Short answer: yes; the building code is the harder part. Canadian codes require a manufactured entrance door to conform to NAFS (AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440) and the Canadian Supplement, CSA A440S1, carry a label with its tested ratings, and meet U-value limits. At the border, an importer registered in CARM pays duty, any surtax or anti-dumping duty, and 5% GST.
Does NAFS apply to an entrance door?
Usually, yes. Article 9.7.4.2 of the National Building Code (NBC) 2025 requires manufactured and pre-assembled windows, doors and skylights within NAFS scope, and their installation, to conform to NAFS and CSA A440S1. Part 5, for larger buildings, cites the same two standards. Side-hinged doors are a NAFS product type, and we found no exclusion for doors without glass.
- Part 9 or Part 5. Part 9 covers houses and other buildings up to 3 storeys and 600 m² in area.
- Outside the scope. RDH Building Science lists commercial entrances and hollow metal doors as outside NAFS. Such a door is treated as site-built (Article 9.7.5.1) and must meet those rules or Part 5.
- Pivot doors. The door section of NAFS 2026 covers side-hinged, dual-action side-hinged and folding doors. Ask the building official early how a pivot door will be assessed.
- Limited Water (LW). A side-hinged door tested for water below its grade’s test pressure is labelled LW. The NBC note sets no restriction where its water rating meets the site’s driving rain wind pressure; otherwise CSA A440S1 limits it to protected spots, such as under a porch roof. British Columbia allows LW doors only to a garage or carport, at accessible entrances, or under an overhang that makes water ingress unlikely.
What performance grade and label does the code ask for?
The performance grade is chosen from CSA A440S1 for the site, using location, terrain and height above grade, and the door must reach it when tested to NAFS. NBC 2025 sets Performance Class R as the minimum. The Canadian Supplement requires a label showing:
- Positive design pressure, where applicable.
- Negative design pressure, where applicable.
- Water penetration test pressure.
- Canadian air infiltration and exfiltration levels.
RDH’s guide shows a window example: “Class CW – PG30, 900 × 1550 mm” (class, grade, size tested), with “+1680 Pa / −1440 Pa”, water 400 Pa and air level A3, which allows 0.5 L/s·m² at 75 Pa (A2 allows 1.5). A product labelled for Canada must meet all applicable requirements of both standards, forced entry included.
How does a building official check it?
From the label, the test report and the installation. A NAFS label is the manufacturer’s self-declaration, RDH notes. Intertek’s NAFS FAQ adds that the door must be built as tested, and an official may object if the report does not match the installed system.
- Label: class, grade, size tested and the four Canadian values.
- Report: the same frame, sill, hardware and leaf construction, within the size the report covers.
- Grade against the site: design and water test pressures at or above the CSA A440S1 values for the location.
- LW doors: in a location where they are allowed.
- Thermal: a thermal break and a rated U-value (next section).
- Installation: to CSA A440.4, sealed to the air barrier (Article 9.7.6.1).
What U-value does an entrance door need in Canada?
Two NBC 2025 articles apply. Article 9.7.3.3 requires metal door frames to have a thermal break and caps the U-value by January design temperature, to limit condensation. Article 9.36.2.7 caps it by heating degree-days, but one door in the building may reach 2.6 W/m²K. Ratings come from CSA A440.2 or NFRC 100 at their reference sizes.
| Location | Heating degree-days | Energy zone | 9.36 max U, W/m²K | January design temp. (2.5%) | 9.7.3.3 max U, W/m²K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver | 2,825 | 4 | 1.84 | −7 °C | 2.5 |
| Toronto | 3,520 | 5 | 1.84 | −18 °C | 2.0 |
| Halifax | 4,000 | 6 | 1.61 | −16 °C | 2.0 |
| Montréal | 4,200 | 6 | 1.61 | −23 °C | 2.0 |
| Winnipeg | 5,670 | 7A | 1.61 | −33 °C | 1.7 |
| Fort McMurray | 6,250 | 7B | 1.44 | −38 °C | 1.7 |
- Energy Rating. A minimum Energy Rating (21, 25 or 29, by zone) may replace the U-value.
- Provinces differ. Ontario puts housing energy rules in its Part 12 and SB-12. A 2021 British Columbia bulletin sets pre-hung door assemblies below 1.80 W/m²K under its Energy Efficiency Standards Regulation, with a permanent tester’s label.
- Federal. ENERGY STAR Canada is voluntary; its criteria are in our U-value guide. Natural Resources Canada has proposed labelling and reporting rules for windows and doors, hinged doors included, possibly from 2028; check their status.
What duty and taxes apply to a door from China?
Aluminium doors usually fall under tariff item 7610.10.00 at 6.5%; steel doors under 7308.30.00, duty-free but currently carrying a 25% surtax. China pays the MFN rate, having lost the General Preferential Tariff on 1 January 2015. CBSA collects 5% GST on the value including duty.
| Measure | Aluminium door, 7610.10.00 | Steel door, 7308.30.00 |
|---|---|---|
| MFN duty, 2026 tariff | 6.5% | Free |
| China Surtax Order (2024), 25% | Not listed | Not listed |
| Steel derivative surtax: 25% of full value, all countries, from 26 December 2025 | Not listed | Listed |
| SIMA duties on Chinese aluminium extrusions | 7610.10.00 numbers listed; scope to confirm | Ask, if aluminium extrusions are inside |
Anti-dumping. CBSA’s measures cover aluminium extrusions from China “whether or not worked”. In April 2025 it found dumping and subsidising likely to continue or resume, and the latest CITT order is dated 1 October 2025. We cannot tell you whether a complete door is in scope: confirm with your broker, or ask CBSA for a scope ruling, before it ships.
Classification. Our leaves have galvanised steel sheets either side of an aluminium profile frame with an aluminium honeycomb core, so send your broker a material breakdown.
HST. The provincial part of HST is not charged at the border on commercial goods; the importer may have to self-assess it instead, says the Canada Revenue Agency. Provincial rates are in the table below. For the cost build-up, see EXW vs landed cost and Incoterms for door imports.
What do you need to clear customs?
A registered importer of record, Canadian or non-resident. Every importer needs a business number with an import program account and an account in CBSA’s Assessment and Revenue Management (CARM) portal. You can file the entries yourself or through a licensed customs broker.
- BN15: a 9-digit business number plus an RM import program account. Non-residents get the business number from the Canada Revenue Agency first.
- CARM: register in the CARM Client Portal.
- Broker: sign a general agency agreement and delegate authority to them in CARM.
- Security: enrol in Release Prior to Payment and post financial security, as CBSA recommends.
How do doors reach Canada, and what about winter?
Vancouver is Canada’s largest container port. Montréal, the second, mainly serves central Canada; Halifax had spare capacity but limited rail; and Vancouver and Prince Rupert are the alternative for British Columbia and the Prairies (Transport Canada, 2021). Ask your forwarder for the route.
- Crate. Send the crate size and gross weight early; see crating and shipping damage.
- Winter. Arrange covered storage and truck and crane access, and ask your installer for the minimum application temperature of their foam and sealants.
What should you check by province?
| Province | Building code | Energy and product rules | Sales tax beyond 5% GST |
|---|---|---|---|
| British Columbia | BC Building Code 2024, permits from 8 March 2024; NAFS 2017 and the 2019 Supplement | Energy Efficiency Standards Regulation | 7% PST |
| Ontario | 2024 Building Code, from 1 January 2025, based on NBC 2020 with Ontario amendments | Part 12 and SB-12 | 13% HST |
| Quebec | Construction Code, Chapter I, with NBC 2020 as modified for Quebec, from 17 April 2025, with a transition period | Ask the Régie du bâtiment du Québec | 9.975% QST |
| Atlantic provinces | Ask the authority having jurisdiction | Ask | 14% HST in Nova Scotia; 15% in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island |
What should an importer check before ordering?
- Code edition and Part 9 or 5, confirmed with the building official.
- Performance grade and water test pressure for the site, from CSA A440S1.
- NAFS report and label, or a test plan, agreed before production.
- Pivot door: how it will be assessed.
- U-value target for the climate zone and province, rated to CSA A440.2 or NFRC 100.
- Tariff item confirmed from a material breakdown.
- SIMA scope confirmed for aluminium.
- Surtaxes checked on the date of entry.
- BN15, CARM account, broker and financial security in place.
- Route, winter storage and installer booked.
How does this work with Dooream?
Our prices are EXW at our factory in Wuyi, and your freight forwarder collects the door. Doors ship as complete units with the leaf hung in its frame. Production takes 35–45 days after drawing approval and a 50% deposit; the other 50% is paid before shipment. Your local installers fit the door with our installation drawings and remote guidance, and the warranty runs two years from shipment. We have no NAFS (CSA A440/A440S1) test or label, no CSA certification and no ENERGY STAR listing; where a project needs them, testing can be arranged with a lab, usually at the buyer’s cost. Our thermal-break construction, with PA66 polyamide insulating strips in the aluminium profiles, reaches a U-value of 1.0 W/m²K in our test report, and any of our designs can be built with it. We do not make fire-rated doors. Send your opening through our contact page.
Sources, checked November 2026: National Research Council Canada, National Building Code of Canada 2025 (Articles 1.3.3.3, 5.9.2.2, 9.7.3.3, 9.7.4.1–9.7.4.3, 9.7.5.1, 9.7.6.1, 9.36.2.2, 9.36.2.7, Note A-9.7.4.2.(1), Table C-2); RDH Building Science, Architect's guide to NAFS in Canada (2018); WDMA, NAFS-26 contents; Intertek, NAFS FAQ; British Columbia, BC Building Code 2018, Section 9.7, bulletin B24-04 (2024) and Energy Efficiency Standards Regulation bulletin (2021); Ontario, 2024 Building Code Compendium; Régie du bâtiment du Québec, chapitre Bâtiment incluant le CNB 2020; Natural Resources Canada, manufactured fenestration products; CBSA, Customs Tariff 2026, chapter 76 and chapter 73, aluminum extrusions measures in force, AE 2024 expiry review and set up your business to import; Canada Gazette, GPT withdrawal order (SOR/2013-161); Justice Laws, China Surtax Order (2024); Finance Canada, steel derivative products list; Canada Revenue Agency, GST/HST on imports and rates; Transport Canada, Port of Montréal backgrounder (2021).
Quick answers
Does NAFS apply to a solid front door with no glass?
Usually, yes. The National Building Code requires manufactured doors within the scope of NAFS (AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440) to conform to it and to the Canadian Supplement, CSA A440S1. Side-hinged doors are a NAFS product type, and we found no exclusion for doors without glass. A door outside NAFS scope must meet the code's site-built rules or Part 5 instead.
What duty applies to an aluminium entrance door from China?
Tariff item 7610.10.00 carries 6.5%, the MFN rate, which applies to China because it lost the General Preferential Tariff in 2015. CBSA also collects 5% GST on the value including duty. CBSA lists 7610.10.00 numbers under its anti-dumping measures on Chinese aluminium extrusions, so the importer must confirm whether a complete door is in scope.
Do Dooream doors have NAFS, CSA or ENERGY STAR certification?
No. We have no NAFS (CSA A440/A440S1) test or label, no CSA certification and no ENERGY STAR listing. Where a project needs them, testing can be arranged with a lab, usually at the buyer's cost. Our thermal-break construction reaches a U-value of 1.0 W/m²K in our test report.