Key regulations for fire-rated glass partitions and escape routes

Are you responsible for specifying glass adjacent to a fire escape route? Explore key regulations and considerations.



If you work in construction or architecture, you don't need us to tell you the importance of safety in building projects.

Of course, building occupants need to be kept safe. But there's also the ever-present question of compliance – and non-compliance can result in delays or even closures.

In the context of fire safety, compliance is both critical and confusing – a web of fire ratings, building regulations and product specs.

On top of this, there are specific use cases that must be handled with care. One is the issue of glazing adjacent to escape routes.

In this article, we explore the key regulations governing this particular application.

What documents regulate glazing adjacent to escape routes?

The key reference for glazing adjacent to escape routes is Approved Document B. This is the official statutory guidance document explaining how to meet fire safety requirements as laid out in the UK Building Regulations.

Approved Document B covers:

• Fire-rated glazing that forms part of an escape route
• Fire-resisting walls and doors
• Glazing adjacent to escape routes
  
  

No blanket rule

It's important to note that Approved Document B doesn't lay out a blanket rule for fire-rated glazing adjacent to escape routes. Not all glazing has to be fire-rated. The key consideration is whether the glazing is part of a construction that needs to resist fire and offer escape.

For buildings other than dwellings, protected escape routes generally need an enclosure with an appropriate level of fire resistance. This is often REI30 as a minimum. Other applications require a higher performance level.

Glazing in fire-resisting enclosures and fire-resisting doorsets are also subject to fire rating levels. These are subject to the guidance in Appendix B, Table B5.

If the glazing has both integrity (E) and insulation (I) for the requisite length of time, there are no restrictions on the amount of glass that can be used.

Integrity-only glass, by comparison, is restricted by Table B5. These are the applications where size and position become crucial.

Specification: an example

If

1. you have a room with a glazed partition next to a protected corridor and escape stair, and
2. the partition is part of the corridor's fire-resisting enclosure
   
   

then the glazing must have the same level of fire resistance as the corridor.

Crucially, glass alone isn't enough to ensure fire resistance. The whole system must achieve the same level of performance. This means glass, frames, beads, fixing and supporting elements.

Fire spread

When a glazed partition is close to a compartment boundary, protected shaft or other fire-resisting element, you must take fire spread into account. Any openings between compartments must maintain the fire resistance level of the compartments.

Changes ahead

At the time of writing (2026), changes to Approved Document B are being phased in. These become official on 30 September 2026.

One significant change is the removal of BS 476 fire-resistance classifications from the guidance. This will be replaced by the BS EN classification system (the British standard that adopts the European standard).

In the meantime, transitional provisions apply.

Differences in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

So far, we've looked at the regulations for England. While the same principles apply across the four nations, important differences exist in frameworks, terminology and certain provisions.

Wales

Regulations in Wales are similar to England. However, Wales has its own version of the Approved Documents. These state that 30 minutes is generally sufficient for fire protection except in special circumstances.

And where glazing in fire-resisting enclosures and doors is integrity only (E), restrictions apply. There are no restrictions on the amount of EI (integrity and insulation) glazing in such a setting.

Scotland

Scotland uses the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004 and Technical Handbooks – not the England or Wales Approved Document B. Fire safety provisions are mostly covered in Section 2 – Fire.

These documents include the notion of a protected zone. Fire-resisting facades, fixed glazing and other protected openings form part of these protected zones.

One example of this is when a protected route meets another part of the building. In this situation, the junction must maintain the fire resistance level of the protected route.

There are also Scotland-specific regulations regarding external escape stairs. If the stair is higher than 1.6 metres, the external wall and other openings within two metres of the stair must match the fire resistance of the stair. This includes fixed windows and glazing.

Northern Ireland

Finally, Northern Ireland follows its own Building Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012 and Technical Booklet E – Fire Safety.

Substantial changes were made to Technical Booklet E in 2025. These include provisions related to ventilation and escape routes in high-rise residential buildings and buildings containing flats.

The importance of glazing systems

We come to the crucial point. A specification must cover the whole glazing system, not just the glass. This applies in all four nations and under all the documents we've mentioned.

By "glazing system", we mean the complete assembly: glass, frame, beads, seals and any fixing or supporting construction. The required fire rating could be integrity only (E30), integrity and insulation (EI30) or integrity and radiation control (EW30).

And as with all glazing systems, the fire rating must be backed by test evidence. This should be supplied by your provider on request.

Our fire-rated glass partitions

Here at Wrightstyle, we supply high-quality, fire-rated glass and steel partitions as part of our 60F1 series.

Like all our glazing systems, these are tested to European standards, compliant and quality-assured. They can be rated from 30 to 180 minutes and provide C5-level smoke resistance. They also come with a wide range of furniture.

So, if you're specifying a fire-rated glass partition to protect an escape route, get in touch with Wrightstyle today for expert product and technical advice. We'll be more than happy to help you source the right glazing system for your project.