Compliance Explained

Compliance Overview

A wide variety of Designer Doorware products are compliant with fire- and disability-rating regulations in Australia and/or the United States. We've explained below what criteria a doorware product must meet to be compliant with fire safety or disability access standards.

Also, products catalogued on our website that have fire and/or disability compliance will feature one - or a combination - of the symbols shown below, designated by type and country.

However, if you have any questions about compliance of door hardware products with fire- or disability-ratings, please get in touch with our friendly, expert consultants on +613 9300 8888 or email us.

Fire Ratings Australia   

Door hardware that is fire-rating compliant in Australia must adhere to Australian Standards AS1530 and AS1905. 

AS1530 [Part 4] sets out the testing requirements a product must pass in order to be fire-rated while AS1905 [Part 1] outlines the basic operational requirements of fire-rated doorsets in the event of a fire or emergency.

Please look for the above symbol for Designer Doorware products that are compliant with each of these Australian fire-rating standards.

Fire Ratings U.S.A.   

In the United States, a wide array of laws, standards and jurisdictions affect the design, specification, testing, and maintenance of door hardware for fire safety.

Designer Doorware has assigned the State of California’s relevant fire code to door lever handles that comply with this regulation. Section (f) of the 2010 California Referenced Standards Code Sec. 12-10-202 states that:

“...the lever of lever actuated latches or locks shall be curved with a return to within 1/2 inch of the door to prevent catching on the clothing of persons during egress...”

Designer Doorware products that adhere to this code have been assigned the above symbol for quick reference.

Disability Ratings Australia   

In Australia, the Federal Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (D.D.A.) provides that for a door handle to be considered disability compliant:

• lever handles must have a maximum distance 35-45mm from the inside of the handle to the face of the door
• and must have a minimum 20mm return 

To make identification of Designer Doorware’s DDA-compliant products easier, please refer to products showing the above symbol in our product catalogue.

Disability Ratings U.S.A.   

In the United States, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) includes a series of design guidelines that help ensure that door levers and handles can be easily used by people with disabilities.  ADA compliance is required in the construction of any commercial or services-provider buildings and many older buildings have been retrofitted with approved door hardware in order to comply.

Regarding door handles or levers, “Operable parts shall be operable with one hand and shall not require tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist.”

To help you find the right ADA-compliant Designer Doorware products, please look for items featuring the symbol shown above.

Disclaimer: Please note that while every effort has been taken to ensure that fire- and disability-rated products [where shown on the Designer Doorware website] are up-to-date, customers are advised to refer to their local building permit office or relevant building certifier in order to accurately determine the compliance requirements of their project(s).