How to Choose the Right Industrial Door
– A Guide to Optimal Economy and Functionality
How to Choose the Right Industrial Door
– A Guide to Optimal Economy and Functionality
Why Is It Important to Choose the Right Type of Industrial Door?
Choosing the wrong industrial door can cost you thousands of kronor per year. However, when you have the RIGHT type of door, logistics flow smoothly without unnecessary stops, and the heat (or cold) stays inside the premises. This saves time and energy, benefiting both your wallet and the environment.
But how do you know what’s right for you?
To answer that question, you need to consider how the door fits into your operations, the climate, and much more. Here is our guide on how to choose the right industrial door based on your needs and conditions.
What Is the Most Important Function of an Industrial Door?
An industrial door’s most important function is to act as an efficient part of a transport system. A door that hinders the flow by a few seconds per passage can increase your costs by thousands of kronor per door annually. The second most important function is to seal the wall opening as effectively as possible, keeping the heat indoors.
According to Mattias Reinhard at Nybetong, the most important thing about an industrial door is that it works.
Read how Nybetong chose a door with minimal maintenance here…
What Happens If You Choose the Wrong Door or Door Type?
The most common mistake is choosing a door larger than you actually need. An oversized door takes longer to open, and the opening lets in unnecessary cold each time it’s opened.
Since the door is never as well insulated as the wall, it will increase the building’s overall energy costs—even when closed.
Choosing the wrong type of door can lead to high costs for service and spare parts, as it may cause damage to your door and disrupt your logistics.
Good Insulation and Tight Frames Save a Lot of Money
It’s costly to have a poorly insulated door with poorly sealed frames.
- U-value: A measure of how well-insulated a door leaf is. A thicker door insulates better, has a lower U-value, and saves energy.
- T-value: Relates to how tight a door is, i.e., how much air leaks in and out through the door’s seals.
A lower value is better. If the rubber seals around the door and between the door’s sections are poor, air leakage increases, and so does your energy bill.
Both T- and U-values significantly affect your total economy, especially in cold climates.
If your door opens infrequently, it’s more important that it has low U- and T-values.
A Customized Industrial Door Is More Expensive Upfront but Saves Time and Energy in the Long Run
A standard-sized door is usually cheaper to purchase and delivers faster than a customized one. The downside is that it often ends up being larger than optimal.
This increases heat loss and operating costs over time, so in practice, the standard door often becomes more expensive than the customized one.
A customized door is designed and strength-calculated for your specific opening. The construction is perfectly suited for your wind load and the size of your door opening. So even if a customized door often costs more initially, it saves money in the long run through lower heat losses.
Choose a Door That's Just the Right Size to Minimize Energy Loss
Select the smallest possible size that allows vehicles and goods to pass without problems.
- Start with the size of the largest vehicles that will pass and add 60 centimeters of “wiggle room” on the sides and 15–25 cm at the top.
- If the driveway slopes downward toward the building, you need to increase the distance at the top.
- If vehicles are expected to grow in the future, add extra space.
Side-Opening Industrial Doors Are Less Likely to Be Hit Than Upward-Opening Doors
This is more important than you’d think.
Because our eyes are positioned side by side, it’s easier to judge distances horizontally than vertically.
You should only use an upward-opening door when there’s no space for a side-opening door.
This is more important than you might think.
Our eyes are positioned side by side. Therefore, it’s easier to judge distances horizontally than vertically, which is why drivers more often collide with upward-opening doors than side-opening ones.
And a door that gets hit costs money to repair.
For openings wider than a few meters and higher than 3–4 meters, we recommend a door that opens sideways. It opens faster because it opens in two directions simultaneously, resulting in less heat loss and a quicker traffic flow.
Heavy Traffic? Choose a Door That Opens and Closes Quickly
When traffic is heavy, you need a door that opens as quickly as possible. Two- to four-section side-opening doors are the most efficient option in this case.
Place Your Door for Optimal Logistics Flow
Position your door so that traffic in and out of the building flows as smoothly as possible.
Keep in mind that wind is often stronger at corners. This results in unnecessarily high wind loads on the door, and it can blow a lot of cold air into the premises when the door is open. If you must place the door near a corner, a wind-protective screen is a good measure.
Choose Door Type Based on Your Needs
Based on the requirements, you can choose the door type that is most suitable. Start by excluding the options that don’t fit. Then, it’s time to make more precise calculations on the selected door types.
Quick to open and close because it opens in two directions simultaneously.
Durable construction with low maintenance needs due to few moving parts.
Folding doors are the type we most often recommend because they are the most versatile and have the best sealing and insulation.
Lowest operating cost over time.
Available with or without motor operation.
Widths from 1.3 – 25 meters.
Max height: 6 meters.
Read more about folding doors
Best choice for large and wide openings in, for example, warehouses and hangars.
Usually two-part, and the door panels slide straight to the sides.
Requires a narrow space along the wall.
Available with or without motor in almost unlimited widths.
Max height: 6 meters.
Suitable for small and medium-sized openings intended for pedestrian or vehicle traffic.
Has one or two door panels that hang on hinges and open outward or inward like a regular door.
Available in widths between 1–2.8 meters.
Max height: 3 meters.
Overhead Sectional Door
Opens vertically like a roller shutter.
Many moving parts and sections require more maintenance than other door types.
Multiple door sections make the door less tight, allowing more energy to escape through the door.
More prone to collisions than side-opening doors and needs repairs more often.
Available with or without motor in widths up to approximately 6 meters.
Max height: 6 meters.
Choose Extra Corrosion Protection If You Are in an Aggressive Environment
A door in a normal environment needs a corrosion protection class of C5 to withstand many years of use.
Some environments are more corrosive, such as near the sea or a vehicle wash. In these cases, we recommend extra corrosion protection for increased durability.
Torverk offers surface treatment packages for wash halls, stables, chemical industries, and coastal environments.
Let in Light and Simplify Pedestrian Traffic with Windows and Pedestrian Doors
Choose the number and size of windows, but keep in mind that the more windows you add, the less the door will insulate.
If you need easy access for people, add a pedestrian door—it saves a lot of energy and time.
Minimize Energy Losses and Maximize Durability with Sandwich Construction
A frame-built door is welded together from a framework of square tubes, with mineral wool or other insulation.
A sandwich-built door is constructed by pressing together sheet metal profiles and cladding with a core of adhesive polyurethane foam into a homogeneous unit.
Torverk’s door panels differ from traditional sandwich constructions by casting each section together under very high pressure, causing the foam to chemically bond to the door cladding. The door panel thus becomes incredibly strong and insulating.
We use heavily dimensioned details and reinforcements for increased durability and operational reliability.
Save Time and Energy with Electric Operation and Opening Automation
If your door opens more than once per hour, we recommend motor operation and opening automation.
It saves time and energy.
Installing Multiple Doors? Choose the Same Type to Simplify Operation & Maintenance
If you’re installing multiple doors, you often benefit from having as few different door types as possible, as it simplifies maintenance and repairs.
It can also confuse users if the doors open in different directions or operate differently.
When traffic is sparse, it’s most appropriate to have a single door opening of a special character.
Additionally, It's Important to Consider the Following
Choose a Supplier
When you know which door type and equipment are most appropriate, it’s time to choose a supplier.
It’s not just about products and services but also about personal chemistry and trust.
Do you want a supplier who only sells the door, or someone who takes responsibility for the door’s function even after it’s delivered?
Plan Carefully
For the end result to be satisfactory, you need precise and clear frame drawings and documentation for correct planning.
Do you know which documents you need to produce, or do you need help?
Install Precisely
For a door to seal properly, it must be installed without gaps, distortions, or errors.
If the door is installed carelessly, it will leak heat and may wear out unnecessarily quickly or stop functioning altogether.
Regular Service
A door is not a perpetual motion machine. It needs preventive service and maintenance to function without problems.
Keep in mind that many door suppliers provide a warranty on their doors—At Torverk, you can extend the warranty period by signing a service agreement.
Want to Know More?
Do you have additional questions about how to choose the right industrial door?
Leave your contact information and write a few lines about what you’re wondering, and we’ll get back to you shortly.