Fire-rated hotel door lock: what does EN 1634-1 prove?

A fire-rated hotel door lock is a card lock that has been fire-tested as part of a complete door assembly, most often to EN 1634-1, and shown not to cut short the door's fire resistance. The test result belongs to the tested door set, so the lock, leaf, frame, seals and hardware on site must match what the report describes.

This page explains what EN 1634-1 measures, what the TSE test report on the General card lock shows, why EN 14846, EN 12209 and EN 1906 certificates are a different kind of evidence, and how specifiers and door manufacturers should use these documents.

What does EN 1634-1 test?

EN 1634-1 is the fire resistance test for door and shutter assemblies and openable windows. A full-size door set is built into a supporting wall and heated on one side in a furnace that follows the standard time–temperature curve of EN 1363-1, which reaches 842 °C at 30 minutes according to the table in the TSE report. Two criteria matter most for hotel corridor doors:

• Integrity (E): no sustained flaming on the unexposed side, no gaps large enough to admit the gap gauges, and no ignition of a cotton pad held against openings.
• Insulation (I): a limited temperature rise on the unexposed face of the leaf and the frame.

The result is a time in minutes. A door set described as EI30 has met both criteria for at least 30 minutes. The lock is tested in place because its mortise pocket and trim holes are cut into the leaf and can change how the door behaves in a fire.

What did the TSE test show for the General card lock?

The EN 1634-1 test report was issued in Telcom's name by the Construction Materials Fire and Acoustics Laboratory of the TSE Test and Calibration Centre in Tuzla, Istanbul, a laboratory accredited by TÜRKAK. Its main points:

Two limits are written into the report itself. It is valid only for the tested sample and is not a product certificate, and the direct field of application of the door was not assessed, because the purpose was to evaluate the card lock on that door. In practice, the result supports a lock specification on a comparable door set; it does not transfer automatically to a steel door, a different leaf construction or a door without the same seals.

A second TSE report, from March 2020, covers a General Coral card lock on a single-leaf timber door set tested to TS EN 1634-1+A1:2018; in that test the integrity and insulation criteria were met until the 35th minute. Read both reports in full against your own door construction.

Do EN 14846, EN 12209 or EN 1906 certificates make a lock fire-rated?

No. These TSE certificates of conformity, also issued in Telcom's name, classify the lock or handle for durability, door mass, corrosion and safety. Each standard uses a coded classification, and the fire resistance digit is 0 on all three, which means the certificate itself does not cover use on fire or smoke-control doors. Fire performance is shown separately, by the EN 1634-1 test of a door assembly.

The certificates are useful evidence of mechanical performance and production control; the fire report answers a different question. A specification should ask for both and should not treat one as a substitute for the other.

What does Turkish regulation require for hotel fire doors?

In Turkey, Article 48 of the Regulation on the Fire Protection of Buildings (Official Gazette of 19 December 2007, No. 26735, amended in 2009) requires doors that separate fire compartments to resist fire for no less than 30 minutes, and their hardware must not reduce the fire resistance of the door. Projects in other countries follow their own national rules and fire engineer, but the principle is the same: a lock is judged by its effect on the door assembly.

How should specifiers and door manufacturers use the evidence?

1. Start from the door set. Choose the fire door first, then confirm that the lock model and mortise match the tested configuration.
2. Copy the tested details. Use the same intumescent seals, including the seal behind the strike, and the same closer and hinge arrangement wherever possible.
3. Avoid site improvisation. Extra or oversized holes in a fire door can invalidate its fire approval, so routing and drilling should follow the door manufacturer's instructions.
4. Keep the documents together. File the full test report, the door manufacturer's certificate and the lock's conformity certificates in the handover pack.
5. Consult the authority early. Check which evidence the local building or fire authority accepts before ordering the full quantity.

Door manufacturers who fit locks in the factory can agree mortise dimensions with the lock supplier before serial production, which removes most of the risk of cutting on site.

Which General Kilit locks are used on fire doors?

The fire test reports refer to the General and Coral card lock families, both of which combine an ANSI-type mortise with contactless card reading. See the fire-rated card locks category and the General card lock for models and finishes, and the certificates page for the complete set of documents.

If your project includes fire doors, mention it in your quotation request, together with the door manufacturer and the door construction. For fitting, see the hotel card lock installation guide; for the basics of card access, read how hotel RFID door locks work.