A fire curtain is a passive fire protection device, a woven or coated fabric barrier that descends automatically on detection of fire or smoke, compartmentalising a space to restrict the spread of fire, smoke, and heat. In the UK they are increasingly used in place of or alongside fire doors in open-plan commercial spaces, hotels, care homes, retail environments, and the common parts of blocks of flats.

Supply and installation costs typically run £1,500–£8,000 per opening for curtain assemblies up to 5 m wide in commercial fit-outs. Large-span atrium curtains or complex multi-panel systems can reach £15,000–£40,000 per installation. Regular maintenance is a legal duty wherever the Fire Safety Order applies, and an annual service typically costs £200–£500 per unit.

How Fire Curtains Work

Fire curtains are housed in a compact head box at the top of an opening. In normal operation the curtain is rolled up inside the box and invisible. On activation (triggered by a fire alarm signal, smoke detector, or heat detector), the curtain motor releases and the curtain descends under gravity, a key safety feature, since gravity-descent is a fail-safe that works even during a power failure.1

Modern curtains incorporate:

  • Automatic descent on fire alarm signal
  • Controlled descent at the speed set by BS 8524-1, slow enough to avoid injuring anyone beneath
  • Obstruction detection on some systems, which pause the curtain if it meets an obstacle
  • Manual test and reset functions for regular testing
  • Battery backup so the controls and alarm interface keep working during power cuts

Types of Fire Curtain

TypeOrientationTypical application
Vertical (downward-acting)Vertical wall openingsDoor openings, corridor separation, lift lobbies
HorizontalCloses across a ceiling or floor openingAtriums, stairwells, escalator voids
Side-actingSlides horizontallyOpenings where head room is restricted
Multi-leaf / stagedMultiple overlapping leavesVery wide openings
Smoke curtain (not fire rated)VerticalSmoke control in low-risk zones

A horizontal fire curtain extends across a ceiling or floor opening, such as an atrium, stairwell or escalator void, to stop fire spreading from one floor to the next.2

Fire Performance Ratings

Fire curtains are rated under BS EN 13501-2, currently the 2023 edition, using the E-I system:3

  • E (Integrity): Stops flames and hot gases passing through
  • EW (Integrity + Radiation control): Stops flames and hot gases and limits the radiant heat passing through
  • EI (Integrity + Insulation): Stops fire and also keeps the unexposed face below a set temperature rise, the most demanding class for a curtain

Ratings are given in minutes. A mainstream vertical fire curtain from one leading UK maker, for example, is rated up to E180 for integrity and EW90 for radiation control.4 Insulated (EI) curtains are a specialist, more expensive product, and the rating an opening needs is set by the building’s fire strategy.

A smoke curtain is a different product and does not belong on this scale at all. It holds back smoke rather than fire, and it is specified against BS EN 12101-1, the smoke barrier standard, not against an EI rating.5 Quotes sometimes blur the two, so check which one you are being priced for.

BS 8524 (Active fire curtain barrier assemblies) governs design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance of fire curtains in the UK. Both parts were reissued in November 2025: BS 8524-1:2025 specifies and classifies the assembly6 and BS 8524-2:2025 covers application, installation and maintenance, replacing the withdrawn 2013 editions.7 Installers should be trained by the curtain’s manufacturer, and the system should be commissioned and handed over with a certificate and records.

Supply and Installation Costs 2026

Costs below are for labour and supply of the curtain assembly. They exclude structural steelwork, fire alarm integration wiring, or M&E modifications.

Opening width × heightFire ratingTypical cost (supply & install)
Up to 1.5 m × 2.4 m60 min (E or EW)£1,500–£3,000
1.5–3.0 m × 2.4 m60 min (E or EW)£2,500–£5,000
3.0–5.0 m × 3.0 m60 min (E or EW)£4,000–£8,000
5.0–10.0 m wide60 min (E or EW)£7,000–£18,000
Atrium / large-span (>10 m)60 min (E or EW)£15,000–£40,000+
Standard opening120 min, or insulated (EI)+20–35% or more over 60 min
Horizontal, across a void (per m²)60 min (E or EW)£300–£600/m²

Prices assume a single-motor, gravity-descent system with battery backup, push-button test, and integration with the building’s fire alarm panel via a compatible interface module.

What Drives the Price?

Width is the dominant factor. Each additional metre of width requires a larger head box cassette, a heavier motor (or additional motors for very wide openings), and a larger, more expensive fabric roll. Very wide openings may need multi-roller or multi-leaf assemblies with several motors, although some single-roller curtains are now made up to 20 m wide.4

Fire rating affects fabric specification and head-box thermal protection. Longer integrity periods, radiation control and above all insulation (EI) need heavier or specialist fabrics and cost more.

Integration complexity with the fire alarm system adds cost. A simple dry-contact connection to an existing fire alarm zone is straightforward; integration with an addressable system requiring a dedicated loop device and programming by a fire alarm engineer adds £300–£800 to the cost.

Access and installation conditions. High-level installations (atriums, mezzanines) require scaffold or MEWP hire at £200–£600/day. Installations in occupied buildings during out-of-hours periods attract premium rates.

Fire Curtain vs Fire Door: When to Use Each

CriterionFire doorFire curtain
Standard opening (up to 1.2 m)Usually cheaper (£400–£2,500 installed)Higher cost but unobtrusive
Wide opening (>2 m)Double doors/bi-fold, very expensiveFire curtain often more economical
Open-plan space with no door frameImpracticalPreferred solution
High footfall / disabled accessHeavy doors can be difficultCurtains can incorporate slow-close
Aesthetic requirement (retail, hotels)Visible fire door can be unsightlyCurtain invisible when retracted
Routine access frequencyDepends on hold-open deviceNo resistance, walk straight through

Maintenance Requirements

BS 8524-2 recommends at minimum:

  • Monthly test operation by the building manager or responsible person, and weekly where the curtain protects an escape route8
  • Annual inspection and service by a competent engineer (usually the installing company or a specialist fire curtain maintenance contractor)8

Annual service includes: operational test, fabric inspection, motor check, battery replacement if needed, sensor calibration, and updated service log. Typical cost: £200–£500 per unit.

Failure to maintain is a breach of article 17 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which requires the responsible person to keep fire safety equipment under a suitable system of maintenance and in efficient working order.9 The Order does not reach inside a single private dwelling, but since the Fire Safety Act 2021 it does cover the structure, external walls and common parts of any building containing two or more sets of domestic premises, which is where most residential fire curtains sit.10 Curtains should not be painted over, obstructed in their travel path, or connected to any alarm circuit without engineering sign-off.

Getting Quotes

Specialist passive fire protection contractors handle fire curtain supply, install, and maintenance, they are distinct from general electricians or fire alarm engineers, though the latter may handle alarm integration. Request a BS 8524 compliance pack with each installation, including commissioning certificate, test results, and as-built record of the alarm interface. This documentation is required for building sign-off and fire risk assessments.

References (10)

Figures in this note were checked against the sources below on 30 September 2026. Superscript numbers in the text point to them. Every source the site cites, by topic.

  1. 1technicalsupplier figureCoopers Fire, guidance.RN-O8GOO2A fire curtain maker's guide to BS 8524. It explains that the standard tests the curtain closing at the required speed with its power cut, proving the gravity fail-safe.
  2. 2technicalsupplier figureCoopers Fire, guidance.RN-I8WJ6IA fire curtain maker's explainer of curtain types. It describes horizontal curtains closing across ceiling or floor openings such as atriums, stairwells and escalators.
  3. 3technicalstrongBSI, a standard.RN-2CKKKUBSI Knowledge product page for BS EN 13501-2:2023, published 30 June 2023, status Current (Under Review). This is the fire resistance classification standard behind every E, EI and EW rating quoted for fire doors, fire curtains, glazed screens and compartment elements in the UK. It supersedes BS EN 13501-2:2016. The page carries the number, title, publication date, status, committee and ICS descriptors; the classification letters and the minute periods themselves sit behind the paywall and are not readable on the page. Useful for pinning the current edition when a note cites 13501-2 with no year.
  4. 4technicalsupplier figureCoopers Fire, guidance.RN-DTT31HProduct page for a BS 8524-1 vertical fire curtain. It gives its classification as up to E180 integrity and EW90 radiation control, with no insulation (EI) rating.
  5. 5technicalstrongBSI, a standard.RN-FKQ4EZBSI Knowledge product page for BS EN 12101-1:2005+A1:2006, published 15 March 2006, status Current (Under Review). This is the product standard for smoke barriers, that is smoke curtains, and it is the reason a smoke curtain is not classified on the EI fire resistance scale at all: it is specified against BS EN 12101-1, while a fire curtain is classified to BS EN 13501-2. Useful for correcting notes that give a smoke curtain an invented fire rating. The classification designations themselves are behind the paywall. A 2020 revision (BS EN 12101-1:2020) exists as a standards development project but the 2006 edition is the one BSI lists as current.
  6. 6technicalstrongBSI, a standard.RN-R7BZKRBS 8524-1:2025, the specification for active fire curtain barrier assemblies: requirements for the design, testing and classification of curtains that drop to form a fire barrier. This is the standard a fire curtain must be certified to, which is why a curtain specified in an open-plan conversion has to be a tested assembly rather than a fabric on a roller.
  7. 7technicalstrongBSI, a standard.RN-PHQRFQBS 8524-2:2025, the code of practice for applying, installing and maintaining active fire curtain barrier assemblies. Part 1 says what the product must be; this part says how it must be used and looked after, including the maintenance regime. Both matter, because a fire curtain that is never serviced does not do the job the design relied on.
  8. 8technicalsupplier figureCoopers Fire, guidance.RN-64EJHOA fire curtain maker's summary of the BS 8524-2 maintenance recommendations. Curtains should be operated at least monthly, weekly on escape routes, with an engineer's inspection at least annually.
  9. 9technicalvery strongThe National Archives (legislation.gov.uk), legislation.RN-TPZR4SArticle 17(1): where necessary to safeguard the safety of relevant persons, the responsible person must ensure the premises and any facilities, equipment and devices provided under this Order or any other enactment are subject to a suitable system of maintenance and are maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair. 17(2) to 17(5) let occupiers of different premises in one building make joint maintenance arrangements and require co-operation, including the owner where the occupier is not the owner. 17(6) limits the extension to other enactments to provisions concerned with fire safety measures. This is the article breached when fire equipment is left unserviced.
  10. 10technicalvery strongThe National Archives (legislation.gov.uk), legislation.RN-9LSCF5Article 6 sets what the Order does and does not reach. It does not apply to domestic premises except as provided by article 31(10). Where a building contains two or more sets of domestic premises the Order applies to the building's structure and external walls and any common parts, to all doors between the domestic premises and common parts, and external walls are defined to include doors or windows in those walls and anything attached to the exterior including balconies. That extension was inserted by the Fire Safety Act 2021, in force 1 October 2021 in Wales and 16 May 2022 in England. Use this to say precisely how far fire safety duties reach into a block of flats.

  1. BS 8524 Fire Curtains Part 1 & Part 2: A Guide by Coopers Fire, Coopers Fire, accessed 30 September 2026. coopersfire.com

  2. Understanding Vertical, Horizontal, and Concertina Fire Curtains, Coopers Fire, accessed 30 September 2026. coopersfire.com

  3. BS EN 13501-2:2023 Fire classification of construction products and building elements. Classification using data from fire resistance and/or smoke control tests, BSI, accessed 10 September 2026. knowledge.bsigroup.com

  4. FireMaster Plus2 Fire Curtain - BS 8524, Coopers Fire, accessed 30 September 2026. coopersfire.com

  5. BS EN 12101-1:2005+A1:2006 Smoke and heat control systems. Specification for smoke barriers, BSI, accessed 10 September 2026. knowledge.bsigroup.com

  6. BS 8524-1:2025 Active fire curtain barrier assemblies. Part 1: Specification, BSI, accessed 7 September 2026. knowledge.bsigroup.com

  7. BS 8524-2:2025 Active fire curtain barrier assemblies. Part 2: Code of practice for application, installation and maintenance, BSI, accessed 7 September 2026. knowledge.bsigroup.com

  8. Fire curtain servicing assures a lifetime of safety, Coopers Fire, accessed 30 September 2026. coopersfire.com

  9. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, article 17: maintenance, legislation.gov.uk, accessed 10 September 2026. legislation.gov.uk

  10. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, article 6: application to premises, legislation.gov.uk, accessed 10 September 2026. legislation.gov.uk