Passive Fire Protection Compliance Checklist — NBCS 2026 (Part F: Fire & Life Safety)

Passive fire protection is fire safety built into the construction itself — fire rated walls and partitions, fire doors, fire resistant boards, firestops, fire dampers and compartmentation that contain fire and smoke without any activation, power or water. Unlike active systems (sprinklers, alarms, hydrants), PFP works 24/7 by design and is mandatory in every building under NBCS 2026 Part F, whether or not the building is sprinklered.

NBCS 2026 mandates both and treats them as complementary. However, passive fire protection is the unconditional baseline: the fire resistance ratings in Table 1 of Part F apply to every building regardless of active systems, and passive measures need no power, water or activation to work. Active systems such as sprinklers only earn relaxations — larger compartment areas (750 m² unsprinklered vs 2,000–5,000 m² sprinklered) and longer travel distances — they never remove passive requirements.

The National Building Construction Standards 2026 (SP 7 : 2026) is the fourth revision of India’s national building code published by the Bureau of Indian Standards, in force from 30-04-2026. Fire and life safety, previously NBC 2016 Part 4, is now Part F. Key updates include explicit compartmentation barrier types (masonry, fire curtains, glazed partitions, board assemblies), E/EW/EI/Sa performance classes, EV parking fire provisions, and new test standards such as IS 12458:2019 for firestops and IS 18190:2023 for perimeter fire barrier joints.

Both, plus more. Clause 2.28 of Part F defines fire resistance by four criteria: Stability (R) — structural loadbearing capacity; Integrity (E) — resistance to flame and hot gas penetration; Insulation (I) — limiting unexposed-face temperature rise to 180 °C at any point / 140 °C average; and Radiation (W/EW) for glass. A “120 minute” element must achieve the criteria specified for its application, not integrity alone.

Fire doors are rated as complete assemblies (door + frame + hardware + seals) to IS 3614:2021 for stability, integrity and insulation. Typical requirements: 120 minutes for exits, firefighting shafts, lift lobbies, horizontal exits and basement access; 180 minutes (two doors) for industrial high-hazard areas; 60 minutes for refuse chute inspection doors; 30 minutes for hotel guest room corridor doors and plumbing shafts. Exit fire doors additionally need minimum 30 minutes insulation and intumescent seals, and must be self-closing.

Yes. NBCS 2026 rates the door assembly, not the material. Both wooden and metal fire doors must be tested to IS 3614:2021 with all hardware fitted, carry a permanent label (manufacturer, type, serial/batch, date of manufacture, rating), and meet the same location-wise ratings. Wooden fire doors typically use certified fire rated cores such as calcium silicate or high-density mineral wool boards with intumescent edge seals; metal sliding fire doors are recognised as compartmentation Type E.

E is integrity (withstanding up to 1,050 °C without passing flame or hot gases), EW is radiation control (heat radiated at 1 m not exceeding 15 kW/m²), EI is insulation (unexposed face rise not exceeding 140 °C), and Sa is smoke control (leakage not exceeding 3 m³/m/h at 25 Pa). NBCS 2026 requires fire rated glazed partitions to achieve E-120 / EW-120 with EI-30 or EI-60 plus Sa, and fire curtains E-120 with EW/EI variants — all certified by an independent third-party body.

Part F’s List of Standards is exclusively IS and IS/ISO: the IS/ISO 834 series for fire resistance testing, IS 3614:2021 for fire doors and doorsets, IS 12458:2019 for through-penetration firestops, IS 18190:2023 for perimeter fire barrier joints, IS 3808 for non-combustibility, IS 12777 for flame spread and IS 16246 for circuit integrity cables. The only non-IS standards named are ISO 3957 / ISO 13785 for ACP facades. EN, BS, ASTM and UL test reports are not code-listed and may only be accepted as supporting evidence at the discretion of the local Competent Authority.

NBCS 2026 does not name any mandated laboratory. Compliance requires testing to the accepted IS/IS-ISO standards, a validated and certified rating, a permanent compliance label, and approval of the Competent Authority / local fire service. In practice, manufacturers use CSIR-CBRI Roorkee and NABL-accredited fire testing laboratories; international reports (UL, Warringtonfire, Element) are accepted at the authority’s discretion.

Service shafts and ducts: minimum 120 minutes, with electrical shaft inspection doors at 120 minutes integrity plus 30 minutes insulation. Critical utility rooms (electrical, server, UPS, battery, lift machine rooms): 120 minutes on all sides regardless of size. Tenant separation: 60 minutes. Every cable, pipe or duct penetration must be sealed with a firestop system tested to IS 12458:2019 with a rating not less than the wall or floor penetrated — up to 240 minutes in high-hazard areas.

External wall ratings depend on fire separation distance and construction type — from 60 up to 240 minutes (Table 1). Glass facades need sprinklers within 600 mm of the glass, and where fire separation is under 9 m, a minimum 900 mm spandrel panel of 60 minutes at every floor. All gaps between floor slabs and the facade must be sealed with a perimeter fire barrier joint system tested to IS 18190:2023. ACP cladding should be avoided; if used it must have at least 70% mineral core and pass ISO 3957 / ISO 13785.

As a rule of thumb under Part F: 30 minutes — guest room doors, plumbing shaft doors, ducting within a compartment; 60 minutes — tenant separation, refuse chute doors, facade spandrels; 120 minutes — exits, staircase enclosures, firefighting shafts, lift lobbies, utility rooms, service shafts, kitchens, fire check doors (all construction types); 180–240 minutes — Type 1 loadbearing elements, boiler rooms (180), and high-hazard industrial areas such as petrochemical and explosives (240). Always confirm against Table 1 and your occupancy chapter.

The project’s fire consultant, architect or registered building professional compiles the compliance record, supported by manufacturers’ test certificates and installation records, and the local fire authority grants the fire NOC / occupancy approval. For buildings up to 500 m² and 24 m height, NBCS 2026 permits self-certification by a certified, state-approved building professional for several occupancies. Our free online checklist generates a structured compliance statement and vendor specification you can adapt for this submission.

Wedge Industries Limited manufactures and supplies certified passive fire protection materials from Faridabad, India and exports to 45+ countries: calcium silicate fire boards (up to 240 minutes), fire door cores, intumescent fire seals and strips, MgO boards, vermiculite boards, high-density mineral wool boards, firestop and perimeter barrier materials. Write to sales@wedge-india.com or sales@wedgeinsulation.com for data sheets, test certificates and project pricing.