When is a fire curtain truly compliant?

BS 8524 vs EN 16034 – what is the difference?

One of the most important distinctions is between BS 8524 and EN 16034. EN 16034 is a broader European product standard covering fire resisting and/or smoke control characteristics for products including doorsets, shutters and certain operable fabric curtains. BS 8524, by contrast, was specifically developed around active fire curtain barrier assemblies. Its scope considers the curtain as a complete functioning system, incorporating areas such as fire resistance, smoke containment, reliability and durability, control devices and ancillary equipment, impact and force resistance, installation and maintenance. A fire curtain cannot fulfil its intended life safety function through fire resistance alone; it must deploy correctly and reliably when an emergency occurs. For this reason, certification or testing to EN 16034 should not automatically be viewed as equivalent to demonstrating the full fire curtain specific requirements addressed by BS 8524.

The differences become even clearer when looking at the testing philosophy behind BS 8524. Requirements include gravity fail safe operation so that a curtain can deploy following a loss of primary and secondary power, controlled descent speeds, repeatable operation and testing of ancillary components such as emergency retract controls and battery backup systems. The updated BS 8524:2025 approach also increases operational cycle testing from 500 to 1,000 cycles before the cycled curtain is subjected to fire testing, providing evidence of how an aged, repeatedly operated system performs rather than relying solely on a new specimen. These requirements demonstrate why fire curtain compliance needs to consider the complete system and its lifecycle, rather than furnace performance in isolation.

Why independent evidence and third-party certification matter

There is also an important difference between self declaration, a test report and independent third party certification. A manufacturer’s declaration alone places greater reliance on the manufacturer’s own interpretation of its product performance, while an individual test report demonstrates performance under a particular set of test conditions but does not necessarily demonstrate ongoing control of the complete product, manufacture and installation. Independent third party certification can provide an additional level of confidence through external oversight, product assessment and auditing. Importantly, UK legislation does not simply mandate third party certification as the sole route to compliance. Regulation 7 and Approved Document 7 recognise several ways of demonstrating suitability, including compliance with British or European Standards, CE/UKCA marking where applicable, independent third party certification, independent test evidence and expert assessment. Approved Document B similarly references third party certification as best practice rather than making it a standalone legal requirement.

From Building Regulations to project specification

For fire curtains, compliance therefore needs to be considered as a pathway of evidence rather than a single certificate. Building Regulations 2010, including the fire safety requirements of Schedule 1, Requirement B, are supported by guidance within Approved Document B. For the 2FA specification reviewed by Coopers Fire, requirements include defined fire and smoke performance, BS 8524 as the fire curtain product standard, independent BS EN 1634-1 test evidence and secondary functional requirements demonstrating that the system is suitable for, and compatible with, the building design. Coopers Fire’s compliance pathway brings this evidence together through fire resistance testing, smoke control testing, reaction to fire classification, design evidence, quality management, competent installation and ongoing control of manufacture. This approach reflects the direction established by the Building Safety Act: compliance increasingly depends not simply on possessing a certificate, but on maintaining clear, traceable and defensible evidence throughout the product lifecycle.

The Coopers Fire pathway to compliance

At Coopers Fire, compliance is considered from design and manufacture through to installation, commissioning and ongoing maintenance. Our FireMaster® products are supported by extensive independent fire and smoke test evidence, established BS 8524 design and certification history, independently audited factory processes, ISO 9001 quality management and competent installation controls. Coopers Fire has also submitted its supporting test evidence to UL as part of the BS 8524 recertification process. By controlling the full lifecycle and maintaining the technical evidence behind our systems, we can help architects, contractors and fire professionals specify fire curtains with a clear and defensible route to compliance. As the original inventors of the fire curtain, our focus remains the same: developing reliable, tested and engineered fire and smoke curtain systems that help protect people and buildings while giving designers greater architectural freedom.