When is a composite door a composite?
By Pierre Mifsud, technical director, Comp Door
When is a door a composite door? And when is it a timber door? Or can they be both? And if so, should they then be required to comply to standards and regulations for both door types?
According to BS 8529, a composite door is described as a ‘door leaf whose structure contains multiple materials, generally of sandwich construction, contributing to the to the structural performance of the product. Door sets with either the door leaf or the door frame manufactured from a composite material are considered to be composite doorsets and are covered by this British Standard.’
On the other hand, BS 644 for timber doorsets specifies that it ‘does not apply to composite doorsets as defined in BS 8529 but does cover doorsets that are predominantly timber-framed (stile and rail construction) with replaceable composite panels.’
Part L required all entrance doors installed into existing dwellings to comply with a U-value of 1.4 W/(m2K) by 15 June 2022, with the exception of timber doors that have until 15 June 2023 to comply.
We classify our door to be approved by BS 8529 for composite doors and mark it accordingly. We also have UKCA marking for composite doors, which relies on the compliance of our U-value.
However, it has recently come to light that there has been an apparent rewording of what constitutes a timber door. This has allowed some solid timber core composite doors to push their part L compliance deadline to 15 June 2023.
The question is, are these manufacturers using the BS 8529 kitemark as part of their CE mark? And if so, is it then wrong for them to use a timber door U-value? If a company has a kitemark for a composite door, surely it should be following the rules and regulations for composite door U-values as well.
More clarity is needed.
Compliancy was one of our main considerations when developing our solid timber core composite door, since complying also meant our door would be as thermally efficient as it could be and outperform all other similar products on the market.
By selecting the best components and processes Comp Door has achieved the required U-value of 1.4 W/(m2K). Our ability to do this proves it is not an unachievable target. And with so much focus on green homes and energy efficiency, shouldn’t we all as an industry be prioritising product development to help meet Government targets?
We worked hard and invested heavily, using our years of experience and combined knowledge to design a door that complied from the outset. I personally believe that when a standard gets put out, it’s our aim to comply to ensure we have the best product on the market.
For this reason, we now have an industry-leading door, which is currently the only solid timber core composite door on the market to meet new part L regulations.
We understand it can be time consuming and costly to be consistent and compliant. But isn’t it our responsibility as an industry to maintain these standards so that our customers can buy with confidence?
How would a consumer feel about being sold a door that has been marketed as a composite but classed as a timber door for the purpose of meeting, or rather failing to meet, basic requirements?