How Australian Industries Are Using Clear Plastic Sheets in Smarter Ways

Forklift lanes into cold rooms, trolley routes into commercial kitchens, and butchers’ back doors share one problem. They need to stay open to traffic while keeping cold air in and dust and pests out.

Used well, clear plastic sheets handle that job without blocking the view. The key is matching the PVC grade to the temperature, the strip size to the traffic, and the colour to the task.

Match the Strip Size to the Traffic

PVC strip doors suit openings where people, trolleys and forklifts pass through constantly. Staff can see what’s coming from the other side, while the barrier limits draughts, dust, pests and air exchange.

Heavier traffic needs thicker strips:

A wall-mounted strip door is made 50 mm wider and taller than the opening, leaving 5 to 10 mm of floor clearance. A lintel-mounted door fits inside the opening and is made 5mm narrower and 10mm shorter.

Choose the Right PVC Grade for Cold Rooms

Cold rooms lose chilled air every time the door opens. A PVC strip door reduces that loss. The strips move aside as traffic passes, then fall back across the opening, overlapping slightly to limit air exchange.

The temperature rating comes from the PVC grade, not the strip’s profile:

• Normal temp PVC suits cold rooms and general doorways.
• Freezer-grade PVC is rated to -40° for freezer rooms.

Ribbed strips come in both grades. Their ribs reduce drag on items passing through, so match the profile to your traffic and the grade to your temperature.

A strip door supports good practice but doesn’t replace temperature checks, scheduled cleaning or door maintenance.

H2: Hygiene and Pest Control in Food Areas

Under FSANZ Standard 3.2.2, food businesses must do everything they reasonably can to prevent pest problems, including stopping pests from entering their premises. PVC strip doors help limit dust, birds, and insects from reaching preparation and storage areas.

Clear vs Yellow Strips

• Clear strips suit entrances where staff need to see through.
• Yellow strips are the stronger choice for insect control. They filter light, so flying insects aren’t drawn to the lighting inside.

Insect zappers pair well with strip doors but shouldn’t replace them, since zappers don’t attract every insect.

Keeping Strips Clean

Check strips for tears, clouding, loose fixings, and residue that blocks visibility. Removable strip doors use a stainless steel hanging system, so you can lift individual strips off for washing or replacement without dismantling the doorway.

Safer Movement Through Shared Routes

Factories, kitchens, transport terminals, supermarkets and hospitals often use clear PVC swing doors where people and equipment share a route. Clear panels help reduce blind approaches.

• Medium-duty swing doors have an aluminium frame with 5 mm or 7 mm panels.
• Heavy-duty swing doors have a steel frame, 7 mm panels and welded bumper strips, with pair widths up to 3,000 mm. These suit forklift and pallet trolley traffic better.

Both arrive pre-tensioned and install without specialist tools.

Match Doors to Warehouse Traffic

Separate pedestrian and vehicle access wherever the site allows, then match each opening:

• PVC strip doors for internal cold room routes and bakery or butcher doorways
• High-speed roll doors for forklift lanes that need rapid opening and closing
• Insulated sectional doors, with 42 mm or 80 mm panels, where an opening needs a solid insulated barrier

Check vehicle speed, opening width and impact risk before buying, so a strip door doesn’t end up where a framed or high-speed door would work better.

Other Grades Worth Knowing

• Coloured PVC suits shop entrances. Yellow helps with insect control and black reduces light, heat and UV, but tinted strips aren’t suited to freezer rooms.
• Welding-grade PVC is made for welding screens and also suits privacy screens.

Before ordering, confirm the operating temperature, doorway dimensions and mounting method.

Keeping Doorways in Working Order

During scheduled inspections, record damaged strips, loose head section fixings, worn hinges, and gaps around seals. Strips are hole-punched and held with large washers, so you can swap a single worn strip without replacing the whole door.

Conclusion

Clear PVC works best when you treat each doorway on its own terms. Cold rooms need the right grade, food areas need pest control, and busy facilities need clear sightlines around moving traffic.

Start with a doorway audit covering temperature, traffic type, opening size, cleaning needs, and pest risk. With those details, a supplier such as Austcold Industries can help match the right strip, swing, high-speed, or insulated door to each opening.