Cold Room Door Specification: How to Choose the Right Door

Cold room doors are not only vital access and egress points for your cold room or storage area, but they are also essential to maintaining the internal temperatures of your walk-in chiller or freezer.

Getting the cold room door specification right affects everything from energy costs and product safety to day-to-day workflows, so checking before you order is essential.

If you need a new cold room door, or you need to replace an existing cold room door, MTCSS have the solution in our extensive door range. We know that temperature-controlled solutions can be a minefield, which is why we are here to help.

Understanding the questions you need to ask, or answer, can help you select the perfect cold room door for your application. Or it can help the MTCSS team select one for you from our MTH cold room door range.

What Kind of Door do you use for a Cold Room?

Most cold rooms use an insulated hinged door for pedestrian access, or an insulated sliding door where wider openings, trolleys, or pallets are required.

Freezer rooms need a door with a higher level of insulation and a heater to maintain internal temperatures and stop the seals from freezing.

Types of Cold Room Door

• Hinged doors – The standard choice; they are compact and quick to fit but require a clear space for door opening.
• Sliding doors – Suited to wider openings and don’t require a swing area but need enough wall space beside the opening for the sliding track.
• Double-hinged doors – Give a wider opening than a hinged door without the need for sliding track wall space.

Cold Room Door Specification Checklist

Work through these points before you order or share them with our team when you get in touch to order:

Temperature of your Cold Room

The temperature of your cold room, or space, will dictate the level of insulation required; for example, a freezer cold room will require a door with a higher level of insulation to ensure the internal temperatures are maintained. Poorly fitted or selected doors can result in higher energy expenditure if the refrigeration system must work harder to keep your cold room cool.

The MTH door range includes solutions for chiller cold rooms, freezer cold rooms, and ambient areas. Doors are available with 80mm or 100mm insulation and are suitable for temperatures down to -45ºC.

Size of the Cold Room Door and Access Requirements

The access you require in and out of your cold room will impact the size of your cold room door. If your cold room only requires pedestrian access, a standard-sized hinged door will suit your application; but if you require frequent pallet access, then a large sliding door could be a better solution.

The size of your cold room or space will also affect the size of the cold room door. To install a hinged or sliding door correctly, there needs to be space for the cold room door frame or sliding track.

Measure the clear opening you need, as well as the wall space available, and plan for the largest equipment that will pass through, such as pallet trucks or roll cages.

Thickness of the Panel

To ensure your cold room door can be fitted correctly and offers an optimal seal, we need to know the thickness of the panel or brickwork to select a door and frame to suit.

Type of Cold Room Door Frame

Freezer cold rooms have a floor, which results in there being a step into the room. In this case, you may require a different type of cold room door frame, for example a four-sided door frame to accommodate the step instead of a three-sided door frame.

Frames are available in plastic or aluminium.

Vision Panels for Cold Room Doors

Given the temperature ranges within, businesses should have visibility for access and safety reasons, making a vision panel essential. These vision panels can be fitted through your cold room door to allow visibility from both sides.

Safety and Hardware

Check which handles, locks, and closers the door needs and make sure it can always be opened from the inside. For walk-in freezers or rooms used by lone workers, we can also offer a range of safety release options, including entrapment alarms.

Automation

In busy areas, an automated door reduces the time the door stands open, helping to keep temperatures stable and cut energy use.

Common Specification Mistakes

• Fitting a chiller-rated door on a freezer room, which can lead to ice build-up and higher running costs
• Sizing the opening for today’s stock rather than the largest equipment that will use it
• Missing the floor step and ordering a three-sided frame when a four-sided option is needed
• Forgetting the wall space to add a sliding track immediately adjacent to the opening

What we Need to Know to Quote

To get the cold room door specification you need, send our team:

• The type of cold room, chiller, freezer, ambient, or dual-purpose, and the operating temperature you need
• The clear opening width and height you need
• The panel or wall thickness
• Whether there is a step in the room – changes if you need a three- or four-sided frame
• Hinged or sliding, plus the hinge side or slide direction
• Any vision panel, hardware, or automation requirements
• Photos of the existing door if you are replacing an existing one

MTCSS and MTH Cold Room Doors

MTH’s cold room door range is customisable to suit your specification when it comes to:

• Size
• Temperature range
• Three- or four-sided frames
• Vision panels
• Frame type – plastic or aluminium
• Automation systems

We have MTH cold room doors in stock, meaning we have a quick turnaround and delivery if you need doors sooner rather than later! Or, if you need a fully customised and bespoke cold room door, our team is here to help!

Get in touch with the UK Cold Room Spares team to talk about your door requirements by contacting us on 01886 833 381, emailing sales@mtcss.co.uk, or filling in an enquiry form.