Ana Sayfa / Code Reference / Fire Code — Escape and Compartments
Turkish Fire Code — Escape Routes and Fire Compartments
The escape and compartment provisions of the Turkish Regulation on Fire Protection of Buildings (BYKHY), with clause numbers. Every table below is read live from the calculation engine, so the reference and the tool cannot drift apart.
How this page works
The tables are not hand-written; they are read from the data inside engine/fire-safety.js. The same data feeds the escape route and compartment tools. If the regulation changes, one place is updated and all three follow.
The Turkish fire regulation is public law published in the Official Gazette; its clause text and tables may be reproduced here in full.
To see the tables by playing with them: the escape route simulation shows how the required width changes with use class and area, and the compartment simulation shows why the Annex 4 footnotes give entirely different outcomes per occupancy.
The Turkish fire regulation is public law published in the Official Gazette; its clause text and tables may be reproduced here in full.
To see the tables by playing with them: the escape route simulation shows how the required width changes with use class and area, and the compartment simulation shows why the Annex 4 footnotes give entirely different outcomes per occupancy.
1. Occupant load — Annex 5/A
The occupant load of a space is found from the area per person for its use class. The first four rows use net area, the rest gross area — miss this distinction and the occupant count is wrong from the start.
| Use | m²/person | Area basis |
|---|---|---|
| loading… | ||
2. Exit width — Clauses 32-33
Total exit width = (occupant load of the storey ⁄ persons per unit width) × 0.50 m
Clause 33(1), as amended 16/3/2015. The unit width is 50 cm (Clause 32(2)).
If the calculated width falls below the minima, the minimum governs:
| Case | Minimum width |
|---|---|
| Any exit or escape stair | 80 cm |
| Escape route also used as corridor or hall | 110 cm |
| Occupant load 50 – 500 | 100 cm |
| Occupant load 501 – 2000 | 150 cm |
| Occupant load 2001 and above | 200 cm |
| Escape routes and stairs in high-rise buildings | 120 cm |
Existing buildings differ
Clause 148: in existing buildings the total escape width is the storey occupant load × 0.4 cm. Straight-flight stairs may be ≥ 60 cm and spiral stairs ≥ 70 cm.
3. Persons per unit width — Annex 5/B
For the same storey the four escape route types have different capacities. Stair capacity is the lowest, so the required width is usually governed by the stair.
| Occupancy class | Final exit door | Other door | Escape stair | Ramp / corridor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| loading… | ||||
4. Maximum travel distances — Annex 5/B
| Occupancy class | One-way escape | Two-way escape | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| unsprinklered | sprinklered | unsprinklered | sprinklered | |
| loading… | ||||
Measurement rule
Clause 32(6): the furthest point is measured 40 cm in from the wall.
Clause 32(5): the straight-line distance may not exceed 2/3 of the permitted travel distance.
Within a dwelling, furthest point to exit door ≤ 20 m (sprinklered ≤ 30 m). From the foot of the escape stair to the open air ≤ 10 m (sprinklered ≤ 15 m).
Clause 32(5): the straight-line distance may not exceed 2/3 of the permitted travel distance.
Within a dwelling, furthest point to exit door ≤ 20 m (sprinklered ≤ 30 m). From the foot of the escape stair to the open air ≤ 10 m (sprinklered ≤ 15 m).
5. Number of exits — Clause 32
| Occupant load | Minimum exits |
|---|---|
| General rule | 2 |
| Above 500 | 3 |
| Above 1000 | 4 |
Single-exit exception — all three conditions
It must be a ground-floor shop and the occupant load must be below 50 and the furthest point to the exit door must be ≤ 25 m. If any one fails, the exception does not apply.
In an undivided single space requiring two exits, the separation between them may not be less than 1/2 of the diagonal when unsprinklered, or 1/3 when sprinklered.
In an undivided single space requiring two exits, the separation between them may not be less than 1/2 of the diagonal when unsprinklered, or 1/3 when sprinklered.
6. Fire compartments — Clause 24 and Annex 4
Definition (Clause 4): a zone enclosed on all sides by at least 60 minutes' fire resistance.
| Occupancy class | Base area | Footnote | With systems |
|---|---|---|---|
| loading… | |||
Footnotes — Clause 24(6)
(1) With suitable fire control systems the area may double.
(2) With suitable systems, unlimited.
(3) If single-storey, or with suitable systems, unlimited.
(4) Excluding wholesale produce and fish markets and similar.
Clause 24(4): in non-residential buildings over 21.50 m and residential buildings over 30.50 m in height, a compartment above that height may span at most 3 storeys.
(2) With suitable systems, unlimited.
(3) If single-storey, or with suitable systems, unlimited.
(4) Excluding wholesale produce and fish markets and similar.
Clause 24(4): in non-residential buildings over 21.50 m and residential buildings over 30.50 m in height, a compartment above that height may span at most 3 storeys.
7. Four common mistakes
- Confusing net and gross area. The first four rows of Annex 5/A want net area, the rest gross. The wrong basis misleads the occupant count and hence the width.
- Sizing for one escape route only. The four routes have different capacities and the stair is the lowest. Looking only at the final exit door leaves the stair too narrow.
- Reading a travel distance without stating sprinkler provision. For offices the four cases are 15 / 30 / 45 / 75 m — a five-fold spread.
- Applying the single-exit exception partially. All three conditions are required; if one fails, two exits are needed.