- Location
- Swadlincote, Derbyshire
- Main postcode district
- DE11
- Nearby (straight line)
- Burton upon Trent (4 miles), Coalville (9 miles) and Castle Donington (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.
How does this suit sites in Swadlincote?
Goods-in areas in Swadlincote that leave the main door open during long unloading sessions can use a strip curtain to hold back draughts and dust. Food and packaging businesses in Swadlincote can choose strip grades suited to regular cleaning, helping to separate dispatch areas from production.
Where strips at a site in Swadlincote have turned cloudy and scratched, replacing them restores visibility for drivers and pedestrians sharing the opening.
A single contact at Loading Bay Doors handles your project in Swadlincote from start to finish. The free site survey and fixed written quote come first, with no obligation to proceed. We then book the installation for times that suit the operation, including out of hours by arrangement, and manage the specialist engineers on site. At the end we commission and test the equipment, walk your team through it and provide the 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.
How are strip curtains fitted to a loading bay opening?
Strip curtains are fitted by fixing a rail across the head of the opening and hanging the strips from it, a job that usually takes an hour or two per opening and needs no power supply.
- Fixed rails: bolted to the lintel or wall above the opening, with strips hooked or clamped on.
- Sliding rails: let the whole curtain be pushed to one side for wide loads or warmer months.
- Swing-away rails: hinge back against the wall, useful where a door track runs close to the head of the opening.
At a dock the curtain usually sits just inside the main door, so we check it will not snag the door's bottom edge, the leveller lip or any tracks. From you we need the opening clear for the visit and agreement on whether strips should reach the floor or stop just above it. Strips that drag on the floor wear quickly and can catch on pallet trucks.
The same published guide range applies across England; access, out-of-hours working and site conditions are confirmed at the free survey.
What does the free survey cover?
- Wheel guide positions and yard markings for reversing vehicles
- Wind exposure at the dock, which affects door and shelter choice
- Control positions, isolators and any existing interlocks
- Temperature requirements for chilled, frozen or ambient goods
- Asbestos register and any other site hazard information
- Power supply at each bay, including three-phase availability
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.
Which rules apply in England?
Sites in Swadlincote 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 PVC strip curtains in Swadlincote
Can you work alongside our main contractor on a new build in Swadlincote?
Yes. For new warehouses and fit-outs, we can supply and install the dock package as part of a wider project, working to the main contractor's programme, site rules and permits. We will need drawings, dock levels and the programme, and we coordinate pit details, power supplies and door openings with the relevant trades before installation begins.
Can you work outside our normal operating hours in Swadlincote?
Yes, by arrangement. Evening, night and weekend working can be planned so the installation causes as little disruption as possible to your loading schedule. Out-of-hours work can affect the price, so mention it at the survey and we will include it in the written quote. The agreed times are confirmed in the programme before the job starts.
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 Swadlincote, 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.
Which grade should we use in a freezer?
Use a low-temperature or polar grade in a freezer. Standard PVC stiffens in the cold, so it cracks and stops falling back into place, leaving gaps. Low-temperature grades are formulated to stay flexible in chilled and frozen conditions, so they keep sealing after each vehicle passes.
Do strip curtains work at an external dock opening?
Yes, strip curtains are often hung just inside an external dock door to reduce draughts while the door is open for loading. They are not a substitute for the door itself, which still closes the opening for security and weather whenever the bay is not in use.
PVC strip curtains near Swadlincote
Close neighbours of Swadlincote with their own pages here: Burton upon Trent (4 miles), Coalville (9 miles) and Castle Donington (10 miles). Choose one to see coverage details for that town.
Other loading bay services in Swadlincote
Full guide to PVC strip curtains · Everything we do in Swadlincote
Send a few photos of the dock and a short description of the problem, and we will come back to you about your Swadlincote site.