Steel Minster – Up and Over

Please note the sizes below are door sizes, this does not included steel frames and guides.

What is the difference between a canopy and retractable garage doors?

A canopy and a retractable garage door are both types of garage doors, but they have distinct designs and functionalities.

Canopy Garage Door:

The canopy door gear has a preassembled torsion spring above the door, which lifts the door panel via a tensioned cable system on either side. Once opened, the door pretrudes around 65% outwards, hence the name 'canopy.’

• Characteristics:
  • Simpler mechanism with fewer moving parts.
  • Commonly used in smaller or more traditional garage openings.
  • Often manually operated, although electric versions are available via an additional bow arm.

Retractable Garage Door:

Retractable operating gear has arms ther side lifting the door assisted by tensioned springs. The motion of the retractable door is far more direct; it swings out more but ends up fully retracted inside the garage on the horizontal tracks the door slides along. Fitting an electric operator to a retractable garage door is indeed very easy.

• Characteristics:
  • It requires a clear space above the garage entrance for the door to retract into.
  • Often more suitable for garages with limited space in front of the door.
  • Can be operated manually or with an automatic opener.

In short, canopy garage doors are better suited for standard-size garages with more room in front, while retractable doors are a more space-efficient option if you need to maximise the area directly in front of your garage.

If you are looking to automate your garage door, the best option would be a retracable garage door.

When fitting a garage door, you have 2 main fitting positions to choose from.

Behind fit is where you fit the garage door and frame work/guides behind your piers, like in the example image below.

This is ideal for sectional and roller garage doors and also garages with lots of room.

Inbetween fit is where you fit the garage door and frame work between your piers, like in the example image below.

This is ideal for up-and-over garage doors and side-hinged garage doors.

You will also see a roller door and sectional garage door fitted in between the opening and under the lintel if there is limited space inside the garage.