Digital Lock on a Fire-Rated Door: HDB and SCDF Rules (2026)

Usually yes. Most HDB main doors open onto a common corridor, staircase or lift lobby and are fire-rated; confirm with the label near the hinges.

SCDF says fire doors carry serial labels near the hinges of the door or door frame, showing the rating in minutes.

Not every HDB main door is a fire door, though. The Housing & Development Board's building-works rules need a permit to replace a fire-rated main door along the fire escape route, such as one opening onto a staircase or lift lobby, but no permit for a non-fire-rated main door.

If you can't find a label, or it has been painted over, SCDF says to check with HDB for public flats or your MCST for condos.

The Certificate of Conformity (CoC) must match your exact lock and pass SCDF's checklist below. Ask the supplier to show it before you buy.

1. The brand and model on the CoC match the lock you are buying.
2. The fire rating, in minutes, is at least as high as your door's.
3. The CoC states a mechanical fail-safe, so you can unlock the door from inside to leave even if the battery dies.
4. The lock was tested to SS 332 or EN 1634-1.

Under Fire Code clause 11.8, a lock tested on an insulated fire door may only go on insulated doors. One tested on an uninsulated door can go on either type.

Most certified locks for HDB main doors are mortise types, with the lock body set inside the door edge. The CoC covers that model only, not a similar-looking sister model. For the battery side, see what to do when a digital lock battery dies.

Is there an "SCDF-approved" digital lock?

No. SCDF's digital lockset page names three certification bodies for digital lock CoCs: Element Testing Services, Setsco Services and TÜV SÜD PSB. SCDF: regulated fire safety products says a CoC is not issued or endorsed by SCDF, and calling it an SCDF certificate is misleading. Treat "SCDF-approved" on a box as a warning sign and check the certification body's listing.

No to removing the closer. HDB says every fire-rated entrance door has one, and it "must not be removed".

HDB: gate and door explains that the closer keeps the door shut during a fire, so the door can contain the fire within the flat. SCDF's Fire Code guidance says a faulty closer must be repaired immediately. If a closer leaks fluid and can no longer shut the door on its own, HDB says to replace it; if it only shuts too fast or too slowly, it usually needs adjusting. A slamming closer or sagging door can also stop a new lock latching. For the how-to, see adjusting an HDB door closer.

Replacing the fire door itself is a bigger job. HDB needs a permit, a half-hour fire-rated door with an accreditor's label on a frame with a self-closing device, and a Home Fire Alarm Device (smoke detector) in the flat.

Fit only the certified model, and cut the door only as far as that lock's installation template requires.

An existing HDB main door's lock cut-out often needs some work, such as a deeper pocket or new holes for the spindle and cable, unless the lock is made to fit that door. On a fire door, every extra hole is a weak point in the fire barrier. A careful fit looks like this:

1. Confirm the door's rating on its label, or with HDB or your MCST.
2. Check the lock's CoC against SCDF's checklist.
3. Check the door swing, thickness and existing cut-out against the lock's specification.
4. Cut only to the certified lock's template.
5. Cover or fill unused holes with fire-rated filler or cover plates, as the door or lock maker specifies.
6. Test the fail-safe, the latch and the closer before leaving.

On a door that already fits the lock, fitting typically takes about 30 to 90 minutes; modification takes longer. The most common mistakes are a CoC for a different model, a rating below the door's, a disconnected closer, old holes left open and a fire label painted over.

SG QuickFix installs a digital lock on an existing door from $120.

A lock that needs the door modified costs from $160; on a fire door, any modification must stay within the certified lock's template. Keeping a mechanical lock? A mortise lock replacement costs from $100 in labour, plus the lock; on a fire door, use the same model or one listed on the door's CoC. With door repair, closer adjustment costs from $60 and closer replacement from $80, plus the closer. Each job is priced separately. For more detail, see digital lock installation cost in Singapore, HDB door lock replacement cost and the full handyman price list for Singapore.

For an accurate price, send a photo of the door edge near the hinges, the lock's model and its CoC.