Retractable security grilles

Retractable security grilles protect doors, windows and counters, then fold away out of sight when not needed. They suit shops, offices and homes where a fixed barrier would spoil the appearance. ArxBridge supplies and installs retractable grille systems across the UK.

• RetractableFolds away when not needed
• Doors and windowsProtects the openings
• Rated optionsTested grille systems
• UK wideSurvey, supply and installation

The basics of retractable security grilles

A retractable security grille is a lattice of steel bars linked in a concertina that slides open and closed along a top track. Locked shut, it forms a steel barrier across the opening. Released, it stacks into a slim bundle at one side, leaving the doorway or window clear and the view uninterrupted.

The lattice is the working part. Vertical bars joined by horizontal links give the grille its strength while keeping it flexible enough to fold. The bars are sized to the threat: heavier sections resist cutting and spreading, while lighter sections suit low risk openings where the grille is a visual deterrent backed by an alarm.

Grilles lock at the leading edge into the floor or the frame, and intermediate locks can secure wide spans at several points. A bottom track is optional: trackless bottom designs leave the floor clear, which suits shop entrances and accessible routes, while a bottom track adds rigidity for higher rated systems.

Picking the rating for retractable security grilles

Grilles are specified by construction and by test rating. The rating must suit the opening: a grille protecting a stockroom door needs more than one dressing a display window in a staffed shop.

Where the opening sits on the rated line, only the tested system will do. An untested grille in front of a rated door does not extend the rating to the opening; the specification must name the tested product and carry its test evidence.

Specifier note. A grille is only as strong as its fixing. The track and locks must fix into sound structure, not plasterboard or hollow block, or the whole grille can be pulled away from the opening.

The build behind retractable security grilles

Manufacture starts with the lattice: steel bars punched and riveted into the concertina, with the bar section chosen for the rating. The lattice hangs from trolleys in the top track, which carries the full weight, so the track section and its fixings are engineered for the span. Wide openings get intermediate mullions or meeting stiles so no single span is too long.

The leading edge carries the lock, engaging into a keep in the floor, the frame or a removable post. Multi point locking spreads the load along the edge on wider grilles. Finishes are powder coated to the project colour, and the coating also protects the steel in damp or external positions.

Concealment is a design option, not an afterthought. The stacked bundle can hide in a recessed pocket, behind a pelmet or within joinery, so the open grille disappears from the interior. The pocket must be sized for the stack depth of the grille ordered, which the manufacturer confirms from the opening width.

Combining retractable security grilles with other ratings

Grilles often work as the out of hours layer over a glazed facade. The shopfront glass handles the day, and the grille closes the opening at night. Where the facade needs a forced entry rating around the clock, security shutters give a solid barrier instead of a lattice, and the choice between grille and shutter comes down to visibility, ventilation and rating.

On fire escape routes, the grille must not trap people. Grilles on escape doors need quick release from the inside without a key, agreed with the fire strategy. For openings that need both fire and security performance, fire and security doors carry the two ratings in one assembly. The full Security range covers doors, windows, grilles and shutters tested to LPS 1175, so the whole facade can be specified from one range. On larger sites the pedestrian grilles sit alongside security gates for the vehicle entrances.

Typical uses for retractable security grilles

High-value retail is the classic market: jewellers, phone shops and boutiques close the shopfront with a grille at night and retract it for trading. Residential and housing uses grilles on patio doors and accessible windows where shutters would be too industrial.

Offices use them on ground floor windows and server room doors. Pharmacies, post offices and kiosks use serving hatches with grilles that secure the counter between customers. Any opening that must be open by day and closed by night is a candidate.

What affects the cost and lead time of retractable security grilles

Opening size is the main driver: wider and taller grilles need heavier lattice, more locks and stronger tracks. The rating steps the cost up again, since tested systems use heavier sections and tested hardware. Concealment pockets, curved tracks and non standard colours add manufacture time.

Site conditions matter. The track needs sound structure above the opening, and the floor keep needs a solid substrate; making good to finishes around the track adds site time. Out of hours installation in trading shops is common and affects the programme. A schedule of openings with sizes and the target rating is the basis for a quotation.

Specifying retractable security grilles

1. List every opening. Doors, windows, hatches and counters, with sizes.
2. Set the rating per opening. Standard, heavy duty or tested to LPS 1175.
3. Check the structure. Confirm sound fixing for the track and the floor keep.
4. Plan concealment. Decide whether the stack hides in a pocket, pelmet or joinery.
5. Agree the fire position. Confirm quick release on any escape route.
6. Ask for a detailed quotation. Send the opening schedule and drawings for a fixed proposal.

Frequently asked questions