Standard, Insulated, fire-rated—get to know the types of rolling doors available for outfitting your self-storage facility.

Choosing the right doors for a self-storage facility can make all the difference in functionality and aesthetics. While there are many options on the market, steel roll-up doors are a top choice for their durability, ease of use, and space-saving design. But with so many types of rolling doors available—each with unique features like fire protection, insulation, high-performance operation, or rust resistance—how do you choose the best one? Our guide will walk you through the key features to help you select the ideal rolling door for your facility.

Choosing the Right Roll-Up Door for Self Storage Facilities.

Choosing the right roll-up door is key to a successful self-storage facility. While roll-up doors are great for saving space and providing security, the type you choose depends on the facility's specific needs.

• For basic units, standard rolling service doors are a durable and versatile choice.
• If you're building a climate-controlled facility, insulated doors protect temperature-sensitive items and reduce energy costs.
• For high-traffic facilities, high-performance doors offer faster operation and increased security.
• Finally, for areas with strict regulations or high-value goods, consider fire-rated or high-security doors.

RELATED: Your Business Your Style: How to Customize Commercial Overhead Doors

Why Choose Roll-Up Doors for a Self-Storage Unit?

When exploring door options for a storage building, you'll typically find two main types: roll-up doors and swing doors. While both have their place, roll-up doors are often the preferred choice for facility owners.Their design is especially convenient for drive-up units, as they roll neatly overhead, saving valuable ceiling space. Swing doors, on the other hand, are commonly used for smaller, locker-sized units where overhead clearance isn't a concern.

For larger units, the space efficiency and convenience of a roll-up door make it a practical and popular solution. Here are a few reasons why roll-up doors are a top pick for facility owners.

• Enhanced security: Roll-up doors are made with a combination of durable materials, including galvanized steel, giving you a strong physical barrier. Along with robust construction, your door will be equipped with an integrated locking system. This means your locks are discreet and tamper-resistant. You can customize your level of security with a variety of lock options, including padlockable side bolts and chain keepers, masterkeyable cylinder locks, and guide-mounted interlocks.

• Weather protection: Every roll-up door has some level of weather protection. Doors are available in different configurations and with special features to fit different climates. You’ll find features like insulated slats, weather seals, and wind load construction. For colder climates, look for an insulated door with a low U-factor rating and specialized weather seals. If your facility experiences wind, you’ll want a door that’s designed to meet wind load requirements. For areas that experience extreme storms, you’ll want to install impact-rated doors.
  
  
• Space efficiency: Roll-up doors are great for storage facilities that want to save overhead space. Thanks to a compact design, roll-up doors don’t need overhead tracks. Instead, the doors coil tightly at the opening, letting customers stack items higher, letting them fully maximize their unit space.
  
  
• Ease of use: These doors often use direct drive operation. When someone opens the door, the direct drive operator moves the slats upward so that they smoothly and seamlessly coil around the drum. Users can open and close their doors easily, which makes it easier for customers to move their items.
  
  
• Better protection for temperature-sensitive items: Individuals storing electronics, artwork, antiques, leather or wood furniture, musical instruments, and other items require climate-controlled self-storage facilities. Insulated roll-up doors can help keep temperatures stable and protect these delicate items. 

All Cornell roll-up doors are custom-made to your specifications. You also have customization options for colors, finishes, treatments, and windows. 

Types of Storage Unit Doors

There are a lot of different self-storage facilities. From indoor to outdoor, to drive-up, to climate-controlled and specialized units for vehicle storage, business, and wine storage. And, each has specific accessibility and environmental requirements. To help simplify your decision, we'll explore some common requirements for storage units and recommend the best doors to match.

Rolling Service Doors for Every Unit

Standard Rolling Service Doors are a smart, versatile choice for most self-storage facilities. With a space-saving, roll-up design, the doors are both practical and incredibly durable, making them an industry standard for drive-up units and even oversized storage spaces. These can be custom-manufactured in a wide range of sizes to accommodate non-standard openings.

What's more, these doors offer a variety of options to suit your specific needs. They can be insulated or non-insulated and come in a variety of materials, finishes, and colors. You can also choose from a variety of safety, performance, and aesthetic features, ensuring the perfect fit for your facility's look and function.

Max Protection Doors for High-Security Storage Units

High-security storage requires high-security roll-up doors. Cornell Max Protection Series Doors deliver top-of-the-line security with exceptionally durable steel construction, interlocking tamper-resistant slats, full perimeter sealing systems, thermally broken guides, and advanced security features.

• EntryDefender^® Door: The only model in the U.S. that meets Department of State regulations for forced entry protection with the ability to withstand attacks for up to 60 minutes. This door can also withstand sustained winds up to 125 PSF, or in excess of 200 mph.
• StoreDefender™ Door: This model provides moderate riot protection and can be installed in indoor or outdoor facilities.
• Wind-Master^® Door: A specialized door that can operate in a wind load of 20 PSF and is available as a standard service or insulated model.

Fire-Rated Roll-Up Doors for Facilities with Fire Safety Regulations

Fire-rated roll-up doors are UL-listed, Factory Mutual (FM)-approved, and listed with the California Office of the State Fire Marshall. These doors are particularly beneficial for facilities that comply with fire safety regulations. Cornell fire-rated doors seal openings at the first hint of a fire and are available with an optional SmokeShield® Package  for smoke and draft control.

Rolling fire doors are designed for fire-rated openings with automatic alarm-activated operation. This door type can be used in openings that are not part of a required means of egress. All Cornell fire-rated rolling doors are available with an AlarmGard motor, or option fusible-link-activated chain, crank, or motor for openings that are not in a pedestrian thoroughfare and where electrical activation isn’t needed.

• Rolling Fire Door: A reliable fire suppression door that will reset or open automatically after a fire or power outage, saving valuable time and money.
  
  
• Firemiser Insulated Fire Door: An all-in-one fire door and insulated door. This model features mineral wool insulation for climate control and enhanced fire protection.

Insulated Self-Storage Doors for Climate Control

Energy-efficient doors control interior climates by minimizing heat transfer to help keep temperature-sensitive items safe. Here are some award-winning winning options:

• Thermiser® Rolling Door: This energy-efficient door is manufactured with two layers of formed steel and foamed-in-place insulation. Coupled with a patented door perimeter sealing system, it provides excellent protection against the elements. 
• Thermiser Max® Insulated Roll-Up Door: This door decreases air infiltration by 94% compared to standard products. Plus, it complies with the International Energy Conservation Code and other standards. 
• Thermiser Max® - Low U Door: This door has the lowest U-factor rating among steel roll-up doors. With a thermally broken guide, insulated curtain, and patented perimeter seal, it can protect delicate items like vinyl records, fabrics, electronics, and antiques. 

All three of these doors also reduce sound transmission, so customers can store and organize heavy items without bothering other users or nearby businesses. 

RELATED: Building a Climate-Controlled Garage

Rust-Resistant Doors for Coastal Environments and Chemical Storage

If the self-storage facility is in a coastal area, corrosion-resistant doors can prevent salty air from accelerating rust. Durable Corrosion-Resistant Doors are also insulated for enhanced functionality, and you can upgrade them with: 

• A Magic Switch touchless activation device
• An LED light kit
• High-cycle springs
• Seismic performance validation per American Society of Civil Engineers 7-05

As an additional benefit, these doors are engineered to withstand a static wind load of 40 pounds per square foot. 

High-performance Doors for High Traffic Facilities

High-performance doors open faster than standard doors, with opening speeds of up to 24 inches per second. These higher-speed models are a great fit for facilities that are accessed often and want to improve efficiency and traffic flow. Because of their faster operation, high-performance doors boost security, reduce energy loss, and reduce temperature fluctuations in your facility. Here are a few options to choose from:

• Extreme® 1024 High-Performance Door:Tested to perform more than 1 million open and close cycles without maintenance aside from daily checks.
  
  
• Extreme® 300 Series Doors: Delivers 300,000 cycles without maintenance aside from daily checks. 

Both doors come with a lasting powder coat finish, and you can upgrade to the CycleShield® Ultra™ Powder Coat Finish for even greater durability. You can also get access to our first intelligent control panel — the Apex™ Pro SmartController. 

Self-storage facility owners rely on durable roll-up doors to help keep customers belongings safe and secure. Whether users are storing excess stock, precious family heirlooms, old electronics, or bulky furniture, our doors can offer protection from potential intrusion, harsh weather, fire, and temperature-related damage.