ATTMA Level 2 accredited smoke shaft air leakage testing for new build handover and existing buildings. Clear reports, early planning guidance, and consolidation with other completion tests.
Smoke shaft testing is a life safety requirement. Early engagement prevents costly delays to handover.
Thanks — we'll come back to you within one working day with availability and pricing.
Smoke shafts safely direct smoke, heat, and harmful gases away from escape routes during a fire. For the system to work, the shaft must be airtight. Testing proves it is.
The accepted industry benchmark for smoke shaft air tightness is 3.8 m³/hr/m² at 50 Pascals — a standard that originated as a recommendation from Colt and is now widely adopted across UK building practice. This is the threshold your smoke shaft must meet or beat to be considered compliant.
Your project specification, fire engineer, or local authority may require a tighter standard. Always confirm the applicable limit with your fire engineering team before installation begins — addressing this at the design stage is significantly easier and cheaper than remediation after construction.
Note that BS 9991:2024 is the current version of the standard for residential buildings. BS 9999:2017 applies to non-residential buildings. Both require testing at handover and periodic retesting throughout the building's life.
A systematic approach is essential to deliver testing correctly, cost-effectively, and in accordance with ATTMA TSL guidelines. Early engagement with us helps align the testing programme with your build schedule.
Before any testing begins, the shaft configuration, design drawings, and fire strategy documents are reviewed to understand the shaft's construction and define the scope of work. This stage is best planned early — well before the expected test date.
A calibrated fan unit is used to pressurise or depressurise the shaft. By carefully measuring the airflow and pressure differential across the shaft envelope, our engineers determine the air leakage rate in accordance with ATTMA TSL Issue 1 and relevant BS EN standards.
The regulatory obligation differs between new build handover and routine maintenance — but both are legally required.
Smoke shaft testing at new build handover is a legal requirement under Approved Document B and BS 9991. It demonstrates that the as-built smoke ventilation system performs as designed, and a certificate is required for Building Control sign-off.
The smoke shaft is rarely delivered by a single party — it is typically constructed from components supplied and installed by different contractors at different stages of the build. It cannot be assumed that factory-certified components automatically combine to form a compliant, airtight shaft. The integrated system must be tested as a whole.
We recommend engaging us early in the programme to plan testing at the optimal construction stage, with sufficient allowance for remediation if needed. Late engagement risks delays to handover.
The Fire Safety Act 2021 and Fire Safety Regulations (England) 2022 require building owners and responsible persons to conduct regular fire risk assessments and system testing throughout the life of the building. BS 7346-8:2013 provides detailed guidance on the testing and maintenance required.
Over time, building movement, minor repairs, and component wear can degrade smoke shaft airtightness. Annual testing helps verify system integrity and identify problems early — before they become serious or require major remedial work.
Test certificates, records, and date information must be stored securely as part of the building's official documentation to satisfy the principles of the Golden Thread and demonstrate ongoing compliance during inspections, audits, or building sale.
The majority of smoke shaft test failures stem from the same handful of issues — nearly all of which are far easier to address during construction than after the shaft is complete. We provide pre-test guidance at the point of booking and can carry out a pre-test inspection to identify problems before formal testing begins.
A key principle: the inside of the shaft should be treated as the primary air seal. Every joint, penetration, and junction on the internal face needs to be properly sealed with fire-rated mastic or jointing compound. Focusing sealing effort on the external face creates a system that looks correct but leaks at every internal gap.
Educating contractors and installers about the life safety implications of thorough sealing — particularly for cable penetrations and plasterboard joints — pays significant dividends at the test stage. A missed seal that is simple to fix during construction can require disruptive, expensive call-backs once finishes are complete.
Smoke shaft testing sits at the intersection of building regulations, fire safety legislation, and British Standards. Understanding which apply to your building is essential.
Smoke shaft testing requires specialist equipment and expertise. Our ATTMA Level 2 accredited testers work across our core service areas with rapid mobilisation for urgent commissioning schedules.
Smoke shaft air tightness testing and commissioning for high-rise residential developments across Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry, Wolverhampton, and the wider West Midlands. BS 9991 and Approved Document B compliance.
Smoke control system testing across Bristol, Bath, South Gloucestershire, and the surrounding South West. AOV shaft pressurisation and fire damper commissioning for new build and existing buildings.
Based in Worcester — smoke shaft testing across Malvern, Droitwich, Evesham, Bromsgrove, and Redditch. Our home county with the fastest mobilisation times.
Smoke shaft and AOV testing for residential developments across Cheltenham, Gloucester, Stroud, Tewkesbury, and the Cotswolds. Certificates accepted by all local Building Control and fire authorities.
BS 9991 smoke shaft compliance testing across Oxford, Banbury, Bicester, Witney, and the wider Oxfordshire area. New build and existing building assessments.
As ATTMA Level 2 accredited testers, our smoke shaft certificates are valid across the whole of England and Wales. We regularly commission systems outside our core regions — contact us wherever your project is.
Looking for smoke shaft testing near you? Whether you have a high-rise residential block in Birmingham, a mixed-use development in Bristol, or an existing building requiring recertification in Gloucestershire — our ATTMA Level 2 testers deliver BS 9991 compliant results. Call 01386 365145 or email us to book.
The widely accepted industry benchmark is 3.8 m³/hr/m² at 50 Pascals — a threshold originated by Colt and now adopted as standard practice across UK building projects. This is the level your smoke shaft must achieve to be considered compliant.
However, individual project specifications, fire engineers, or local authority requirements may specify a tighter standard. Always confirm the applicable limit for your project in the fire strategy documentation before installation begins. Discovering a more stringent requirement after construction is completed significantly increases the risk and cost of remediation.
Factory certification confirms that individual components perform to their product standard in isolation. It does not confirm that they have been correctly installed together as an integrated system, or that the junctions, penetrations, and joints between them have been properly sealed.
A smoke shaft is typically constructed by multiple contractors at different stages of the build. The combined result must be tested as a whole — because it is the whole system that will be relied upon in a fire, not the individual components.
Automatic Opening Vents must be temporarily sealed from the inside during the test to eliminate them as air leakage paths. The preferred method is to use tape, Correx board, or Celotex board secured to the internal face of the AOV frame.
Dampers alone should not be relied upon to seal AOVs for testing — they may not provide sufficient airtightness to give a valid result. Ideally, AOV sealing should be planned before the units are installed, as this makes achieving an effective seal significantly easier.
Following a successful test, we issue a full report including the test results, the measured air leakage rate, and a compliance certificate suitable for Building Control submission.
These records — along with component DoPs, maintenance logs, and subsequent test certificates — form part of the building's official documentation and must be maintained in accordance with the Golden Thread principles under the Building Safety Act 2022. Records are required for inspections, audits, building sale, and ongoing fire risk assessment compliance.
As early as possible — ideally during the pre-construction or early construction phase. Early engagement allows us to review the shaft design and fire strategy, flag any foreseeable compliance risks, and agree a testing programme that aligns with your build and completion schedule.
We strongly recommend planning for a pre-test inspection before final finishes are applied. At that stage, any leakage paths are still accessible and remediation is straightforward. Engaging late — when the shaft is complete and finishes are in — significantly limits your options if the test fails and adds risk of handover delays.
BS 7346-8:2013 and BS 9991:2024 both require smoke shaft systems to be tested and maintained throughout the building's life. Annual testing is generally recommended as part of a building's routine fire safety maintenance programme, alongside other life safety system checks.
The Fire Safety Regulations (England) 2022 place specific obligations on responsible persons in higher-risk residential buildings (those over 18 metres or with at least 7 floors). Even for lower-risk buildings, the building owner's fire risk assessment obligations under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 typically require regular smoke system verification.
Engaging us during the construction phase — not at practical completion — gives you the best chance of a first-time pass and avoids delays to handover.
Tell us about your project and we'll confirm our availability, provide a quote, and advise on the optimal testing programme for your schedule.
We'll review your details and come back within one working day.