Fire-Rated Garage Doors and When You Need Them

What Are Fire-Rated Garage Doors (and Do You Need One)?

A fire-rated garage door is built to resist flames, smoke, and heat for a certified amount of time. This could be 20, 45, 60, or 90 minutes. The time rating means the entire door assembly has been tested in a lab to withstand fire for a specific duration. 

Unlike a standard door, a fire-rated door is built with a core of fireproof materials like steel, mineral wool, or calcium silicate. It also has seals around the edges that expand when heated. These seals block the gaps that smoke and flames use to spread.

The entire system, including the tracks, hinges, and rollers, is also strengthened to handle the stress of a fire and keep the door in place. This means if a fire starts in your garage, a fire-rated door will contain it long enough for help to arrive.

Fire-rated doors are usually used in commercial buildings, workshops, and multi-unit housing because of the higher fire risk. You should also install them if: 

• Your garage connects directly to your house
• Your area’s building rules require you to install a fire-rated barrier between your attached garages and living spaces
• Your garage shares a wall with your kitchen, utility room, or hallway 
• Your garage has a living area above it 

5 Benefits of Installing a Fire-Rated Garage Door

When you think about safety upgrades for your home, the garage door might not be the first thing that comes to mind. But it should be. Here’s why it’s worth considering:

1. Slows Down the Spread of Fire

Fire-rated garage doors are built to do one job: contain fire long enough for you and your family to get to safety. They don’t stop a fire forever, but they hold it back for as long as possible.

Inside each door is a core made of fireproof materials. These materials have very high melting points, often above 1,800°F (1,000°C). This allows them to absorb and resist heat without collapsing or bending.

The door also has a special seal around the edges. When exposed to heat, this seal expands up to ten times its normal size. As it swells, it closes the small gaps between the door and the frame.

This airtight barrier blocks smoke, toxic gases, and superheated air from slipping through. This is important because smoke and fumes cause the most fire-related injuries and deaths. 

2. Meets Building Codes 

Building regulations specify that the wall separating an attached garage from a living area must act as a one-hour fire barrier. Your garage door is the largest opening in that wall. 

Therefore, it has to offer an equivalent level of protection. The only way to get that is with a certified fire-rated garage door assembly. 

Your fire-rated door needs to have a permanent label from an independent testing agency. Examples include Underwriters Laboratories (UL) or Warnock Hersey. This label verifies that your door has been tested to resist fire for a specific duration. 

3. Shields Your Home From Structural Damage

A standard, non-rated steel garage door can start to bend and fail within just five to ten minutes of exposure to high heat. As soon as that happens, the door opening becomes a channel for oxygen. It feeds the flames and allows temperatures to go from 1,000°F to over 1,800°F in minutes. 

At that point, the wood inside your walls and ceiling can catch fire on its own, even if the flames don’t touch it. A fire-rated garage door helps stop that from happening because its insulated core keeps the heat from spreading to the other side.

4. Can Lead to Potential Savings on Home Insurance

Garages are among the most common starting points for house fires because they store fuel, vehicles, and flammable chemicals. Containing a fire at its source lowers the chances of insurance claims. 

This is why you can get savings on home insurance if you have a fire-rated garage door.

You can qualify for savings under one of two categories:

1. Fire-resistive construction discount. This applies when a structural component of your home, such as a garage door, is fireproof. It increases your home’s overall fire resistance, which lowers your risk profile.
2. Public protection classification (PPC) adjustment. If your local area has strong fire safety building regulations, you’ll get a better community safety rating (called PPC). A better rating means lower insurance costs for everyone in that area.

5. Increases Durability and Reduces Noise

Because fire-rated doors are built to tolerate extreme heat, they’re naturally stronger in everyday use. This makes them more resistant to forced entry and wear. It also helps block outside noise and create a quieter, more insulated garage space. 

Are Fire-Rated Garage Doors Required by Code?

In most cases, yes. If your garage is attached to your home, a fire-rated garage door might be required. This requirement comes from the International Residential Code (IRC), which has been adopted by nearly every state, including Colorado. 

The main rule states that an attached garage must be separated from the home by a one-hour fire barrier. Since your garage door is the largest opening in your garage wall, it has to be fire-rated. 

Our experts at Front Range Raynor Garage Door and Service are familiar with the codes across the state. We can help you understand the requirements that apply in your situation. This way, you can make sure your garage is safe for your home and your family. 

Choosing the Right Fire-Rated Garage Door

To choose the right fire-rated garage door for your home, look for certification labels, the correct fire rating, material and insulation quality, and installation services. 

1. Certification Label 

Every real fire-rated garage door comes with a certification label. This tells you the door has passed all required fire tests and that it’s legally recognized as a fire barrier. The label usually comes from a nationally recognized testing agency.

You’ll usually see it on a small metal plate or foil tag that’s attached to the door or frame. It lists the door’s fire rating, the manufacturer, model number, and a file number that you can verify with the testing agency.

2. Correct Fire Rating for Your Project

Most homes with attached garages need a 20-minute fire-rated door. It’s made for a one-hour wall. This means your wall can hold off a fire for 60 minutes. Your door adds equivalent protection where that wall opens up.

You’ll need a higher rating only if the risk is higher. For example, 45- or 60-minute doors are used in multi-family buildings, garages under apartments, or walls that sit close to a property line.

Building rules will also affect your door choice, so before you buy, check your local building code. 

If you’re not sure, your installer should know exactly what regulations apply in your area. Our experts can help you confirm the required rating for your project. This will make sure you are code-compliant, safe, and investing wisely.

3. Material and Insulation Quality

You need the right materials and insulation in a fire-rated garage door. That’s because they decide how long the door can stand up to extreme heat and how well it performs day to day. Here’s what to look for: 

• Thick steel skins. Most residential doors use 24- or 26-gauge panels. These are thin. A fire-rated door, however, uses 18- to 20-gauge steel, which is nearly twice as thick.
• Fire-resistant core. Standard garage doors use polystyrene foam for insulation, which burns and melts easily under high heat. Fire-rated doors replace that with mineral wool. It handles over 2,000°F without burning or producing toxic smoke. 

The thicker steel and dense core make the door incredibly difficult to kick in or pry open. They also deaden sound and stabilize temperature. This means you’ll notice less street noise and a garage that stays cooler in summer and warmer in winter.

4. Component Quality

Fire-rated doors are heavy, often two to three times the weight of a regular door. That means the hardware holding it up has to be much stronger. 

Swapping any of those parts for standard hardware might work for a bit. But the moment pressure hits, they’ll fail and take the whole system down with them.

To keep your door working in all conditions, look for: 

• Reinforced hinges. The hinges should be made from thick, 14-gauge steel (at least) with reinforced bearings.
• Reinforced tracks. They should be deeper and built to handle weight and heat. 
• Reinforced springs. They should be engineered specifically for the door’s exact load so that it opens smoothly without strain or sudden drops.

You also need to pay attention to your garage door opener. A standard ½-horsepower motor just isn’t strong enough. Fire-rated doors need a ¾-horsepower or one-horsepower commercial-grade opener. These can lift the weight without wearing out or overheating. 

5. Professional Installation

You can buy the best-certified fire-rated door on the market, but if it’s installed incorrectly, it’s useless. This means your installer matters as much as your door. 

If they miss any detail, your system could fail inspection and lose its fire rating. Worse, it can create a false sense of safety, where everything looks perfect on the surface.

Our certified technicians at Front Range Raynor follow every procedure exactly as the manufacturer specifies. We verify each measurement, fastener, and seal. This ensures your door performs exactly as needed.

Protect Your Home and Family From Fire With Front Range Raynor

Your garage is where you park your car and store your lawn equipment, project supplies, and flammable materials. A garage that connects to your house or sits close to another building and doesn’t have a proper fire barrier is one of the biggest risks to your safety. 

If you’re building a new home in Fort Collins, remodeling in Loveland or Greeley, or just realizing your current garage door might need to be replaced, here’s what to do:

1. Check your door and frame for a fire-rated certification label.
2. Go over your local building rules to understand the specific requirements for your home.
3. Call Front Range Raynor. If you’re unsure about your door’s rating or need a certified installation, this is where we come in.

At Front Range Raynor, our certified technicians make sure every part of your fire-rated door works as a complete, tested system. We’ll help you choose the right rating for your home and install the system so it meets manufacturer specifications and local building codes.

If you’re ready to protect your home the right way, send us a message today.