Industrial PVC Curtains for Factories and Cold Rooms: Grade, Overlap and Maintenance Guide
Factories, cold rooms and warehouses lose a surprising amount of money through open doorways. Cool air escapes, dust and insects get in, and staff waste time opening and closing heavy doors. For most of these openings, well-chosen industrial pvc curtains from Aircon Engineers solve the problem at a fraction of the cost of a fast-acting door. This guide explains how to pick the right strip grade, width and overlap, and how to keep the curtain working for years.
Why Strip Curtains Work So Well on Busy Openings
A strip curtain is a row of overlapping flexible PVC strips hung from a rail above the door. People, trolleys and forklifts push straight through, and the strips fall back into place behind them. The opening stays “closed” for most of the day even though it is never locked shut.
That simple idea delivers several benefits at once:
- Lower energy loss. In cold rooms and air-conditioned halls, a good curtain can cut the loss of conditioned air through an open doorway substantially.
- Cleaner spaces. Dust, fumes and flying insects find it much harder to cross the opening.
- Less noise. Thick strips dampen machine noise between production areas.
- Safer movement. Clear strips let people see what is coming from the other side.
Choosing the Right PVC Grade
Not every strip is the same. The grade has to match the temperature and the type of traffic.
- Standard clear grade. For general doorways between about -5°C and +50°C, such as packing halls, workshops and air-conditioned stores.
- Polar (low-temperature) grade. For cold rooms and freezers down to around -25°C or lower. Standard strips go stiff and crack in this cold; polar strips stay flexible.
- Ribbed strips. Raised ribs take the scraping from trolleys and forklifts, so the main surface stays clearer for longer. Good for dispatch docks.
- Yellow or amber anti-insect strips. Used in food units and kitchens because insects are less drawn to this colour.
- Anti-static and welding grades. For electronics assembly and for screening welding bays from the rest of the floor.
If you are unsure, start from the coldest temperature the strip will face and the heaviest vehicle that will pass through it. Those two facts decide the grade.
Strip Width, Thickness and Overlap
The size of the opening sets the size of the strip:
| Door height | Typical strip | Typical overlap |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 2.5 m (personnel doors) | 200 mm x 2 mm | 50 to 66% |
| 2.5 m to 4 m (trolley and pallet doors) | 300 mm x 3 mm | 66% |
| Above 4 m (forklift and truck docks) | 300 to 400 mm x 3 to 4 mm | 66 to 100% |
Higher overlap seals better and suits cold rooms and windy external doors. Lower overlap is easier to walk through and suits internal doorways with lots of foot traffic. Wider, thicker strips hang straighter and resist wind pressure on tall openings.
For a deeper look at choosing between clear and coloured strips, this guide to transparent PVC strip curtains covers cold rooms, kitchens and loading bays in detail.
Mounting Options
Strip curtains can be fixed in several ways depending on the site:
- Fixed wall or ceiling rail. The most common option; strips hang on hooks from a stainless or galvanised rail.
- Sliding track. Lets the whole curtain slide to one side when a wide load must pass without touching the strips.
- Swing or hinged frame. Useful where the curtain sometimes needs to be swung completely clear.
- Quick-release hooks. Individual strips unhook in seconds for cleaning or replacement.
Always measure the clear opening and add about 50 to 100 mm on each side so that the edges seal against the wall. On very wide shutters that stay fully open for hours, the rail can also share the header with air cutter machines that push a steady stream of air down across the gap, so plan the bracket positions together.
When to Add an Air Barrier or Insect Control
Some openings need more than one product. Shop fronts and reception doors, where strips would look out of place, are usually better served by an air curtain alone. Door-activated models are worth considering there; this note on the air curtain sensor explains how they save power.
Food units should look at the doorway as part of a wider pest plan. Coloured strips keep a share of insects outside, and a few UV insectocutor units placed just inside the entrance catch the rest before they reach production.
Cleaning and Replacement
PVC strips are low-maintenance but not maintenance-free:
- Wash strips with mild soap and water every few weeks; avoid solvents, which cloud and harden the PVC.
- Replace any strip that is torn, scratched to the point of poor visibility, or permanently curled.
- Check the hooks and rail every few months, especially on forklift doors.
- Keep a few spare strips on site so a damaged one can be swapped the same day.
With the correct grade and overlap, a good curtain typically lasts several years on internal doors and somewhat less on heavy forklift docks.
Getting It Right the First Time
The most expensive strip curtain is the one that has to be replaced in six months because the grade or overlap was wrong. Measure the opening, note the coldest temperature and the heaviest traffic, and choose the strip around those facts. Many buyers also find it useful to read up on how air curtain manufacturers in India size units, since the same doorway thinking applies.
If you need help selecting or installing strip curtains, air curtains or fly control for your facility, please contact Aircon Engineers for a site survey and quotation.