Transparent PVC curtain is a standard and most commonly used type of PVC curtain.It has a smooth plain surface and blue colour.It can operate at a temperature range from -20c to +40c.Transparent pvc curtains' main features includes flexibilty,Super transparency,Acid and alkali resistance,Stopping the loss of cold and warm air and keeping the temperature of the place,Preventing the dust and keeping the place clear,Reducing the noise and keeping the place silent.They find their extensive application in cold storage and in industries for heat preservation,Adiabatic,Dustproof and reducing noise etc.
Cuts refrigeration energy loss by roughly 15–30%
Freezer-grade (polar) formulation available to −25°C
Keeps a doorway open for traffic while sealing it thermally
A transparent PVC strip curtain does something no door can: it keeps a doorway open for people, forklifts and pallets while still sealing it thermally. Every time a cold-room or air-conditioned door swings open with nothing in the way, conditioned air spills out and warm humid air spills in, and the compressor pays for it. Published studies on cold-room strip curtains consistently show refrigeration energy savings of roughly 15–30%, with cold air loss reduced by up to 30–70% depending on installation quality and traffic levels.
The one thing you must get right is the grade. Standard clear PVC stiffens and cracks below about −10°C. Freezer-grade (often called polar) PVC is a genuinely different formulation, plasticised to stay flexible down to around −25°C. Fitting standard PVC to a freezer door is the most common and most expensive mistake made with this product — the strips go rigid, crack along the fold line, and are unusable within a single season. The material cost difference is small; the cost of replacing a whole curtain a year early is not.
The second thing people get wrong is overlap. A curtain with too little overlap for its traffic level loses most of its sealing benefit, and this is almost always the reason behind a complaint that "the curtain does not seem to be helping". Use our PVC Strip Curtain Calculator to size the strip count and overlap correctly for your doorway — it takes a minute and it is the difference between a curtain that works and one that does not.
Specifications
Typical properties for clear PVC strip curtain material. The temperature range is the figure that matters most — and it differs fundamentally between standard and freezer grade.
Property
Value
Test Standard
Material
Flexible plasticised PVC (polyvinyl chloride)
—
Clarity
Transparent / clear
—
Temperature Range — standard grade
−10°C to +50°C
—
Temperature Range — freezer (polar) grade
−25°C to +50°C
—
Standard Thicknesses
2 mm and 3 mm
—
Standard Strip Widths
200 mm and 300 mm
—
Typical Overlap Options
0% (butt) / 20% (light) / 50% (full seal)
—
Energy Saving (cold storage)
~15 – 30% refrigeration energy
—
Cold Air Loss Reduction
up to 30 – 70% (installation dependent)
—
UV Resistance
Moderate — yellows slowly outdoors over years
—
Chemical Resistance
Good against water, mild acids and alkalis
—
Oil Resistance
Fair — prolonged oil contact degrades PVC
—
Flexibility
Remains flexible — grade-dependent (see temperature)
Plasticiser stiffens; the strip goes rigid and splits at the fold
Performance
Refrigeration Saving
~15 – 30%
Cold Air Loss Cut
up to 30 – 70%
Also Blocks
Dust, insects, noise, draughts
Biggest Variable
Overlap — too little and the benefit largely disappears
Sizes
Thicknesses
2 mm / 3 mm
Strip Widths
200 mm / 300 mm
2 mm
Lighter traffic, smaller doors
3 mm
Heavier traffic, larger doors, more durable
Manufacturing
PVC strip curtain is extruded from flexible plasticised PVC. The plasticiser content is what determines cold flexibility, and it is the entire difference between a standard and a freezer-grade strip. A standard formulation is perfectly flexible at room temperature but progressively stiffens as it gets colder; below about −10°C it becomes rigid, and once rigid it splits along the fold line where it flexes against the doorway.
Freezer (polar) grade uses a different plasticiser package specifically formulated to retain flexibility at low temperature, holding up to around −25°C. The two look identical on the shelf. This is exactly why the grade must be specified at the point of order rather than assumed — you cannot tell them apart by eye, and the failure only shows up a few weeks into winter or a few weeks after the freezer is commissioned.
Strip Sizes & Overlap
Strip width and thickness are chosen for the doorway size and traffic level. Overlap is chosen for how well the doorway needs to seal — and it is the setting that most affects whether the curtain actually saves you energy.
Strip Size
Typical Doorway
Traffic Level
Notes
200 mm × 2 mm
Up to ~2 m wide
Light — pedestrian, trolleys
Most economical; easy to push through
200 mm × 3 mm
Up to ~2.5 m wide
Medium
More durable than 2 mm at same width
300 mm × 2 mm
2 – 3 m wide
Medium — pallet trucks
Fewer strips to cover the same width
300 mm × 3 mm
3 m+ wide
Heavy — forklifts
The standard for busy industrial doorways
Overlap guide: 0% (butt-joined) for airflow and visibility only; 20% for a light seal on busy doorways; 50% for the best dust, insect and thermal seal — use this for cold storage. Our PVC Strip Curtain Calculator works out the exact strip count, total PVC and cost for your door size and chosen overlap.
Applications
Anywhere a doorway needs to stay open for traffic but closed to air, dust, insects or noise.
Cold Storage & Freezer DoorsThe highest-value application. Cuts refrigeration energy by roughly 15–30%. Freezer-grade (polar) PVC is essential below −10°C — standard clear PVC will crack within a season.
Chiller & Cold Room OpeningsChillers running above −10°C can use standard clear PVC. It holds the temperature, cuts compressor run time and stops condensation forming on nearby surfaces.
Warehouse & Loading Bay DoorsKeeps heated or air-conditioned space in, and wind, rain, dust and vehicle fumes out, while forklifts drive straight through without stopping.
Food Production AreasSeparates production zones hygienically, controls temperature and blocks insects. Pair with a stainless steel rail (see PVC Curtain with Stainless Steel Fittings) for wash-down areas.
Dust & Noise SeparationIsolating a dusty or noisy process (grinding, cutting, packing) from the rest of the plant without building a wall or blocking access.
Air-Conditioned Workshop EntrancesStops conditioned air pouring out of a workshop or office entrance that has to stay open for traffic through the working day.
Industries
Why Transparent PVC Curtain is specified in each of the industries we serve.
Cold Storage & Food Processing
This is where PVC strip curtains pay for themselves fastest, and where getting the specification wrong costs the most. Every door opening on a cold room or freezer spills conditioned air out and draws warm humid air in, and the compressor runs longer to recover — a loss that repeats on every single door cycle, all day. Published studies put the refrigeration saving from a properly fitted strip curtain at roughly 15–30%. Two details determine whether you actually get that saving. The first is grade: below −10°C you must use freezer (polar) PVC, because standard clear PVC stiffens and cracks, and a cracked curtain seals nothing. The second is overlap — a 50% overlap is what a cold store needs, and a curtain fitted with 20% or less will underperform and be blamed for not working when the real fault was the specification.
Warehousing & Logistics
A busy warehouse doorway cannot be closed — forklifts and pallet trucks pass through it constantly — and yet leaving it open means heating or cooling the outdoors, and letting in wind, rain, dust and vehicle exhaust. A strip curtain resolves the contradiction: vehicles drive straight through without stopping, and the doorway is nonetheless sealed the rest of the time. On heavily trafficked bays the practical considerations are strip durability and visibility, which is why 300 mm × 3 mm strips are the usual specification: fewer strips to cover the width, thicker material to survive repeated forklift contact, and enough transparency that a driver can see someone approaching from the other side. Replacing individual damaged strips rather than the whole curtain is straightforward, which keeps the running cost low.
General Manufacturing
Strip curtains are used across manufacturing to separate zones without building walls or restricting movement. A grinding, cutting or packing operation can be isolated so its dust and noise do not migrate into the rest of the plant, while operators and materials still move freely through the opening. Air-conditioned or heated production areas keep their conditioned air instead of bleeding it into an unheated shed. The grades matter here as much as anywhere: a welding-grade (dark) curtain is required where arc flash must be screened, and an anti-insect (amber) grade where insects are the problem. Standard clear PVC is the right choice for everything else, and it is the cheapest of the family.
Pharmaceutical & Cleanrooms
Where zones need to be separated for contamination control but personnel and trolleys still have to move between them, a strip curtain provides a physical barrier that does not require a door to be opened and closed. It restricts airborne particulate and insect movement between areas, and it helps maintain the pressure differential and temperature of a controlled space. For wash-down and hygienic environments, the rail system matters as much as the strips: a mild steel rail will rust under repeated cleaning, so a stainless steel fitting is the correct specification. Anti-static grades are available where static build-up is a concern around sensitive equipment or powders.
PVC Curtain Grades — Which One?
All are PVC strip curtains; each solves a different problem. Standard clear is the cheapest and right for most doorways — but not for freezers.
Property
Transparent (Standard)
Freezer / Polar
Welding Grade
Anti-Insect
Colour
Clear
Clear
Dark green / red
Amber / yellow
Min Temperature
−10°C
−25°C
−10°C
−10°C
Visibility
Excellent
Excellent
Restricted (by design)
Tinted
Blocks Arc Flash
No
No
Yes
No
Deters Insects
No
No
No
Yes — UV-filtered
Freezer Suitable
No — will crack
Yes
No
No
Relative Cost
Lowest
Slightly higher
Higher
Higher
Choose It For
General doorways, chillers
Freezers below −10°C
Welding bays
Food areas, insect control
Advantages & Limitations
Advantages
Cuts refrigeration energy consumption by roughly 15–30% on cold-room doorways.
Keeps a doorway fully open for traffic — no stopping, no door to operate.
Blocks dust, insects, draughts and noise as well as heat.
Transparent, so people and vehicles can see through before passing.
Very low cost relative to the energy it saves — typically a fast payback.
Individual damaged strips can be replaced without changing the whole curtain.
Simple to install, and easy to retrofit to an existing doorway.
Available in freezer, welding, anti-insect and anti-static grades for specific problems.
Limitations
Standard clear PVC cracks below about −10°C. Freezer (polar) grade is a different formulation and is essential for freezer doors. The two look identical — you must specify.
Performance depends heavily on overlap. Too little overlap for the traffic level and most of the energy benefit disappears — this is the usual reason a curtain "does not seem to work".
Strips get scratched, cloudy and less transparent over time, especially on forklift doorways.
PVC yellows slowly under prolonged UV exposure outdoors.
Only fair oil resistance — prolonged contact with oils degrades PVC.
Not a substitute for a door where security, full sealing or fire rating is required.
Very heavy forklift traffic will eventually tear strips; budget for periodic replacement of individual strips.
Installation, Storage & Maintenance
Installation
Mount the rail so the strips hang just clear of the floor — roughly 10–20 mm — not dragging on it, or they will wear rapidly and sweep dirt around. Hang the curtain so it covers the full doorway width plus a margin at each side, and choose the overlap deliberately: 50% for cold storage, 20% for general busy doorways, 0% only where airflow and visibility matter more than sealing. Use a stainless steel rail in wash-down and food areas, since a mild steel rail will corrode. Let the strips hang for a day or two before judging them — they arrive coiled and need time to straighten under their own weight.
Storage
Store rolls and cut strips flat or loosely coiled, indoors, out of direct sunlight and away from heat sources. Do not store PVC in tight coils for long periods in cold conditions, as it can take a permanent set. Keep it away from oils and solvents, which degrade PVC over time.
Maintenance
Clean the strips periodically with mild soapy water — not solvents, which will craze and cloud the PVC. Replace individual strips as they get torn, badly scratched or cloudy rather than replacing the whole curtain; that is one of the main practical advantages of this product. On cold-store doors, inspect for cracking at the fold line: if strips are cracking in cold weather, the wrong grade has been fitted and the curtain should be replaced with freezer-grade PVC.
Buying Guide
What to tell us so we quote the right grade first time.
What is the temperature behind the door? The single most important question. Below −10°C you need freezer (polar) grade. Above it, standard clear PVC is fine and cheaper. Do not guess — a wrong answer here means replacing the curtain within a season.
Doorway width and height. Determines the number of strips. Our PVC Strip Curtain Calculator works out strip count, total PVC and cost from your dimensions.
Traffic level and type. Pedestrian and trolley traffic can use 200 mm × 2 mm strips. Forklift doorways need 300 mm × 3 mm — wider covers the door with fewer strips, thicker survives the impacts.
What overlap do you need? 50% for cold storage and best sealing; 20% for general busy doorways; 0% only for airflow and visibility. This choice, more than any other, determines whether the curtain actually saves energy.
Is it a wash-down or food area? If so, specify stainless steel fittings — a mild steel rail will rust.
Any special requirement? Welding bay (dark grade to block arc flash), insect control (amber grade), or static-sensitive area (anti-static grade). Tell us and we will supply the right material.
Standards & Compliance
Supplied as flexible plasticised PVC strip in 2 mm and 3 mm thickness, 200 mm and 300 mm widths.
Freezer (polar) grade is a distinct low-temperature formulation rated to approximately −25°C — specify it explicitly for freezer applications.
Self-extinguishing / flame-retardant grades available to order where a fire specification applies.
Anti-static, welding (arc-screening) and anti-insect (UV-filtered amber) grades available.
Stainless steel rail and fitting systems available for hygienic and wash-down environments.
No. Standard clear PVC stiffens and cracks below about −10°C. You need freezer (polar) grade, which is plasticised differently and stays flexible to around −25°C. This is the most common and most expensive mistake made with strip curtains — the strips crack within a season.
How can I tell freezer grade from standard PVC?
You cannot, by eye — they look identical. That is exactly why the grade must be specified at the point of order. Tell us the temperature behind the door and we will supply the right one.
How much energy does a strip curtain actually save?
Published cold-room studies show refrigeration energy savings of roughly 15–30%, with cold air loss cut by up to 30–70%. The actual figure depends heavily on how often the door is used and, critically, on the overlap you fit.
What overlap should I choose?
50% for cold storage and the best possible seal. 20% for general busy doorways where a light seal is enough. 0% (butt-joined) only where you want airflow and visibility rather than sealing. Too little overlap is the usual reason a curtain underperforms.
My curtain does not seem to be helping. Why?
Almost always insufficient overlap, or strips that have shrunk, torn or been removed over time so the coverage is no longer continuous. Check the overlap first — it is the setting that matters most.
What strip width and thickness do I need?
200 mm × 2 mm for light pedestrian and trolley traffic on smaller doors. 300 mm × 3 mm for forklift doorways and larger openings — wider covers the width with fewer strips, thicker survives the impacts.
How many strips do I need?
It depends on door width, strip width and overlap. Use our PVC Strip Curtain Calculator — enter your door size and chosen overlap and it returns the strip count, total PVC and cost.
How high off the floor should the strips hang?
Roughly 10–20 mm clear of the floor. Strips that drag on the floor wear out quickly and sweep dirt around; strips hanging too high leave a gap that leaks air.
Can I replace individual strips?
Yes, and you should — this is one of the main advantages of a strip curtain. Replace torn, cloudy or cracked strips individually rather than changing the whole curtain.
Do the strips go cloudy over time?
Yes, gradually, especially on forklift doorways where they get scratched. Clean them with mild soapy water (never solvents, which craze and cloud PVC) and replace individual strips when visibility gets poor.
Should I use a stainless steel rail?
In wash-down, food and hygienic areas, yes — a mild steel rail will rust under repeated cleaning. See our PVC Curtain with Stainless Steel Fittings. Elsewhere a standard steel rail is fine.
Can strip curtains be used outdoors?
Yes, but PVC yellows slowly under prolonged UV exposure. It works, and it is common on loading bays; just expect gradual discolouration over several years.
Will it block welding arc flash?
Not the clear grade — you need the dark welding grade, which is formulated specifically to screen arc flash and protect people working nearby. Clear PVC gives no protection.
Which grade keeps insects out?
The anti-insect (amber) grade. It is UV-filtered, which makes it far less attractive to flying insects. Clear PVC blocks insects only physically, when the strips are closed.
Do strip curtains block noise?
They reduce it noticeably, particularly at higher overlap, but they are not acoustic insulation. For a serious noise problem you need a proper barrier.
Are they resistant to oil?
Only fairly. Prolonged contact with oils degrades PVC. In an oily environment expect a shorter service life.
Is PVC curtain fire-rated?
Standard PVC is not. Self-extinguishing / flame-retardant grades are available to order if you have a fire specification to meet — tell us at the point of order.
How long does a strip curtain last?
Several years in normal service. On heavy forklift doorways, individual strips will need replacing periodically, which is cheap and quick. On a freezer door with the correct polar grade, life is good; with the wrong grade it is a single season.
Can I retrofit a curtain to an existing doorway?
Yes, easily — the rail mounts above the opening and the curtain hangs from it. It is one of the simplest energy-saving retrofits available.
How do I clean the strips?
Mild soapy water and a soft cloth. Do not use solvents or aggressive cleaners — they craze the surface and permanently cloud the PVC.
Need a quote or a spec check?
Send us your operating conditions and we will confirm the right grade for the job.
