- Location
- Ampthill, Bedfordshire
- Main postcode district
- MK45
- Nearby (straight line)
- Kempston (6 miles), Bedford (8 miles) and Dunstable (10 miles)
- Survey and quote
- Free, with a fixed written quote
A PVC strip curtain is a row of flexible, overlapping plastic strips hung from a rail across a doorway, so that people and vehicles can pass through while the strips fall back to close the gap behind them. At loading bays they hang behind the main door or across internal openings, reducing draughts, dust and temperature loss for much less than the cost of a powered door.
What matters for PVC strip curtains in Ampthill?
Smaller trade units in Ampthill with a single goods door may find a strip curtain the most economical way to keep the working area warmer in winter. Measuring an opening in Ampthill for a strip curtain takes only a short visit, and we note traffic, temperature and fixings at the same time.
Where strips at a site in Ampthill have turned cloudy and scratched, replacing them restores visibility for drivers and pedestrians sharing the opening.
Before anything is ordered, we visit your site in Ampthill for a free survey and then send a written quote with a fixed price. From that point we manage the installation, coordinating delivery, access and any other trades. Fitting is done by specialist installation engineers engaged and managed by us, at times that suit your operation, including out of hours where agreed. You get a tested installation, a demonstration for your team and the manufacturer documentation.
Do strip curtains count towards building energy rules?
A strip curtain does not replace the need for a compliant door: where a new or replacement external loading bay door is fitted, it is the door that has to meet the energy rules.
- England: Approved Document L (2021) Volume 2 sets a limiting U-value of 1.3 W/m²K for vehicle access and similar large doors in new and replacement work.
- Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland: each nation has its own energy rules, through Approved Document L for Wales, Section 6 of the Scottish Building Standards Technical Handbook, and Technical Booklet F2 in Northern Ireland. We confirm what applies to your nation and project.
What a strip curtain does well is reduce the air moving through an opening while the door is open for loading. That helps a heated or chilled building, even though the curtain is not the door.
Workplace safety still applies around the curtain: strips should stay clear enough for drivers and pedestrians to see each other. HSE is the regulator in Great Britain and HSENI in Northern Ireland.
Are strip curtains safe where forklifts and pedestrians share an opening?
Strip curtains can be used where forklifts and pedestrians share an opening, but only if the strips stay clear enough for both to see through and the route is managed. Visibility is the main risk.
- Clear strips scratch and cloud with use, so a driver may not see a person on the other side.
- Ribbed strips and regular replacement keep visibility better for longer.
- A separate pedestrian door beside the vehicle opening is the safer arrangement.
- Floor markings and mirrors help where a separate door is not possible.
At very busy openings, a high-speed dock door with vision panels and safety sensors may be the better long-term answer, because it opens fully for each vehicle and closes again behind it. We can price both so you can compare the cost and the practical difference for your traffic.
The same published guide range applies across England; access, out-of-hours working and site conditions are confirmed at the free survey.
Survey checklist for your dock
- Temperature requirements for chilled, frozen or ambient goods
- Condition of any existing leveller pit, kerb angles and pit drainage
- Wind exposure at the dock, which affects door and shelter choice
- How often each door cycles during a typical shift
- Working hours, shift patterns and windows for out-of-hours work
- Escape routes and pedestrian doors close to the bay
Options to discuss
Standard clear strips
Clear flexible PVC for ambient warehouses and goods-in areas, giving good visibility and draught control at pedestrian and forklift openings.
Ribbed strips
Strips with raised ribs that take the abrasion from forklifts and pallets, helping them stay clearer for longer at busy openings.
Planning, building control and safety law in England
Workplace safety in England is regulated by HSE. For a loading bay in Ampthill, that means doors meeting regulation 18 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, equipment maintained under PUWER and suitable safeguards against vehicles driving away too early. We check what applies at survey and design the bay accordingly.
Questions about PVC strip curtains in Ampthill
Is VAT included in your guide prices for PVC strip curtains?
No. Our customers are businesses, so guide prices exclude VAT, which is added at the standard rate. The same guide range applies in Bedfordshire as everywhere else: for PVC strip curtains, it is £180 to £1,100 per opening, 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 PVC strip curtains for a site in Ampthill?
Guide budgets for supply and fit are £180 to £1,100 per opening, 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.
What details do you need from us to quote for PVC strip curtains?
To get started, send the site address in Ampthill, the number of bays or openings, approximate sizes, and photos of the dock from inside and outside. Tell us what vehicles you load, what goods you handle and any temperature requirements. Drawings help on new builds. We then arrange the free survey and confirm the details before the written quote is issued.
Are strip curtains a good alternative to a high-speed door?
Strip curtains are a good low-cost option for moderate traffic, but at very busy openings a high-speed door often performs better because it clears fully for each vehicle and closes behind it. The right choice depends on traffic volume, visibility needs and budget.
Should the strips touch the floor?
Strips usually stop just above the floor so they do not drag, wear or catch on pallet trucks. Where draughts or pests are a concern they can be set closer to the floor, and we agree the finished height with you before fitting so it suits the traffic through the opening.
PVC strip curtains near Ampthill
If your site is not in Ampthill itself, it may be near one of these: Kempston (6 miles), Bedford (8 miles) and Dunstable (10 miles). Pick the closest.
Other loading bay services in Ampthill
Full guide to PVC strip curtains · Everything we do in Ampthill
Get in touch about loading bay doors and dock equipment in Ampthill: call, email or use the quote tool.