How do I Choose the Best Commercial Security Door?

Commercial security doors come in many different types to serve a variety of purposes. Depending on the type of door your business needs, you might want a fire-retardant or bullet-resistant door, for example. In relation to this, these doors come in a variety of materials — from glass to metal — and forms — from solid doors to those that allow for the passage of air. Another consideration is whether your particular needs are best suited by an internal or external security door.

Since a commercial security door can be made for a number of different purposes, it is important to have a sense of which functions the door is needed to fulfill. A security door may be fire-rated, meaning that it meets national or international standards for fire safety. It may also be bullet-resistant or blast-resistant, for businesses that have a high risk of robbery, for example. Some security doors are specifically designed to resist corrosive conditions. The best door for any of these purposes will be made to the highest standards, while protecting against the type of threat it was installed for.

When buying commercial security doors, attention should be paid to materials and the structure of the door. Depending on its purposes, a commercial security door may be solid, hollow, or built to allow the passage of air. Solid doors may offer a choice of materials including metal or glass. To serve aesthetic preferences, an added finish, such as wood veneer or laminate, is offered on some commercial security doors. Solid metal doors may be one-piece or made of panels, while those designed to allow airflow may be made of chain link or some type of open work metal.

Yet another consideration when buying a security door is whether you want or need an external or internal security door. In terms of external doors, there are three general styles. One kind is the building door itself, combining the regular entry and exit door with a security door. Another type adds a second layer of protection to the regular entry or exit door. This type of door may roll or slide into place in front of the main entry door. It might be used regularly in combination with the regular entry door, or this type of security door might only be employed while the business is closed over night, for example. A third type of security door secures the entry when a building door is purposefully left open. For example, an openwork security door may be used on a loading dock to allow airflow through the area on hot days, but the locked security door provides control over those who want to enter onto the loading dock.

When considering doors designed for interior building security, you can choose among doors with a number of added security devices. For example, a keyed lock or a smart card lock could be used to restrict access. Alternatively, a combination lock, a cipher lock, or a biometric access system requiring a fingerprint or a retinal scan could be used if any of these were more appropriate to your needs. Another option, for a door that is infrequently opened, is a door with a deadbolt accompanied by a crossbar door lock. It is also possible to fit a commercial security door with an alarm that will sound if there is an unauthorized attempt to open it. All of these features could be a part of external security doors as well.