- Location
- Harpenden, Hertfordshire
- Main postcode district
- AL5
- Nearby (straight line)
- St Albans (5 miles), Luton (5 miles) and Hemel Hempstead (6 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 should sites in Harpenden consider?
Goods-in areas in Harpenden that leave the main door open during long unloading sessions can use a strip curtain to hold back draughts and dust. Wind-driven rain and leaves blowing into an open dock are a familiar nuisance, and a heavy-duty strip curtain is one simple response for sites in Harpenden.
Food and packaging businesses in Harpenden can choose strip grades suited to regular cleaning, helping to separate dispatch areas from production.
Before anything is ordered, we visit your site in Harpenden 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.
How much do PVC strip curtains cost?
PVC strip curtains typically cost £180 to £1,100 per opening, excluding VAT, supply and fit. Small pedestrian doorways sit at the bottom of the range, and large dock openings with heavy-duty strips and sliding rails at the top.
The price depends on:
- Opening size: the width sets the number of strips and the height sets their length.
- Strip width and thickness: wider, thicker strips cost more but last longer under forklift traffic.
- Overlap: a greater overlap seals better and uses more material.
- Grade: standard, low-temperature, ribbed, anti-static, tinted or welding grades.
- Rail type: a fixed rail, or a sliding or swing-away rail that clears the opening for large loads.
- Fixing: whether the rail fixes straight to the lintel or needs brackets or a steel header.
Because strips wear, we can also price spare strips so your team can replace damaged ones. The written quote after a free site survey is the fixed price, and you can start the process through our quote form.
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.
What do we check at the survey?
- Control positions, isolators and any existing interlocks
- Dock height and the mix of trailers you load
- Forklift and pallet truck loads crossing the leveller platform
- Power supply at each bay, including three-phase availability
- How often each door cycles during a typical shift
- Bumper position and wear or damage on the dock face
Options to discuss
Low-temperature strips
A grade formulated to stay flexible in chillers and freezers, where standard strips would stiffen, crack and stop falling back into place.
Sliding or swing-away rail
A rail that lets the whole curtain be moved clear of the opening for wide loads, cleaning or seasonal removal without taking the strips down.
Planning, building control and safety law in England
Powered doors and dock equipment installed in England may carry the UKCA or the CE mark, and doors are covered by the product standard BS EN 13241. We hand over the relevant documentation for each item fitted in Harpenden. Planning and Building Regulations questions are never assumed either way: we check what applies at survey, so you know before work is booked.
Questions about PVC strip curtains in Harpenden
How long does installation take at a site in Harpenden?
It depends on the equipment, the number of bays, the condition of the dock and whether any building or electrical work is needed. We agree a programme with you after the survey, setting out which bays are out of use and when. Larger jobs are usually phased so that part of the dock stays open, and out-of-hours working can be arranged.
How do you price PVC strip curtains for a site in Harpenden?
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.
Will you deal with building control and planning for a project in Harpenden?
We check at survey whether the work is likely to need approval. Forming a new opening or dock pit may need Building Regulations approval, a building warrant or building control approval, depending on the nation, and external structures such as loading houses can need planning permission. Where approval is needed, we explain what is involved, work with your designer or agent, and build it into the programme.
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.
Can strips be replaced individually?
Yes, individual strips can be unhooked or unclamped and replaced without taking down the whole curtain. Keeping a few spare strips on site lets your team swap damaged ones as soon as they appear, which keeps visibility and sealing consistent across the opening.
PVC strip curtains near Harpenden
We also cover towns near Harpenden, including St Albans (5 miles), Luton (5 miles) and Hemel Hempstead (6 miles). Each has its own page with the same services and process.
Other loading bay services in Harpenden
Full guide to PVC strip curtains · Everything we do in Harpenden
Tell us what is happening at your Harpenden dock, what equipment is there and when it is used, and we will suggest the right next step.