How much does a roller door typically cost? This is a simple question we get asked a lot but several factors influence the cost, and function, of a door.
Doors are one of the few moving parts in a building, and also one of the most important. Nothing increases downtime like a roller door that won't open or a roller door that has blown in. Doors are a crucial element in any commercial or industrial building which is why we thought we’d explain to you the two most common door types, their costs, and a few important factors to consider when choosing between these door types.
The first thing to note is the difference between a roller door and a roller shutter door.
A roller door is made of lightweight steel sheets that are crimped together to make up a sheet curtain the height of the door. This is usually around 0.55 gauge colour steel, which is pretty similar to the type of material used for the roofing and cladding of buildings.
They are also divided into two grades, sometimes referred to as ‘Series one’ and ‘Series two’ or domestic and commercial:
Roller shutter doors are different to roller doors as they don't have a single pressed steel curtain that rolls up and down. They have a series of interlocking slats in a ‘C’ type shape. Usually, the slat is made out of 0.7 to 1.1mm galv and is then powder coated.
The thickness of the steel and the shape of each slat make them much stronger than a roller door curtain, which is why they are the best option for industrial buildings. The slats are also removable. This is an advantage when a door is hit or damaged as the affected slats can be removed and replaced without having to replace the entire door.
Most manufacturers offer a single-phase or three-phase option with roller shutter doors. A single-phase motor is good as it can be simply plugged into a three-pin plug and does not require hard wiring into three-phase power. Three-phase motors are typically longer lasting and can come slightly cheaper so are a good advantage if your building will have 3 phase power. It is worth noting that for the larger doors three-phase may be the only option due to the weight of the door.
The cost depends on the size of the door(s) and is also impacted by the number of doors you are fitting. If a supplier is coming to fit six doors, for example, it will be more efficient per door than if they are coming to fit one door.
As a rough cost guide, one of the most common sizes of doors is 5.0m x 5.0m high or 6.0m x 5.0m high. This is because it is a comfortable width for manoeuvring vehicles in and out of. The 5.0m height is also comfortably above the legal road height of a vehicle (4.3m), which means there is a bit of extra height if an oversize load is taken in or a door is not quite open. These sorts of doors cost around $7,000 to $11,000 each, depending on how many you have and where you are located. If you are away from a main centre there could be extra freight and travel charges for the installers.
It is not uncommon to have a roller door that’s 7.0m to 8.0m wide. These types of doors are great in situations where forklifts are moving wide packs of products, such as timber or other raw materials. A door around this size often costs $12,000 to $20,000 (per door), which again could fluctuate depending on how many you require and your location.
Many manufacturers recommend installing a sliding wind bar for doors around this size. This is a bar that slides behind the door when it is down so that if the wind is high, the slats will press on the bar to prevent the door from blowing in. These bars can add another $2,000 to $3,000 but also provide you with peace of mind.
Roller shutters can go as wide as 9.5m with a sliding wind bar. You can also put a few doors together with a sliding mullion to get openings even larger.
When reviewing different manufacturers it is worth checking a few details. Roller doors can be the cause of a lot of headaches and we find that extra investment upfront for quality is money well spent in the long term.
Items to consider:
If you are building a new premises, it’s also worth considering the material used for the roller door studs and the connection detail between the track and the door studs.
One type of door stud is made using two cold formed ‘C’ sections fixed ‘back to back’. These sections are usually the same material as the girts and are around 1-2mm thick.
This is a cost-effective door stud. The tracks are usually fitted by bolting or screwing through holes drilled in the door stud onsite.
Structural door studs are usually made from a PFC or an RHS (rectangular hollow section). They are usually around 4-8mm thick and connected to the slab via cast in or chemset bolts.
They cost more than a cold-formed door stud but are much stronger due to the wall thickness. These are what we recommend for larger doors and areas that have high forklift and vehicle movements as they are less prone to damage.
The tracks usually connect to the door stud via plates or tabs that are welded to the side of the steel member. This makes for a strong connection, but the tabs must be welded in the correct place for the door that is going to be installed. As each manufacturer has slightly different connection centres, the door manufacturer should be selected early so the right tabs are welded on.
Ultimately, there’s a lot to consider when selecting the door(s) for your next commercial or industrial building, and we hope this article has provided some helpful insight into which option is most suitable for your unique requirements. If you have any questions or would like some further guidance on roller doors, please feel free to get in touch with one of our friendly experts today.