Ballistic louvre doors

Ballistic louvre doors give plant rooms and service areas the airflow they need without giving up ballistic protection. Every door is built to a class of EN 1522, so the rating matches the assessed threat. ArxBridge supplies and installs them across the UK.

• FB2 to FB7 ratingsBallistic protection to EN 1522
• Interlocking bladesNo straight-line path through the door
• No-spall optionNS rated inner faces available
• UK supply and installSurveyed, built and fitted by our teams

What is a ballistic louvre door?

It is a steel doorset fitted with angled blades in place of a solid leaf. The blades pass air for ventilation and cooling, while their shape and overlap close off the direct line a projectile would travel. A perforated steel backing behind the blades keeps out fingers and tools and stiffens the leaf.

Specifiers choose them where a solid ballistic door would starve equipment of air: generator rooms, UPS and battery rooms, plant rooms, communications rooms and secure stores. Frame, blades, locks and fixings are tested to EN 1522 as a single doorset. Our ballistic ratings guide explains how the classes work.

Rating first, dimensions second. A door is only as strong as its weakest detail. Fix the EN 1522 class from your threat assessment, then let blade depth and overlap follow the test evidence.

Which ballistic rating do louvre doors need

Select the class from the threat assessment rather than from habit. The classes below follow EN 1522.

Where fragments on the protected side would endanger people or equipment, specify the NS suffix for a no-spall inner face. Higher classes mean deeper blades and less free area, so check the airflow budget with your M&E designer before you fix the class.

Inside ballistic louvre doors

Frames are folded from heavy steel plate and anchored into the surrounding structure, because a rated leaf is only useful in a rated frame. Blades sit in a chevron pattern with each blade overlapping the next, so no line of sight passes through the door.

Blade depth, overlap and the density of the backing change with the class. Locking is multi-point, with lock cases shielded by the blade arrangement. Leaves and frames are powder coated to the project colour, and the doors can be finished to sit quietly beside standard steel louvred doors on the same site.

Every door leaves our works with third-party test evidence for its class. Manufacture follows the same controlled process described on our manufacture page.

Ballistic louvre doors with combined ratings

Where the threat picture is wider, a louvre door can carry more than one rating. Common combinations include ballistic protection with LPS 1175 forced-entry resistance for high-risk plant rooms, and blast ratings where the facade design demands it: see blast resistant louvred doors. Some designs can add fire integrity; see fire rated louvre doors.

Each rating must be tested in the same construction. Ratings are never assumed from one product to another, and we will tell you plainly when a combination is not available.

Where ballistic louvre doors are used

Data centres fit them on generator, UPS and battery rooms that must stay cool under load. Utilities and energy sites use them on substations and switch rooms. Government and defence estates specify them for communications and plant areas, and transport hubs use them in back-of-house plant spaces.

For solid openings on the same projects, see bullet resistant doors, and browse the full ballistic range.

What sets the cost and lead time for ballistic louvre doors

We price each project from drawings or a survey. The factors that move the figure are:

• Ballistic class: higher classes need deeper blades and heavier frames.
• Door size and quantity: larger leaves need stiffer construction and bigger fixings.
• Finish: standard powder coat colours against special or marine-grade finishes.
• Locking and access control: standalone locks against integrated systems.
• The structural opening: sound structure against openings that need framing or repair.
• Site constraints: live plant that cannot be shut down, or restricted access for deliveries.

How to specify ballistic louvre doors

1. Set the class. Agree the EN 1522 class with your security consultant from the threat assessment.
2. Survey the opening. Measure the structure and check what the frame will fix to; see security consultancy.
3. Check airflow. Confirm the free area with the M&E designer so cooling is not reduced too far.
4. Approve drawings. Review fabrication drawings before manufacture; see design.
5. Install and file. Fit, commission and keep the test evidence with the building records; see installation.

Frequently asked questions