EN 16034: The Product Standard for Fire Doors and Curtains

EN 1634-1 tells you how a product was tested, and EN 13501-2 tells you how the results were classified. EN 16034 sits alongside both as the harmonised product standard that defines what a manufacturer must declare and demonstrate before placing a fire-resisting or smoke-control door, shutter, gate or curtain on the market. It is the standard most directly tied to CE marking for these products.

What EN 16034 Covers

EN 16034 sets out the essential characteristics that must be declared for pedestrian doorsets, industrial, commercial and garage doors, gates, and openable windows with fire-resisting and/or smoke-control characteristics — a scope that explicitly includes fire curtains alongside more conventional fire doors and shutters. It defines the assessment and verification of constancy of performance procedures a manufacturer must follow, and the declared performance characteristics — fire resistance classification, smoke control classification, and others such as durability of operation — that must appear on the product's Declaration of Performance.

Why It's Always Paired With Another Standard

EN 16034 does not stand alone — it is a fire and smoke control 'add-on' standard that is always used in combination with the relevant base product standard for the door or window type in question. For fire shutters, fire curtains and industrial/commercial doors, that base standard is EN 13241. For pedestrian doorsets and windows, it is EN 14351-1. This pairing exists because EN 16034 only addresses the fire and smoke performance characteristics; the base standard addresses the product's other essential characteristics, such as mechanical strength, weather resistance for external applications, and safety in use.

CE Marking Since 2019

CE marking under EN 16034 and its paired base standard became mandatory for these products from 1 November 2019, meaning any fire door, fire shutter or fire curtain of the types covered by the standard's scope that is placed on the market in the EU must carry CE marking supported by a Declaration of Performance referencing both EN 16034 and the relevant base standard. This is a legal requirement under the EU Construction Products Regulation, not an optional quality mark — products within scope cannot lawfully be placed on the EU market without it.

What This Means for Specifiers

When reviewing a fire door or fire curtain datasheet, specifiers should expect to see reference to EN 16034 alongside the relevant fire test and classification standards (EN 1634-1 and EN 13501-2), and a Declaration of Performance that a manufacturer can supply on request. A product missing this documentation, or one that only references a fire resistance test without the accompanying product standard and Declaration of Performance, has not completed the full compliance route required to legally place it on the market — this is worth checking during procurement, not just at the point of installation.

Specification Checklist

• —Request the Declaration of Performance for any fire door or fire curtain, referencing EN 16034 alongside EN 13241 or EN 14351-1 as appropriate.
• —Confirm the declared fire resistance and smoke control classifications on the DoP match the performance actually required for the application.
• —Treat CE marking as a baseline legal requirement, not a differentiating quality claim — the differentiator is the underlying test evidence and manufacturing consistency behind it.
• —For UK projects, confirm current requirements around CE and any GB-specific marking regime that may apply, as this area has been subject to legislative change.

BÖLDT fire doors and fire curtains are manufactured and tested to support CE marking under EN 16034, paired with the relevant base product standard, with Declarations of Performance available on request through our technical team.