Steel or aluminium? Which personnel door is right for me?

A personnel door should be an already familiar sight. They can be used in almost any setting including office buildings, warehouses, factories or schools and provide pedestrians, specifically, with a way to enter, exit or move within a site -separate to vehicles. Not only does this boost safety but it also saves energy as these smaller doors let out less heat. 

 

However, like all doors, these may become damaged or work less efficiently over time (especially if they are made of wood) and you will need to replace them. Now there is a decision to be made – will you plump for aluminum doors or steel doors?  

 

This blog will help outline the differences between these two door types and help you choose the right one for your business. 

 

Steel doors are very strong. This makes then the perfect choice when choosing to replace exit doors such as fire or emergency exits. As doors that are exposed to the outside, these need to be robust and able to resist any outside attack or forced entry as well as being extremely durable against the weather. 

 

A steel door from Stanair features a zinc-coated folded steel construction with reinforced hinge edges, welded thick steel -reinforced lock points. All of this means that these doors are extremely robust in all environments.  

 

Of course, any externally facing personnel door would benefit from being a steel door thanks to their added security and durability and resistance to weathering and rust. And, with a wide variety of different finishes and colours available, each door is created bespoke to you and can easily be designed to fit in with your company branding. 

 

 

 

A steel door is not suitable for every external entrance or exit however. Sometimes, as in the case of most shops or showrooms, you need to be able to see the products or personnel on the other side of the door.  

In this case, an aluminum glazed door is the best choice for you.  

 

Usually featuring a window in either the top half of the door or spanning its entire length, this is not only visually pleasing but can also be a welcome safety feature as staff members will be able to see if anyone is approaching from the other side. 

 

These doors can be single or double glazed and function either manually or automatically. With the option to include push pads, access control consoles, key entry pads, radio control or swipe access, these doors can help ensure that only authorized personnel have access to your site. In addition, you can choose whether the door slides, folds or swings open (handy in a smaller space), the speed with which the door closes and anti-finger trapping features. 

 

Although not as robust as steel doors, aluminum doors offer long-term performance – even under heavy use. To add extra strength to your door, they also feature purpose-designed cleats with torsion bars. And, if they do go wrong, they can be easily repaired by our expert engineers thanks to their mechanically jointed construction. 

 

 

If you need a secure, robust and weather resistant door on the outside of your premises (especially a fire exit or emergency exit door) then a steel door is your best bet.  

 

However, if your door is used on a frequent basis, requires entry access control or you are looking to save space, then an aluminum sliding, swing or folding door is your best option. Either way, both doors are durable, visually pleasing and built bespoke for you and your business.