Fire+smoke curtain design starts with the opening condition. Before a system is selected, the building condition has to be defined, the required performance has to be confirmed, and the assembly has to be reviewed for installation, activation, inspection, and maintenance.
An elevator hoistway, rated wall opening, atrium, horizontal opening, or large open connection between floors can each lead to a different code, application, and listing review. One application may focus on smoke containment. Another may require fire endurance. Some conditions require both. Those decisions affect the tested assembly, curtain configuration, alarm interface, power requirements, surrounding construction, and long-term service access.
Smoke Guard’s variety of systems is designed for these applications, including elevator smoke containment, vertical fire+smoke curtains, horizontal fire curtains, perimeter fire+smoke curtains, and draft curtains. The right system depends on the opening, the required performance, the code application, and the building conditions around it.
Several code references and standards commonly guide that review.
| Code Reference/Standard | What It Helps Define | Why It Applies to Fire+Smoke Curtains |
| International Building Code (IBC) and National Fire Protection Association 101 (NFPA 101) | Building condition, opening protection, smoke control, hoistway protection, atrium protection and fire-rated separation | Establishes what the assembly needs to satisfy |
| Underwriters Laboratories Standards 10B and 10C (UL 10B and UL 10C) | Fire-resistance-rated openings and fire endurance performance are used for prescriptive solutions | Confirms fire protection performance for the tested assembly |
| Underwriters Laboratories Standard 10D (UL 10D) | Fire protective curtain assemblies and fire endurance performance used for alternate methods | Confirms fire protection performance for the tested assembly |
| Underwriters Laboratories Standard 1784 (UL 1784) | Air leakage for smoke and draft control | Applies when limiting smoke movement through an opening is part of the requirement |
| National Fire Protection Association 80 and 105 (NFPA 80 and NFPA 105) | Inspection, testing, and maintenance for fire and smoke opening protection | Defines how the system remains accessible, testable and ready after installation |
| Underwriters Laboratories Standard 864 (UL 864) | Fire alarm control units and accessories | Applies when listed controls or fire alarm interfaces are part of the curtain system application |
Start With the Building Condition
The International Building Code (IBC) identifies the occupancy type of the space and the condition that requires protection. For the fire+smoke curtain design, the review should begin by defining how the space functions within the building.
The condition should be reviewed to determine whether it involves an elevator shaft, rated walls, atrium smoke control strategy, horizontal connection, or unenclosed opening connecting floors. That answer determines whether the application is focused on smoke containment, fire resistance, opening protection, or a combination of requirements.
This prevents one of the most common coordination issues, which is treating all curtain applications the same way. Smoke containment at an elevator hoistway is not the same as a fire-rated opening in a wall assembly or perimeter protection at an atrium. Each condition has its own code basis, tested assembly, and coordination and scheduling requirements.
Match the Performance Requirement to the Tested Assembly
Once the building condition is defined, the next step is identifying the tested assembly that applies.
(UL 10D) applies to fire protective curtain assemblies and fire endurance performance. It evaluates the full assembly, not only the curtain fabric. The curtain material, headbox, side guides, bottom bar, anchorage, and installation conditions all contribute to the listed performance.
(UL 1784) addresses air leakage for smoke and draft control. It becomes part of the review when the goal is to limit smoke movement through an opening, such as an elevator hoistway, or in other smoke-containment conditions.
A smoke containment curtain is not automatically a fire-rated curtain, nor is the opposite true. A fire-rated curtain is not automatically the correct solution for every smoke condition. The selected assembly has to match the building condition, required rating, and surrounding construction and be tested to the appropriate standard.
Confirm The Surrounding Construction Supports The Listing
It is important to note that a fire+smoke curtain does not perform apart from the building around it. As such, the surrounding construction helps determine whether the installed system matches the listed condition.
Headbox location, side guide placement, wall construction, ceiling height, anchorage, finished surfaces, bottom closure, and opening dimensions all need to be coordinated. Even small field changes around an opening can unintentionally affect curtain travel, leakage performance, access for inspection, or the ability to maintain the assembly over time.
This is where code review becomes tied to the construction/product drawings and field conditions. The opening cannot be reviewed only as a dimension on a schedule. It has to be reviewed with the ceiling, wall assembly, structure, finishes, alarm interface, and service access that will exist in the finished building.
Coordinate Controls, Power, and Fire Alarm Interface
Fire+smoke curtain systems operate as passive building systems. They are usually gravity-deployed, with initiation of that deployment by detectors or a fire alarm interface, or another approved activation method. That means the sequence of operation for the activation and curtain systems needs to be reviewed along with the opening details.
(UL 864) applies to fire alarm control units and accessories. For fire+smoke curtain systems, (UL 864) is relevant when the system uses listed control equipment or interfaces with the building fire alarm system.
The activation sequence, alarm interface, power, backup power, reset procedures, commissioning, and testing protocols should be reviewed before construction details are finalized.
These items directly affect the curtain system, electrical coordination, fire alarm design, and future service requirements.
Plan For Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance
(NFPA 80) and (NFPA 105) address inspection, testing, and maintenance for fire and smoke opening protectives, respectively.
These requirements affect the design because the system must remain accessible after installation. Motors, controls, headboxes, guides, and access panels cannot be treated as hidden infrastructure that no one will need to reach again.
Later renovations, tenant improvements, signage, lighting, furniture, or millwork can also interfere with deployment or service access. For facility teams, the issue is not only whether the curtain was installed correctly. It is whether the system can still be inspected, tested, and maintained after the building changes, as required by NFPA 80 and NFPA 105.
What Code Review Needs To Verify
A code review for a fire+smoke curtain should confirm more than whether the product fits the opening. The review should verify that the opening, rating, listing, controls, and maintenance access all match the intended application.
The review should answer four technical questions:
- What is the opening condition? Confirm whether the fire+smoke curtain is being used at an elevator hoistway or other, rated wall opening, atrium, horizontal opening, or other large connection between spaces.
- What performance is required? The opening may require smoke containment, fire resistance, or both. That answer determines whether (UL 10B, UL 10C, UL 10D), (UL 1784), or a combination needs to be reviewed.
- What controls the system? If the fire+smoke curtain uses listed control equipment or interfaces with the building fire alarm system, activation, sequencing, power, backup power, reset, and testing requirements should be reviewed.
- How will the assembly remain serviceable? Inspection and maintenance require access to headboxes, guides, motors, controls, and deployment paths. These details need to be coordinated before ceilings, finishes, and adjacent construction are finalized, so as to keep all equipment accessible and serviceable, as required by the NFPA 80 or 105.
When these questions are answered early, the selected assembly can be reviewed for installation, activation, inspection, and maintenance in the actual building condition.
Smoke Guard works with architects, contractors, code officials, and facility teams to review fire+smoke curtain options for elevator openings, atriums, large openings, and other applications.
Planning a project with fire+smoke protection requirements? Contact Smoke Guard early in the design process to review the applicable code path, tested assembly, and system coordination before details are finalized.
Frequently Asked Questions About Fire+Smoke Curtain Code Review (FAQ)
What Should Be Reviewed First When Specifying a Fire+Smoke Curtain?
Start with the opening condition. Confirm whether the project involves an elevator hoistway, rated wall opening, atrium, horizontal opening, open connection between floors or another type of special condition.
Does Every Fire+Smoke Curtain Use the Same Listing?
No. Some openings require smoke containment. Others require a fire-resistance rating. Some require both. Smoke Guard’s fire+smoke curtain assembly should match the opening, code requirements, and testing requirements.
What Is the Difference Between UL 10B, UL 10C, UL 10D, and UL 1784?
UL 10B is for fire-rated overhead coiling systems, and UL 10C is for fire-rated side-hinged doors,
(UL 10D) applies to fire protective curtain assemblies when used as alternative materials. (UL 1784) addresses air leakage for smoke and draft control.
Why Are NFPA 80 and NFPA 105 Part of the Design Review?
(NFPA 80) and (NFPA 105) address inspection, testing, and maintenance for fire and smoke-rated opening systems. They establish a requirement to confirm the system remains accessible and testable after installation.
When Is UL 864 Relevant?
(UL 864) It is relevant when listed controls or a fire alarm interface are part of the curtain system. This affects activation, sequencing, reset, commissioning, and testing protocols.
Where Are Smoke Guard Fire+Smoke Curtain Systems Used?
Smoke Guard systems are used in a variety of building and occupancy types, including commercial, health care, higher education, industrial, hospitality, multifamily, and mixed-use buildings. Common applications include elevator hoistways, atriums, large openings, rated wall openings, and horizontal openings.
Planning a project with fire+smoke protection requirements? Contact Smoke Guard early in the design process to review the applicable code path, tested assembly, and system coordination before details are finalized to help provide an optimal solution for the owner and users of the building.