Whether you're constructing a brand new building or renovating an existing one, it's important the closure of your building meets your application's exact needs. Rolling steel doors are a great solution for the closure of commercial and industrial building because they're one of the most advanced overhead doors on the market.
What Are Rolling Steel Doors?
A rolling door is constructed of interlocking steel slats that form one continuous curtain. This curtain coils up and stores around a barrel above the door's opening when in the open position. This compact and innovative design eliminates the need for tracks running across your ceiling at all times and frees up significant space, beneficial for commercial and industrial buildings. The interlocking steel slats are what give a rolling door it's inherent strength, making it perfect for demanding and high-cycle applications.
When you have access to a full-line of rolling steel doors, how do you select the best fit for your application?
Most important considerations for selecting a rolling door:
- Determine the Application
- Know your Building Codes
- Measure the Opening
- Check Clearance
- Select Door Model
- Choose the Color
- Order Appropriately
Determine the Application
When selecting a door for your building, application is key. By determining what this building is going to be used for, you can outline what needs your building will require. Chances are, if you're building a loading dock and in need of a dock door, speed and cycles will be two of your top considerations. Now if you're building a climate-controlled garage, you may want to consider an insulated service door to help regulate temperatures and reduce energy consumption.
Know your Building Codes
Depending on where your building is located and what it's going to be used for can impact different building codes that may apply. For example, if your building is located in a coastal region, chances are there's a wind code requirement for your door. To stay up to date on building codes, you can purchase and download the International Building Code published by the International Code Council which references nationally developed consensus standards.
Measure Door Opening
The foundation of your entire order consists of the exact opening of your frame. To know this information upfront, calculate the exact width and exact height of your opening. Doors are ordered by opening size, such as 18' wide and 14' high. An incorrect example of an opening size would be 18x14.
Check Door Clearance
Before placing your order, you'll need accurate measurements for the side-room and head-room where the door will be installed. The headroom is the space from the top of the opening to the lowest point on the ceiling. The sideroom is the space from the side of the opening to the nearest adjacent wall or obstruction.
Select Door Model
- 300 Series Commercial Slat Door: The 300 Series commercial slat door is a light/medium-duty rolling steel door.
- 400 Series Service Door: The 400 Series service door is a heavy duty rolling steel door with 20,000 cycle springs, structural steel guides and a 20 PSF windload.
- 500 Series Fire Rated Door: The 500 Series fire rated door is designed and manufactured for use on openings where a fire rated door is required. This door can provide ratings for 45 minute, 1.5 hour, 3 hour, and 4 hour applications.
- 550 Series Fire Rated Counter Shutter: The 550 Series fire rated counter shutter is designed and manufactured for use on small pass through openings where a fire rated closure is required.
- 600 Series Insulated Service Door: The 600 Series insulated service door is the perfect fit for climate controlled buildings. With impressive R-values and U-values, it helps reduce energy consumption in climate controlled buildings.
- 700 Series Counter Shutter: The 700 Series counter shutter is made of the same slatted curtain as a rolling door, but is designed for the closure of small pass through openings.
- 800 Series Rolling Grille: The 800 Series rolling grille is most commonly found in areas that need security; such as, malls, airports, museums and parking garages.
Choose the Door Paint Color
Rolling steel doors are customizable! They can be powder coated to fit virtually any color to meet your exact design needs. What is powder coating? Powder coating is a baked on top coat that is much more durable than traditional paint. This surface lasts longer than traditional paint and is better equipped for high-cycle applications.
Order Appropriately
When it comes time to place your order, make sure you order appropriately by applying the above steps. Know your opening sizes, your jamb type (masonry, steel, wood) and other specific details about your project. Combining these considerations will help you determine which rolling steel door is the best fit for your application.
Have Questions? Contact us today or download your free copy of our eBook, "Rolling Steel Doors: The Safe, Secure and Sustainable Solution for Protecting Your Building". Inside you'll learn, about the structural integrity of rolling doors, how they offer protection against environmental hazards, customized solutions for security and more!
