Industrial roller shutter doors

Guide prices checked November 2026 · England, Scotland and Wales

A roller shutter is a curtain of interlocking steel or aluminium laths that coils onto a barrel in a box above the opening. It takes almost no headroom, fits nearly any opening and is the cheapest way to close a large hole in a building. A single-skin electric shutter for a 3 x 3 m opening typically costs £2,300 to £3,800 fitted; an insulated one for a 4 x 5 m drive-in £4,300 to £8,200, before VAT.

The specialist you are introduced to measures the opening, checks the steelwork it fixes to and the power available, and prices the door after a site visit.

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A 4 x 5 m insulated shutter on a drive-in opening, drawn on a 1 m grid. The coil box sits above the opening; the guides run down each side.

When a roller shutter is the right door

Little headroom or side room: The curtain rolls up into a box roughly 0.5 to 0.7 m deep above the opening. Nothing runs back into the building, so racking, cranes and lighting stay where they are.
Security matters more than speed: Steel laths, bottom-rail locks and tested security ratings (LPS 1175) make shutters the default for yards, trade counters and stores left empty overnight.
The door opens a few times a day: A standard tubular or chain-drive motor is built for dozens of cycles a day, not hundreds. A door that opens every few minutes wears out a shutter motor fast.
Insulation is "nice to have": Insulated laths help, but a roller curtain has many joints and never seals as well as a sectional door. On a heated building with a busy door, compare the two.

Typical fitted prices, one door, before VAT

Item	Scope	Guide price
Single skin, 3 x 3 m	Steel laths, electric, standard controls. Van and pedestrian opening	£2,300 to £3,800
Single skin, 4 x 5 m	Drive-in for lorries, electric	£3,500 to £5,800
Insulated, 3 x 3.5 m	Foam-filled double-skin laths, electric. Loading dock	£2,900 to £5,400
Insulated, 4 x 5 m	Drive-in, foam-filled laths, electric	£4,300 to £8,200
Insulated, 6 x 5.5 m	Large drive-through, heavier barrel and three-phase motor	£6,300 to £12,100
Manual instead of electric	Hand chain or push-up on a small opening	about £350 to £600 less
Taking out the old shutter	Strip-out and disposal	£150 to £400 extra
Security rating upgrade	SR1 at the low end, SR4 at the top	£200 to £3,000 extra

Worked from published UK installer guides and a trade costing guide read June to September 2026. A guide, not a quote: wind exposure, fixing steel, access and finish all move the figure. Price your own doors.

Give us the opening size and how often the door runs, and we will find a specialist to measure and price it.

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What goes into an industrial roller shutter

Curtain: single skin or insulated

Single-skin laths are rolled from galvanised steel, usually 0.6 to 1.0 mm thick, and are fine for unheated warehouses, stores and canopies. Insulated laths are two skins with polyurethane foam between them, about 75 to 100 mm deep. They cut heat loss and drumming in the wind, cost roughly half as much again on the curtain, and need a bigger barrel and box.

Barrel, box and guides

The curtain winds onto a steel barrel carried on brackets or end plates either side of the opening. A hood or box over the coil keeps out weather and dust and is often required by insurers on external doors. Guides are the steel channels the curtain runs in; on wide doors in exposed places they carry wind locks or wind hooks so the curtain cannot bow out of them in a gale.

Motor and controls

Smaller doors use a tubular motor inside the barrel; larger industrial doors use an external chain-drive or direct-drive operator, usually three-phase. Controls range from a key switch through hold-to-run buttons to radio remotes and loop detectors. Any powered door that can trap someone needs safety edges or photocells and must be force-tested on commissioning under BS EN 12453.

Wind load and security

Large doors on open sites are specified for a wind load class under BS EN 13241. Security is rated separately, most commonly to LPS 1175 (SR1 to SR4 and above), and higher ratings mean heavier laths, stronger guides and better locking.

Where our information comes from

Prices are typical ranges from published UK installer and manufacturer price guides, November 2026, before VAT. Standards are summarised in our own words; read the standard itself before specifying.

How the job gets done

A replacement shutter on an existing opening is often fitted in a day; new openings take longer because the steel and power come first.

Site survey
The specialist measures the structural opening, checks the steel or masonry it fixes to, the headroom, the power supply and how the door will be used.
Specification and price
A written quote naming the lath, the motor, controls, wind class, security rating, finish and the safety devices, with a fixed price before VAT.
Manufacture and fit
Shutters are made to measure, typically two to four weeks. On site the old door comes out, the guides, barrel and curtain go in and the motor is wired.
Commissioning and handover
Limits set, force test recorded, safety devices checked, the declaration of performance and the operating and maintenance instructions handed over.

Roller shutter questions

How much does an industrial roller shutter door cost?

Published UK figures put a single-skin electric shutter for a 3 x 3 m opening at £2,300 to £3,800, and an insulated 4 x 5 m drive-in door at £4,300 to £8,200, before VAT. Use the industrial door cost calculator for your own sizes.

Are insulated roller shutters worth it?

On a heated building, usually yes: insulated laths reduce heat loss and condensation and make the door quieter in wind. They will not match an insulated sectional door, because a roller curtain has a joint every 75 to 100 mm. If the door is open for long periods, a high-speed door inside it saves more energy than insulation in the curtain.

How long does a roller shutter door last?

With servicing, the curtain and guides commonly last 20 years or more; motors, springs and control boards are the parts that wear and are replaced along the way. A shutter that is hit by vehicles or never serviced fails much sooner.

Do roller shutters need planning permission?

Replacing a door like for like in an existing opening usually does not. Forming a new opening, changing the look of a frontage or adding external boxes on a shop front can need permission, especially in a conservation area. Check with the local planning authority before ordering.

Can a manual shutter be motorised?

Often, if the curtain, barrel and springs are in good condition. Adding a motor turns it into a powered door, so it then needs the safety devices and force testing a powered door requires, and its paperwork should be updated.

What is the difference between a roller shutter and a roller door?

The terms are used loosely. In the trade, "roller shutter" usually means a lath curtain on a barrel, and "roller door" sometimes means a thinner corrugated sheet that rolls up, more common on garages and farm buildings.

Keep reading

Sectional overhead doors
Better sealing and insulation where the headroom allows.
Fire shutters
Shutters that close on a fire alarm to hold a compartment line.
Servicing and maintenance
What a service covers and what a contract costs.
Industrial door cost calculator
Price any door type by opening size.

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