Start from the life safety or code plan that shows rated walls, then check that every door in those walls is scheduled with a rating, a labeled frame and leaf, compatible hardware, and glazing that the specifications tie to the test basis. AI can flag conflicts; the architect, the door supplier, and the authority having jurisdiction decide compliance.
What does NFPA 252 cover?
NFPA 252 is the Standard Methods of Fire Tests of Door Assemblies. NFPA’s page states that the standard outlines methods of fire testing door assemblies that testing laboratories and manufacturers can use to determine the degree of fire protection provided by such assemblies and assess their suitability when fire resistance of a specific duration is required.
NFPA’s official NFPA 252 page identifies the 2022 edition as current when checked on October 11, 2026. Confirm the edition, local amendments, and project scope that actually govern the work. The publisher’s newest edition does not establish local adoption.
NFPA 252 tells a laboratory how to test a door assembly. Installation and maintenance of the door follow the NFPA 80 guide, and the required rating comes from the adopted building code, covered in the IBC Chapter 7 guide. Specifications often name NFPA 252 or another test standard as the basis for labels; record which one the project uses.
Gather the door schedule and the wall ratings
Collect the life safety or code plans with rated walls, the floor plans, the door schedule and door type elevations, the frame types and details, the hardware schedule and sets, the wall types, the door and frame specifications, and the door supplier’s submittal with labels and listings.
Door schedules are often revised separately from the life safety plan. Upload both at their current issue so a door moved into a rated wall is caught.
Match each rated opening with a tested assembly
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Rated walls and doors | Life safety plan, floor plans, door schedule | Confirm every door in a rated wall carries a rating in the schedule, and no rating is missing. |
| Rating agreement | Door schedule, wall types, life safety plan | Check that the door rating matches the rating the wall and code plan call for. |
| Labels and test basis | Door specifications, supplier submittal, schedule notes | Find specifications or submittals that name a different test standard or label than the schedule. |
| Frames | Frame types, frame details, door schedule | Match each rated door’s frame type and anchorage detail with a labeled frame in the specifications. |
| Hardware | Hardware sets, door schedule, specifications | Identify rated doors whose hardware sets omit closing or latching hardware the specifications require. |
| Vision lites and louvers | Door type elevations, glazing schedule, specifications | Ask the architect to confirm that glazing and louvers in rated doors are part of the labeled assembly. |
Smoke doors follow the NFPA 105 guide, and rated glazed openings outside doors the NFPA 257 guide. The door schedule checklist and the steel door specifications guide track the same openings from the schedule side.
Example: a corridor door that lost its rating
Hypothetical example. A revision moves a stair enclosure wall, putting an office door into the rated enclosure. The life safety plan shows the new rated wall, while the door schedule still lists the door as unrated with a vision lite and passage hardware.
The life safety plan places this door in the rated stair enclosure, but the door schedule lists it as unrated with a vision lite and passage hardware. Please confirm the required rating and coordinate the labeled door, frame, glazing, and hardware.
The architect revises the schedule and hardware set, and the supplier confirms the labeled assembly. Compliance is decided by the architect and the authority having jurisdiction.
Review rated door assemblies with Groundbook
Upload the current project PDFs and relevant specifications to Groundbook. Identify the governing issues and add the applicable NFPA 252 reference from a copy you are licensed to use, where the license permits uploading it. State the edition, amendments, review area, and known exclusions in your instructions.
Compare the life safety plans, floor plans, door schedule and type elevations, frame details, hardware sets, wall types, door and frame specifications, and supplier submittals. Flag rated walls with unrated doors, ratings that differ, missing labels, frames, hardware, and glazing that differ between sources. Use the supplied NFPA 252 edition and adopted building code where applicable and cite both sources.
Groundbook links each potential finding to the sheets involved and the reference you uploaded.
Document review does not test or label a door, verify a listing, or approve the opening. Those decisions remain with the architect, the supplier, and the authority having jurisdiction.