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High-speed doors for planners and architects

To plan a high-speed door, you mainly need the clear opening, the available headroom, side room, floor construction and power supply. This page brings together guide values, standards, interfaces with other trades and a neutral specification text.

What design data does a high-speed door need?

Every design starts with the clear opening: the clear width and height of the passage, measured from finished floor level (FFL). Together with the door type, this determines the headroom and side room required. The height is governed by the tallest vehicle – for example a forklift with the mast extended – plus a safety clearance.

The guide values in the table apply to preliminary design; for construction, the dimensions are measured on the building, see high-speed door sizes. Check early in the model for clashes with crane runways, sprinklers, cable trays and lighting in the headroom zone.

In the reveal or in front of the wall: details at the structure

Most high-speed doors are mounted in front of the wall, on the inside next to and above the opening, so the full clear opening is retained. When installed within the reveal, the frame sits in the opening: this saves space in front of the wall but reduces the clear width and, without sufficient headroom, the clear height as well.

Sandwich panels and aerated concrete usually cannot take the loads from guides, shaft and wind directly. A supporting steel frame connected to the columns and beams of the structure is common; who supplies it must be stated clearly in the specification. For external doors, connection joints and the weather hood form part of the façade detail.

Floor: flatness, falls and induction loops

The floor along the door line must be level and load-bearing, because the bottom edge of the curtain seals there. Hollows, changes in fall or joints in the door line create gaps for draughts, water and dirt. Fix the door line on the floor plan and keep movement joints out of it.

For external doors, the floor falls slightly towards the outside, and a drainage channel in front of the door line takes heavy rain. Freezer doors receive a heated bottom seal; frost protection in the floor build-up is part of the cold store design. Induction loops are cut into the finished floor surface; their position and conduits belong in the detailed design.

Power supply, conduits and control interfaces

High-speed doors mostly run on three-phase 400 V, some versions on 230 V. The supply cable ends at the door control unit next to the opening; fuse protection and isolator are specified by the electrical designer. Heated guides and bottom seals have their own connected load. Drives with a frequency inverter allow soft starts, high speeds and reduced wear.

Conduits run from the control unit to loops, pull switches, traffic lights and access readers. Signals to the building management system (BMS), the fire alarm system or conveyor systems usually run via volt-free contacts, and depending on the control system also via bus systems – for example door open, door closed, fault, open command or lock-out. A signal schedule sets out the details for each opening.

Standards and performance characteristics: EN 13241, EN 12453, EN 12424

A high-speed door is a construction product and is placed on the market under the harmonised product standard EN 13241 with CE marking and a declaration of performance. Depending on the door, the declaration states wind resistance, watertightness, air permeability, thermal transmittance and safe operating forces. Specify characteristics with a class or value, not products.

EN 12453 governs safety in use: permissible closing forces and protective devices depending on the mode of operation. Fully automatic high-speed doors regularly fall into the highest requirement categories, typically met with a light curtain and a safety edge. EN 12424 classifies wind resistance into classes 0 to 5; the class required follows from wind zone, terrain, building height and door size, see outdoor high-speed doors. EN 12635 covers installation and use.

The operator carries out the risk assessment. It may justify additional measures such as traffic lights, a pedestrian door or floor markings, so involve the users and the health and safety officer before detailed design. Operation and periodic inspection follow the manufacturer's instructions and the national workplace regulations in the country of installation.

Fire safety and escape routes: what a high-speed door cannot do

A high-speed door does not replace a fire-rated door or shutter. If the opening is in a fire wall or between fire compartments, an approved fire-rated closure is additionally required, and the high-speed door is arranged and controlled so that it does not obstruct its closing. The fire safety strategy sets the requirements.

The strategy also defines whether the door opens, closes or locks via the fire alarm system in the event of fire – for example if the opening serves as an air inlet for smoke extraction. A high-speed door is of only limited use as an escape route, because opening depends on mains power, a backup battery or manual operation. A separate, clearly marked pedestrian door is common; an emergency opening device should be provided in any case.

Interfaces with other trades

Problems with high-speed doors usually arise at the interfaces, not at the door itself. Define for each opening which trade supplies what, and state it clearly in the specification. The table shows by which design stage each interface should be resolved.

In automated intralogistics, triggering, feedback and safety chain must work together. Which key figures operations will later use to assess the door is shown on the page high-speed doors for operations managers.

Construction sequence and programme

Production begins only after the dimensions have been approved; the survey is possible as soon as the opening exists in the shell or the shell dimensions are binding. Plan approval, production and delivery so that the door is in place before the building has to be closed – for example for screed, coatings or heating.

Installation follows once the floor is at final level and the façade connection is complete. When the supply cable is live, commissioning, inspection before first use and operator training follow directly. The door is delivered from the factory and installed by the contractor's installer; how this works is described on the page delivery and installation.

CAD data, drawings and specification text

General CAD downloads for high-speed doors are not available at schnelllauftor.eu, because every door is designed to measure. Design data and drawings such as elevation, section, space requirement and connection values are provided for each project on request. State the clear opening, the installation situation and the documents you need; you can enter the key data in the configurator.

A neutral specification text based on performance characteristics keeps competition open and makes quotations comparable; the template below covers the usual items. Replace the placeholders in square brackets with your project values. How procurement assesses the quotations is shown on the page high-speed doors for procurement.

Item [no.] High-speed door, power-operated, type [curtain door / high-speed roller shutter / spiral door]; supply, install and hand over ready for operation.
Location: [internal / external wall / temperature boundary], temperatures on either side [°C] / [°C].
Clear opening: [width in mm] × [height in mm], measured from finished floor level.
Headroom: [mm]; side room left / right: [mm] / [mm]; drive side: [left / right].
Mounting: [in front of the wall / within the reveal] on [reinforced concrete / masonry / steelwork / supporting frame by the contractor or by others].
Resistance to wind load to EN 12424: at least class [0–5].
Curtain: [PVC fabric / insulated / transparent], colour [RAL no.], [number] vision panels from [mm] above finished floor level.
Impact: curtain re-inserts automatically after impact [required / not required].
Frame: [galvanised steel / powder-coated, RAL no. / stainless steel], impact protection [yes / no].
Drive: with frequency inverter, opening speed at least [m/s], closing speed [m/s], designed for [number] cycles per day.
Power supply: [400 V / 230 V]; supply cable to the control unit [by others / by the contractor].
Control unit: protection rating [IP], adjustable hold-open time, partial opening [yes / no], cycle counter, fault display.
Interfaces: contacts for [door open / door closed / fault]; inputs for [BMS / fire alarm system / conveyors / access control] according to the signal schedule.
Activation: [radar / induction loop / pull switch / radio / system signal]; traffic lights [one side / both sides / none].
Safety: light curtain and safety edge to EN 12453, further measures according to the risk assessment.
Emergency opening in the event of power failure: [hand crank / chain hoist / backup battery].
Standards: CE marking and declaration of performance to EN 13241; installation and use to EN 12635.
Documentation: installation and operating instructions, wiring diagrams, spare parts list, logbook, in [language], [digital / paper].
Site work: fixings, lifting equipment, connection to the supply cable provided by others; [removal and disposal of the existing door as an extra item].
Commissioning: functional test of all safety devices, inspection before first use by a competent person with entry in the logbook.
Training of the operator's staff including emergency opening, [number] sessions.
Optional item: maintenance and periodic inspection according to the manufacturer's instructions and the national regulations in the country of installation for [number] years, interval [annual / six-monthly / quarterly].

Checklist

• Clear width and height from finished floor level defined, tallest vehicle with extended mast taken into account
• Headroom and side room for the door type kept clear, clashes in the headroom zone checked
• Mounting method defined, supporting frame for sandwich panels assigned to a trade
• Door line level on the floor plan, without joints or changes in fall; channel in front of external doors
• Supply cable, conduits and heating load included in the electrical design
• Signal schedule for BMS, fire alarm system, conveyors and access control agreed with all trades
• Wind resistance class to EN 12424 determined for external doors from site and door size
• Fire safety strategy taken into account: fire-rated closure, fire control, pedestrian door
• Emergency opening, safety devices, inspection before first use and documentation required in the specification