- Location
- Hythe, Hampshire
- Main postcode district
- SO45
- Nearby (straight line)
- Southampton (3 miles), Totton (6 miles) and Hedge End (6 miles)
- Survey and quote
- Free, with a fixed written quote
A high-speed dock door is a power-operated door with a flexible PVC fabric curtain that opens and closes much faster than a conventional sectional door or shutter, usually driven by a frequency-controlled motor. Many versions use a self-repairing curtain or breakaway bottom bar, so a forklift strike pushes the curtain out of its guides instead of wrecking it, and the door re-engages itself on the next cycle.
Why do sites in Hythe choose this?
Whether your site in Hythe is a new build or an older unit, we survey the opening, traffic and power before recommending any high-speed door. Yards that are open to the weather in Hythe may need a wind-reinforced build, because a standard internal high-speed door is not designed for gusts at an external opening.
Food producers in Hythe with hygiene zones can choose smooth, easily cleaned curtains and frames that suit washdown areas next to the loading dock.
How does an installation in Hythe work? First, a free, no-obligation survey to measure up and understand the operation. Next, a fixed written quote. Then a programme agreed with you, so the work fits around deliveries, with out-of-hours slots if needed. The installation itself is carried out by specialist engineers who answer to us, and it finishes with testing, a walk-through for your staff and a handover pack.
Which safety rules and standards apply to a high-speed door?
A high-speed door is a power-operated door, so it must protect people from being struck or trapped, and it should be designed and tested to the product and safety-in-use standards for powered doors.
- Workplace law: regulation 18 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 in Great Britain, and the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1993, require powered doors to have suitable and effective features to prevent trapping. Where needed for health or safety, the door must be operable by hand unless it opens automatically on power failure.
- Standards: BS EN 13241 is the product standard for industrial doors, and BS EN 12453 covers safety in use of power-operated doors, including test methods.
- Marking: in Great Britain the door may carry the UKCA or the CE mark. In Northern Ireland the CE mark, or CE with UKNI, applies.
In practice that means a light curtain or photocells across the opening, a safe bottom edge and a manual release or crank. HSE enforces these duties in Great Britain, and HSENI in Northern Ireland.
What does a high-speed dock door cost, and why does the price vary so much?
A high-speed dock door typically costs £6,500 to £14,500 per door, excluding VAT, supply and fit. The range is wide because each door is built to order, and an internal door between two zones is a very different product from one facing an exposed yard.
The main things that move the price are:
- Size and wind exposure: large external openings need reinforced curtains, wind bars or belts and heavier side frames.
- Curtain type: single-skin fabric costs less than an insulated double-skin curtain.
- Self-repair and breakaway features: worth paying for wherever forklifts pass through.
- Activation: radar, induction loops or pull cords, and how many control points are needed.
- Interlocks: links to an outer door, a leveller or traffic lights.
- Site works: power supply, removing an old door or strip curtain, and access equipment.
Our loading bay costs guide sets these figures alongside other dock equipment. After a free site survey you receive a fixed written price.
The same published guide range applies across England; access, out-of-hours working and site conditions are confirmed at the free survey.
What we look at on site
- Scope to convert ground-level doors into docks or add lift tables
- Yard gradient and the slope of the approach to the dock
- Dock height and the mix of trailers you load
- Headroom above the opening and which track type will suit it
- Bumper position and wear or damage on the dock face
- Condition of any existing leveller pit, kerb angles and pit drainage
Options to discuss
Self-repairing curtain
If a forklift strikes the door, the curtain or bottom bar pulls out of the side guides without damage and re-engages on the next cycle, keeping the opening in use.
Radar, loop and pull-cord activation
Radar opens the door for approaching forklifts, induction loops respond to vehicles, and pull cords let drivers trigger the door without leaving the truck.
Which rules apply in England?
Sites in Hythe fall under the rules for England. Structural changes such as forming a new opening or a dock leveller pit may need Building Regulations approval, and external structures such as loading houses, canopies or new dock approaches can need planning permission from the local planning authority. We check what applies at survey and build any approvals into the plan.
Questions about high-speed dock doors in Hythe
Do you remove and dispose of the old equipment?
Yes, where it is part of the scope. When we replace doors, levellers, shelters or seals at a site in Hythe, removal and disposal of the old equipment can be included and is itemised in the quote, so it is clear what is covered. If anything should be kept, such as a frame or motor that is still serviceable, we agree that at survey.
Is VAT included in your guide prices for high-speed dock doors?
No. Our customers are businesses, so guide prices exclude VAT, which is added at the standard rate. The same guide range applies in Hampshire as everywhere else: for high-speed dock doors, it is £6,500 to £14,500 per door, excluding VAT. It covers supply and fit for a typical installation. Your fixed written quote after the free survey shows the net price, the VAT and exactly what is included.
How do you price high-speed dock doors for a site in Hythe?
Guide budgets for supply and fit are £6,500 to £14,500 per door, excluding VAT. The figure moves with size, insulation, the operator, electrics, access, any pit or groundworks and out-of-hours working. Where levellers are involved, the guide assumes an existing, sound pit. After the free survey you receive a fixed written quote, and that is the price for the agreed scope.
How fast does a high-speed door open?
Many dock and internal high-speed doors open at around 1 to 2 metres per second, so a typical opening clears in a few seconds. Speed depends on the size, the drive and whether the door is built for wind. Closing speed is usually set slower than opening for safety, and both are adjusted at handover.
Can a high-speed door be opened in a power cut?
Yes, a high-speed door should have a manual release, crank or counterbalance so it can be opened if the power fails. This reflects the workplace rule that powered doors must be operable by hand where needed for health or safety, unless they open automatically on power failure.
High-speed dock doors near Hythe
The same survey, quote and repair service is available in towns around Hythe, such as Southampton (3 miles), Totton (6 miles) and Hedge End (6 miles).
Other loading bay services in Hythe
Full guide to high-speed dock doors · Everything we do in Hythe
Have photos of the door, leveller or shelter? Send them with your enquiry and we can give a clearer answer for your Hythe site.