Types of Roller Doors and Shutters
17 February 2022
IN BRIEF
- Roller shutters are recommended for industrial buildings due to their toughness and rigid protection, while roller doors are suitable for light commercial applications.
- Roller doors are lightweight and easy to open, and come in a wide variety of COLORBOND® colours to match your overall design.
- Steelcorp recommends Australian-made Sprint Roller Shutters for industrial applications. These are proven to provide strength, security and smooth operation.
- In high-wind areas, specific design considerations like increasing gauge thickness, using larger door guides, and adding wind-lock brackets can make the shutters more durable.
Roller Doors and Shutters for Commercial Buildings
Getting the right roller doors for your project is an important consideration. Your roller doors are likely to be used every day, so they need to be strong, reliable and of excellent quality. Skimping on roller doors or using cheap and flimsy products will be apparent every day when you go to open up your premises – and we definitely don’t want you to experience that!
So, we’ve put together some information on the best types of roller doors and roller shutters for commercial and industrial buildings.
Let’s take a look at how to choose between doors and shutters, some of the preferred options we offer for our structures, and the extra precautions you may need to take in high-wind areas.
Roller Shutter vs Roller Door
Sometimes these terms are used interchangeably, but roller doors and roller shutters are structurally quite different.
A roller shutter is made from a series of wide horizontal steel slats that are hinged together, resulting in a tough, heavy-duty door that is great for industrial applications.
On the other hand, a roller door is made from a single ‘curtain’ of lighter gauge steel, making it more flexible. Because it’s lighter, it can be faster to open and close, however it is not as robust as a shutter.
What Does Steelcorp Recommend?
Every project is different so before we recommend any particular style of door, we’ll make sure we fully understand your requirements and how you’ll be using the finished structure.
In general, however, our preference is to use roller shutters in our commercial structure designs. This is because they provide tougher, more rigid protection for the kinds of industrial buildings we typically work with.
Steelcorp has partnerships with both roller shutter and roller door suppliers, so we can specify the right door to suit your needs.
Industrial Roller Shutters
We use and recommend Sprint Roller Shutters, an Australian supplier of custom-built roller shutters that feature unbeatable balance and a smooth opening and closing motion. Each shutter is constructed using interlocking slats which provides strength and security while retaining the flexibility required to operate smoothly.
These roller shutters come galvanised as standard for protection against corrosion, and they can be powder coated to any colour you like to match the exterior of your building. They can also be constructed with slots and perforations for additional ventilation if required.
Commercial Roller Doors
Roller doors are not quite as tough, but still a suitable option for many designs. Designed for light commercial applications, they are lightweight and easy to open. Just like external roller shutters, they come in a wide variety of COLORBOND® colours to match your overall design.
Roller doors are made from 800mm sheets that are crimped together to form one large panel. The biggest roller door measures 5m x 5m, however we recommend choosing a door no larger than 4m x 4m, as the larger options available on the market can become flimsy.
Our design team creates a lot of building designs featuring roller doors, but these do have some limitations. Being made from a single sheet of steel means that if impacted, the whole door may need to be replaced. They are also not as rigid and can be more prone to vandalism and damage, and are more susceptible to wind and storm damage.
Do Roller Doors and Shutters Come in Standard Sizes?
The most common roller door sizes are 4m x 4m, 5m x 5m and 6m x 6m.
However, it’s worth keeping in mind that although the bay sizes in our designs are wider, the doors require mullions for support, so we can’t use the entire width of the bay for the door itself. An allowance of around 600mm on either side of the door and another 700mm headroom is required to ensure the door has adequate support.
Some specialist roller shutters are available to suit openings up to 12 x 12 metres, so let us know if you need access for large vehicles or equipment factored into your design.
Considerations for High Wind Areas
If you’re planning to build in a wind-prone area, there are a few steps we can take in the design stages to make sure your shutters can better withstand the forces of nature.
By increasing the gauge thickness of the shutter slats from the standard 0.8mm to 1.0mm, we can reduce the flex in the door, helping to prevent it from breaking free of the door guides in strong winds.
We can also opt to increase the door guides from 75mm to 100mm. This means the door will be ‘gripped’ more strongly by the guides and will have to flex considerably more to break out of these guides.
For particularly windy regions or where wide-span doors are incorporated into your design, we can also add special wind-lock brackets which ensure the door is permanently secured into the tracks.
Let Steelcorp Design the Perfect Structure for Your Business
Our friendly team can help you design the ideal commercial building for your needs and provide advice on important components like roller doors and window openings.
With our years of experience and understanding of the design, permit and building process, we can help you through the design process from start to finish.
