Are Fire Rated Doors Burning Down?

According to a recent study by Interconnection Consulting, the market experienced a decline of 4.5% in 2023, following a previous decrease of 1.9% recorded the year before. This downturn can be attributed to various factors, including market instability and a shift in company investments towards renovations rather than new constructions, resulting in a decrease in the total number of doors sold from 3,697 th. to 3,532 th. in analyzed countries (Germany, France, Italy, UK, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Benelux, Poland).

The majority of doors, 88.6%, were sold in the non-residential segment. However, even this segment saw a decrease in quantity of around 2.4% in 2023 compared to the previous year, with an overall market growth of 2.5%. Pessimism continues to linger in 2024, with building forecasts for residential averaging -11.1%, which is more affected than the non-residential segment, averaging -0,96 %, but with significant differences among countries.

Surprisingly, Italy Bucks the Trend With Growth in Door Sales Amidst European Decline

Given Italy’s previous struggles in construction and its lower baseline, due to years before low construction performance, achieving growth was likely easier. Italy stood out as the sole country among the nine analyzed to record growth in 2023. This was attributed to the fact that the non-residential sector in Italy was not as negatively affected by the consequences of the war, and also because Italy was revising its recovery and resilience plan. Door sales in Italy increased by 1.1% in 2023, with the building forecast for the non-residential segment in Italy predicted to grow by 2.9% by 2024. Meanwhile, the largest decline was recorded in Germany, at -7.4% last year.

The Vanguard of Fire Rated Doors: A Wooden Affair

Wood dominates the market as the most popular material in Fire Rated Doors, with a market share of 42.8% in quantity. It is important to note that fire-rated wooden doors not only enhance building safety but also play a vital role in overall aesthetics. Benelux, France, and the UK have particularly high wood shares of over 62% – mostly due to regulations and requirements of their usage in the residential segment. Steel Fire Rated Doors rank second, with a market share of nearly 39%. The Czech Republic stands out with 61.9% of all Fire Rated Doors sold being made of steel. Aluminum leads in third place with a share of 13.4%, especially in Italy and Switzerland. Aluminum doors are popular in certain projects like retail businesses designed with glass storefronts. The fire rating of aluminum is also 90 minutes and is naturally more durable than wood. Composite materials rank last in popularity among Standard Fire Rated Doors, with only 5.3% market share, due to limited fire resistance and maintenance costs compared to wooden doors.

Among the leading fire-rated door manufacturers in the DACH region, notable names include Brunex, Herholz, Hörmann, Jeld Wen, Peneder, Prüm Garant, RWD Schlatter, Schörghuber, Tortec, and Westag, listed alphabetically.