An insight into Sapa’s quality testing work

Marking schemes and standards mean quality

Fire as a phenomenon is a complex interdisciplinary field, and there is a great need for standards and guidelines.

Many contractors and clients demand certifications precisely because they lack the time and resources to examine suppliers in detail every time they need to buy a product.

Standards are voluntary on the market, while regulations are required by public agencies and are mandatory.

There are standards and marking schemes that document how products resist fire and their properties when subjected to fire. There are also standards that ensure the quality of processes and procedures.

Sapa’s aluminium door systems are carefully tested

Sapa’s aluminium door systems are tested against a number of Nordic (INSTA), European (CEN) and global (ISO) standards. All tests are performed by an independent third party to ensure that the quality assessment is impartial.

Sapa’s products undergo quality assurance against standards including these:

• ISO 9001, a recognised standard for determining international requirements for a quality management system.
• CE marking. The performance of a product must be determined, assessed and reported in a harmonised manner in the EU/EEA.

The product must meet the safety requirements applicable in the EEA, and this must be documented.

Be aware that interior and exterior fire doors are subject to different standards.

Documentation and fire safety for Sapa’s aluminium doors

Since 1 November 2019, CE marking has been mandatory for exterior doors. This entails extensive product documentation.

When you make fire products, you have to complete an inspection plan to ensure quality. All working documents must be signed for the product to be approved. The certificate is issued by a Notified Body, i.e. an inspection body that performs type testing and production control.

Sapa goes to great lengths to ensure that the marking is correct as per the regulations and applicable processes. It is important to be able to document the standard properties of the door via both the declaration of performance and the separate certification, which confirms the fire properties of the door.

You can rest assured that Sapa’s products are marked according to approved procedures and that this is correctly documented.

Watch our film about fireproof doors here