are important that add up to the cost of the product. Therefore, the quality of the accessories should be taken into account before making a purchase decision. Moreover, the quality of the accessories determines the performance of the door in the long-run.
Quality of Packing
Packing quality is also a factor in pricing which has an effect on the total quality of the project executed.
Certification: Doors with different fire ratings may have different prices. As an example the price of a 120 min door is higher than the price of a 60 min door.
Production According to Certification: Unfortunately some doors in the market are not produced according to the specifications of tested doors because of cost-related concerns.
Production Technology: Doors produced with the latest technology CNC machinery has cost advantages compared to doors produced on conventional machinery.
Marketing Strategy: Well-known door producers always take advantage of their brand name in pricing and as a result their products are usually overpriced. Their price does not reflect the real value of the product.
Factors Related to Country of Origin: Doors produced in rich countries always reflect the surplus related to high wages in these countries. Sometimes the customers confuse high prices with high quality. This evaluation is wrong in most of the cases. Many Southern European door producers have poor quality as opposed to the image reflected by their country.
Dimak Fire Doors Factory
Dimak Fire Doors Powder Coating
Dimak Fire Doors Factory
Dimak Fire Doors Factory
Dimak Fire Doors Factory
Dimak Fire Doors Factory
In the light of the above explanations, we can easily say- price difference between different fire doors is normal.
The right purchasing decision would be to select one of the fire rated door brands that has a high Quality / Price ratio.
Of course this ratio is not easy to determine for a decision maker who is not an expert in door business.
In the next blog, we will provide you with the questions you need to ask to the door companies before making a decision.
Finally, we would like to assure you that Dimak Fire Doors is at the top of the list taking into account the Quality / Price ratio. We will explain the reasons in another blog.
"IF YOU WANT TO MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION, YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE RIGHT INFORMATION"