Shutters and gates — price, types and what to check

Shop shutters, rolling shutters, collapsible and main gates, automation.

Every shop, godown and many homes close with a shutter or gate. Rolling shutters coil into a box above the opening; normal shutters hinge or fold; gates slide or swing. What decides how long they last — and how safe they are — is the gauge of steel, how the guides are anchored, and whether a motor has a way out in a power cut.

The basics

• Rolling shutters are interlocking steel strips (laths) that coil into a box above the opening. Push-pull for small openings, gear-operated or motorised for large ones.
• Normal shutters are hinged or folding steel or aluminium panels — common on older shopfronts, godowns and service openings.
• Collapsible gates are a folding steel lattice, often fitted inside a glass shopfront or behind a main door for night security.
• Main gates slide on a track, swing on hinges, or cantilever with no floor track at all. Any of them can be automated.
• Priced per sq ft of opening for shutters, and per kg or per set for gates and motors.

Shutters and gates types and price ranges in India

Indicative 2026 ranges. Ask vendors for a written quote — compare quotes in the app.

Quality checks before you accept delivery

• Ask for the lath gauge in writing — 18–20 gauge for shops. 22–24 gauge dents and is easy to force.
• Laths should be galvanised or powder-coated with no bare edges; rust starts at the cut ends.
• Side guide channels must be anchored into RCC or solid brick, plumb and parallel. Wobble in the guides is where shutters jam.
• Lift the shutter halfway and let go: a balanced spring holds it there. If it drops or springs up, the spring is wrong.
• Motorised shutters need a manual override — a hand chain or crank — and the motor warranty in writing.
• Check the locking: a centre lock plus two side locks, or a bottom-bar lock that bolts into the floor.
• For gates: continuous welds, bearing hinges or sealed rollers, and a stopper at each end of travel.
• Automatic gates and boom barriers must stop and reverse when something is in the way — test it.

Pro tips

• A rolling shutter needs about 450–600 mm of clear height above the opening for its box. Leave it in the lintel design now; it's very hard to add later.
• For shopfronts wider than about 10 ft, go gear-operated or motorised. A push-pull shutter that size is heavy and wears the springs fast.
• Give a motorised shutter its own MCB, and a small UPS or battery if power cuts are common, so you can open up in the morning.
• A wicket door cut into a large shutter lets staff come and go without raising the whole thing.
• Perforated shutters keep a lit display visible after closing — useful for showrooms, and they let air through.
• Lay a sliding gate's track level and give it a drain. A track in a low spot fills with water and grit.
• Grease guide channels, springs and gate rollers every 3–6 months. Coastal sites need galvanised plus powder coat.
• Commercial buildings may need fire-rated shutters at certain openings — check with the local fire department before ordering.

Mistakes to avoid

• No space left above the opening for the shutter box, forcing an ugly box on the outside wall.
• Thin-gauge laths to save money — they dent in a year and are the first thing a thief tries.
• A motor with no manual override, leaving the shop locked shut through a power cut.
• Guides fixed into plaster instead of RCC or brick, so the shutter jams as they loosen.
• A sliding-gate track laid in a dip that fills with water and dirt every monsoon.
• Painting over rust instead of cleaning and priming — it bubbles through within months.

Where you can save

• Pre-coated galvanised laths cost a little more upfront but save repainting every couple of years.
• A gear-operated shutter costs far less than a motorised one and handles most mid-size shops.
• Standard opening widths avoid custom lath runs — ask your fabricator what they stock.

How much you need

Brands to know

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