Buying a new roll-up door is a big decision, one that could have consequences (good or bad) for years to come. So here are a few things to look out for when you decide (or circumstances decide for you) that it’s time for a new commercial grade roll-up door.

1 Before we go any further – Not everyone is well versed in door lingo so here are some definitions and types of roll-up doors.

What is a roll-up door?: Any door that rolls up into what looks like a carpet roll.

Rolling Steel Door: A roll-up door that has individual metal slats and springs concealed inside a removable barrel.

Corrugated Steel Sheeted Door: A roll-up door that is made up of one continuous piece of stretched steel and does not have a removable steel barrel.

Wind-Lock Roll-up Door: A roll-up door that is designed to maintain its integrity in certain wind conditions.

Insulated Roll-up Door: A roll-up door that is designed to offer insulation from the elements whether internal or external, it is expressed as an “R” rating and can vary greatly.

Fire Rated Roll-up Door: A roll-up door that is designed to automatically come down in case of a fire and it carries a fire rating (1-3 hours usually). Only a fire inspector can tell you if one is required. 

2 Always ask who the manufacturer is for the door you are buying and the model number of that roll-up door – Just like with cars there are many types of roll-up doors from many manufacturers and not all roll-up doors have the same materials, craftsmanship, or reliability. When you know who makes the door you can find out where its made, what the specs are for that door, and if the manufacturer might offer a warranty that’s superior than what your installer is giving you. Also, if you are shopping quotes it will make it much easier to compare apples to apples when you have this information.

3 Buying more than you need or not buying enough – It is really easy to let yourself get oversold (sometimes you don’t even know it) or even worse you could be undersold. A good door company should ask; What kind of security do you need for this door? How many times a day will it be going up and down? (see #7) Is it in an area prone to high winds? What kind of door is existing and did that door match your needs? If these questions are not being asked than you need to ask them for yourself for your own protection. Back to the car analogy; You don’t want to buy a big SUV when a small commuter car would be a much better fit or vice versa.

4 Getting quotes on the right size door – This one is important because it will make it easier for you to get more accurate quotes. When it comes to determining what size door you need all you have to do is measure the opening for that door, not the door itself. For example: If the opening is 12’ wide and 14’ high you would ask for a quote on a 12’x14’ door, it is industry standard for the doors to come a little bigger to fit the opening and always say the width first and then the height.

5 Rolling Steel Door versus Corrugated Steel Sheeting – This one is an important one for people who aren’t familiar with the commercial door industry. A lot of people get told they’re buying a rolling steel door when in fact it is actually a corrugated steel sheeted door. The difference is that it is much more rare for a rolling steel door to need complete replacement than it is for a corrugated steel sheeted door. The sheet door (as they are known) has internal springs that once broken are extremely expensive and labor intensive to replace, so the entire door is always replaced. Rolling steel doors are more expensive than sheet doors but they have a stronger curtain, stronger guides, and a barrel that is designed to be rebuilt with new springs (or replaced) and they can have much higher cycle ratings.

6 Hand chain operated or motor operated: This one has more to do with your budget than anything. Motor operators are really reliable and convenient but they can be expensive based on the specific conditions and requirements you are working with. Hand chain driven doors are more common than motor operators due to being included automatically on any door bigger than 10’x10’.

7 Cycle Count – All doors with springs have a cycle rating that determines how many times the door can be expected to be used before it will have a critical breakdown. A full cycle for a roll-up door is once up and once down. To calculate how many cycle’s you use in a given year do the following equation: The amount of times open and closed multiplied by the number of days in a week that will happen multiplied by 52. I suggest to never get a door that will meet your needs for less than 4-5 years, you could be wasting a lot of money if you do so. To find out a doors cycle count simply ask the door company you are working with to put the doors cycle rating into the quote.                       

Of course I could not fit every single piece of information and knowledge about doors I have into this guide but I do feel it is a good start for most people and for a lot of people might be more information than they will ever need.

As always if you need more info or have specific questions about something feel free to ask us at info@generaldoorservice.com

Best regards,
Gene Ganas
President of General Door