Industrial doors allow easy staff access to your premises whilst also keeping your business safe and secure. But with a variety of different options out there, how do you decide what type of industrial door to choose?
Here we take a look at four different types of industrial door – and some of the things you should consider when picking industrial doors for your business.
The 4 main types of industrial door
There are four main industrial door varieties:
- Roller industrial doors
- Sectional industrial doors
- Folding shutter industrial doors
- High speed industrial doors
Let’s take a closer look at each of these doors in turn.
Roller industrial doors
Roller shutter industrial doors are made up of narrow horizontal slats, hinged together to form a strong, solid door.
When open, this type of industrial door causes minimal obstruction. That’s because it slides up into a neat roll overhead.
Roller industrial doors are available with both manual and electronic operation. You can get them with enhanced insulation. And you’ll find them in a wide range of premises, including industrial units, warehouses, hospitals, shops and restaurants.
Here at Secure Door Systems, we install, maintain and repair Euroflex, Eurospeed and Euroglaze industrial roller doors, all of which boast modern design and traditional build quality.
Sectional industrial doors
Sectional industrial doors are made up of wide horizontal panels. Like a roller door, these panels are hinged together to form a solid, insulated door.
However, this type of industrial door opens very differently to a roller door. Instead of rolling up, a sectional door opens by moving along an overhead track. This means that, when the door is open, it takes up some of your ceiling space.
So why would you choose a sectional door over other types of industrial door?
Firstly, because door slats are wider, you can add glazed sections – great if you want to bring more natural light into your premises or need to be able to see from one space into another.
Secondly, these doors also offer exceptional thermal performance. So they can help you to reduce your energy usage.
Available with manual spring loaded operation and heavy duty electric motors, there’s a sectional door for pretty much every type of space.
Folding shutter industrial doors
Folding shutter industrial doors come in a wide range of sizes, which means they’re suitable for any space, from tiny dumb waiter openings to full-size warehouse doorways.
These doors concertina open and shut, so they take up space within a doorway when open. And like other doors, they come with either manual or electronic operation.
Want to know what makes this type of industrial door stand out from the others? Its unbeatable security.
Folding shutter doors are strong – to the point that they can withstand some forms of ram raiding, making them a great choice if premises protection is your number one priority.
High speed industrial doors
For some businesses, speed is everything. If you’re trying to maintain your building at a specific temperature, a door that takes too long to open and close is going to cause problems.
High speed industrial doors do exactly as their name suggests. They are vertical-opening doors that offer fast opening and closing speeds.
This helps you to maintain temperature controlled spaces – or simply reduce the amount you spend on energy bills.
These doors are also great if you have a high traffic environment. Teams can move quickly in and out of your building, which can be a real logistical benefit.
You get a great selection of opening options for these doors too. From swipe cards to radar sensors to a simple manual pull cord, there’s a solution suited to your business.
A few things to consider when deciding which type of industrial door is best for your business
So we’ve covered the different industrial doors available. But which type of industrial door is the right choice for your business?
Here are some things to consider when making your decision.
Location
First of all, you need to think about where you plan to install your door or doors.
- Do you have space along the ceiling?
- How wide are the loads that regularly travel through the opening?
- Is there space within the doorway to house an open folding shutter door?
- Does your door need glazed sections that let in natural light?
By answering these questions, you may find that only one or two types of industrial door are actually suited to your space.
Speed
Electronic doors open faster than manual doors. And high speed doors are even quicker. The faster your door opens and closes, the easier it is:
- To preserve a temperature controlled environment
- To prevent dust and draughts from entering your building
- For your team to come and go quickly
For your team to come and go quickly
All industrial doors offer excellent security. Whether they lock manually or electronically, they help to protect your premises from break-ins. However, if you want the very best option in terms of security, it has to be the folding shutter door.
Level of insulation
Some doors offer better insulation than others. As well as helping to lower your energy bills, good insulation is essential if:
- You’re operating a temperature-controlled environment
- You need to prevent noise pollution from reaching your neighbours
So pick an insulation level suited to your business and its activities.
Manual or electronic opening
All of the doors listed above are available with both manual and electronic opening options.
Electronic doors can be opened with a press of a button or the wave of a key card. They’re usually more expensive than manual doors. But they tend to open and close faster and they can be opened by anyone – regardless of physical strength.
Manual doors are cheaper to install and cheaper to operate (because they don’t use up any electricity). But they don’t offer the same ease of use.
The type of opening operation you choose will depend upon the needs of your building and your team as well as any budget limitations. Which takes us onto our next point…
Budget
Electronic opening, well-insulated, high speed doors with a customised design cost more than more basic alternatives. Your budget is another important factor to consider when deciding on the right industrial door for your business.
Still unsure what type of industrial door you need for your business? SDS can help!
Here at Secure Door Systems, we’re industrial door experts. With years’ of experience installing, maintaining and repairing industrial doors throughout the North West, we know which products work best in any given industrial environment.
Want our advice on what industrial door you should choose? Then give our friendly team a call today and we’ll be happy to help!
