Which of the 3 Common Commercial Garage Doors is Right for Your Business?

Are you buying commercial garage doors for the first time? Perhaps you’re just upgrading to a new model. Either way, here’s what you need to know.

Most homeowners think of garage doors as the sectional overhead style that features hinged panels that slide up along a track and sit along the ceiling. This is one option, but there are others for commercial use, as well.

Commercial applications, as well as industrial and agricultural businesses, can find doors to meet any need. Doors are available in steel but also reinforced fabric and rubber.

#1 Choice- The Overhead Sectional Door

Now, we just told you these weren’t the only choice. They are, however, the most common choice. These doors are designed like traditional residential doors featuring sections, or panels, that are stacked to create a full door. In commercial use, these doors are available in much larger sizes.

The biggest difference people will notice is how the door moves and the hardware that goes with it.

Commercial and industrial buildings typically have higher ceilings. The garage door will move up along the wall and turn once it reaches the ceiling. This helps to ensure maximum headroom (or clearance) on the interior of the garage even with the door open.

Based on how tall the door is and how high the ceilings are, there are three options for movement:

1. Standard Lift: Typical operation seen in residential garage doors
2. High-Lift: Like standard lift, but will raise doors much higher to keep them close to the ceiling.
3. Full-Vertical Lift: These doors are best used in unloading and loading applications, such as on docks.

Commercial garage doors are also known for being made of durable galvanized steel and injected with premium polyurethane foam to assist with insulation and durability.

Non-insulated commercial garage doors can also be found, which are used in unheated, uninsulated buildings, such as for equipment or machinery storage in industrial and farming applications.

Rolling Steel- Another Door Option

As the name would suggest, rolling steel doors are designed to roll up over the door, which means they don’t need tracks or as much headroom.

The way that these doors operate requires the sections to be small. Also known as slats, these sections are typically no more than three inches high, but could vary from door to door.

These doors have many applications, but their purpose is the same: to compartmentalize or separate indoor spaces, such as in the case of reducing contamination or to help keep heat in or out.

Some insurance companies will require “firewall” doors. These doors are designed to be fireproof and stop the spread of flames, being able to resist fire for 30-240 minutes, depending on the model.

More commonly, you may recognize these doors from foodservice counters and shopping malls, where these rolling doors are used to cover counters or secure shops.

Regardless, they share one perk - they roll instead of lifting.

High-speed Roll Up Doors

These are less common, but high-speed roll-up doors are commonly found in different areas of industry, including heavy industry, mining, rail transit, and even distribution centers.

In food distribution, for example, you may use these doors to section off a refrigerated area that shouldn’t be open to the rest of the building.

These impressive doors can open a full 96 inches in just a single second. Plus, they’ll still only close at a rate of about 48 inches per second to provide safety and help prevent closing accidents.

In addition to metal, these doors can also be designed with premium rubber materials or reinforced vinyl to help improve the protection from big impacts.

Ready to learn more and choose your door?

Residents of Center Barnstead and the surroundings can contact us now at 603-833-7135.

Our team is full of experts that understand commercial and industrial garage doors. We know all about the different characteristics of doors and can help you choose the best fit.

You can also request a no-obligation quotation by email to learn more before you commit.

Do you need a little inspiration or more insight?

Get inspired by taking a trip through our Commercial Door Pictures Gallery.