Sectional overhead doors are one of the most widely used door types in industrial and commercial environments. You’ll find them in warehouses, logistics centers, fire stations, workshops, and car dealerships.
These doors consist of multiple horizontal panels connected by hinges. When the door opens, these panels slide upwards along tracks mounted to the ceiling, storing the door overhead in a horizontal position.
Key Features of Sectional Overhead Doors
Sectional overhead doors are constructed from multiple horizontal panels, usually made from insulated steel or aluminium sandwich materials. Hinges connect these panels, allowing them to bend and follow a curved track as the door opens. When triggered—either manually or by an electric motor—the door first moves vertically, then slides horizontally along ceiling-mounted tracks. This overhead storage of the door panels is what gives the door its name.
The design is modular, allowing for several customization options. Sections can include windows for natural light, various panel finishes for aesthetic alignment, and different color coatings to match the building’s architecture. In some cases, you can also add an integrated wicket door to provide pedestrian access without opening the entire door—especially useful in environments that require frequent entry and exit.
Limitations of Sectional Overhead Doors
Despite their advantages, sectional doors do come with some functional drawbacks:
- Ceiling Space Required: The horizontal ceiling tracks take up significant overhead space, which can interfere with lighting, sprinkler systems, ventilation units, or overhead cranes.
- Fixed Track Layout: The track system limits architectural freedom and complicates integration with certain ceiling structures.
- Industrial Aesthetics: While customizable to a degree, they still maintain a somewhat heavy-duty industrial look, which may not suit all buildings.
- Maintenance of Tracks and Springs: Technicians must regularly maintain the spring systems and align the tracks to ensure long-term performance.
The Compact door
The Compact door, developed and manufactured by Rolflex in the Netherlands, rethinks what an overhead door can be. While sectional overhead doors slide along tracks, the Compact door folds upwards, stacking the panels neatly above the doorway—without ceiling tracks.
How the Compact Door Differs
- No Ceiling Tracks Needed
The Compact door folds its panels into a compact stack above the opening, leaving the ceiling completely free. This makes it ideal for buildings with cranes, lighting, or technical installations that must remain unobstructed. - Fully Insulated Panels
Like sectional doors, the Compact door uses high-quality insulated panels, ensuring excellent thermal and sound performance. - Custom Design Options
You can fit the Compact door with full or partial glazing, custom colors, and a sleek, modern look that complements architectural designs—making it perfect for showrooms and visible façades. - Wicket Door Integration
Need frequent pedestrian access? The Compact door offers an optional wicket door that blends seamlessly with the panel layout, without compromising aesthetics or functionality. - Minimal Maintenance
With fewer moving parts and no overhead tracks, the Compact door is built for long-term reliability with less maintenance than traditional sectional doors.
Upgrade to a more intelligent door solution
So, what are sectional overhead doors? They’re sturdy, insulated panel doors that slide along ceiling tracks. But if you’re looking for something more versatile, space-saving, and architecturally elegant, the Compact door is the next step forward.
Whether you’re working on a new building or modernizing an existing one, the Compact door offers a future-proof, clean-looking, and user-friendly solution tailored to modern industrial needs.
Want to see what’s possible?
Use our online door configurator to design your own Compact folding door, explore finishes and glazing options, and request a quote tailored to your project.
