This Quick Question came up yesterday and I did a little research:

Can glazing be field-installed in wood fire doors, or does NFPA 80 require the glass to be installed at the factory?

Back in 2016 I asked the readers of iDigHardware WWYD? about an NFPA 80 requirement for glazing in wood fire doors to be installed at the door manufacturer or under label service.  The post had a lot of helpful comments – you can read them here.

The 2010-2022 editions of NFPA 80 state:  For new wood doors, glazing materials in vision panels shall be installed in labeled glass light kits or in accordance with the fire door listing and shall be installed in accordance with inspection service procedure and under label service.

Annex A of NFPA 80 clarifies:  The 2010 version of NFPA 80 was modified to require that new wood fire doors have the glazing and light kit installed at the door manufacturer or under that manufacturer’s label service. This ensures that all components of the glazed assembly in the new wood door have been properly installed per the manufacturer’s follow-up service procedure.

This language from NFPA 80 would require glazing in wood fire doors to be installed at the door manufacturer or at an authorized shop, rather than being installed in the field.  There was some push-back regarding this requirement, as there are advantages to installing glazing in the field.

When yesterday’s question arrived, I checked the 2025 edition of NFPA 80, and found that a new paragraph and annex note have been added:

4.4.4.4* Field glazing of labeled metal frame vision light kits installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s installation instructions shall be permitted for new wood doors with light cutouts machined under label service.

A.4.4.4.4 Some universal metal glazing kits are relatively easy to install in the field.  Such glazing options are extensively used within the fire door industry, and identical glazing units can be installed in a wide array of fire-rated doors (e.g. wood, hollow metal, and so forth).  Starting in the 2025 edition of NFPA 80,  field installation of such glazing options is permitted for all fire doors, including new wood doors.  (See figure A.4.4.4.4.)

The figure referenced in Annex A shows an image of a door with a cutout and a metal vision light kit with a gasket.  The new language in NFPA 80 would still require the cutout to be made at the factory or in an authorized shop, but the labeled metal glass kit and the glazing could be installed in the field.

Keep in mind that technically this new section does not apply until the 2025 edition of NFPA 80 is referenced by an adopted code.  This would typically happen when a 2027 model code or a subsequent edition (referencing NFPA 80-2025) is adopted by a state or local jurisdiction.  Until then, glazing in wood fire doors is supposed to be installed at the factory or under label service at an authorized shop.

Questions?  Thoughts?  What are you seeing in the field?

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