What Are PVC Strip Curtains and Why Do They Matter?

PVC strip curtains are overlapping flexible plastic strips hung in a doorway or opening to create a barrier that people, forklifts, and carts can pass through without opening a door. They reduce energy loss, control temperature zones, limit dust and insect ingress, and improve workplace safety — all without slowing down traffic flow.

The right curtain depends on your opening size, traffic type, temperature requirements, and whether you need specialty properties like anti-static or polar-grade flexibility. This guide walks through every option in the Byson range.

Step 1: Choose Your Strip Type

Standard Smooth Clear (Blue Tint)

The most common PVC strip type. Smooth, clear strips with a blue tint provide good visibility through the curtain while maintaining a temperature and dust barrier. Suitable for ambient-temperature environments with pedestrian or light forklift traffic.

Best for: Warehouse doorways, loading docks, workshop entrances, and any ambient-temperature opening with regular foot or light vehicle traffic.

• Byson PVC Strips & Rolls, Standard Smooth – Clear with Blue Tint — buy by the roll to cut custom lengths for any opening.
• Byson PVC Strip Curtains, Smooth Standard 2mm × 8" – Custom Kit — pre-cut to your specified opening dimensions.

Ribbed Clear (Blue Tint)

Ribbed strips have horizontal ridges moulded into the PVC. The ribs increase rigidity and make the strips more resistant to curling and tangling in high-traffic openings. They also scatter light slightly, which can reduce glare in bright environments.

Best for: High-traffic doorways, forklift openings, and anywhere standard smooth strips tend to tangle or curl.

• Byson PVC Strips & Rolls, Ribbed – Clear with Blue Tint — available in multiple widths and thicknesses.

Polar Grade

Standard PVC becomes stiff and brittle in cold environments, making strips hard to push through and prone to cracking. Polar-grade PVC is formulated to remain flexible at temperatures as low as -22°F / -30°C, making it the only appropriate choice for walk-in freezers and cold storage rooms.

Best for: Walk-in freezers, cold storage facilities, blast chillers, and any opening where ambient temperature drops below 32°F / 0°C.

• Byson PVC Strips & Rolls, Smooth Polar Grade – Clear with Blue Tint — stays flexible in sub-zero environments.

Anti-Static

Anti-static PVC strips dissipate electrostatic charge, preventing the build-up that can damage sensitive electronics, attract dust to products, or create spark hazards in certain environments.

Best for: Electronics manufacturing, server rooms, pharmaceutical production, and any environment where static discharge is a safety or quality concern.

• Byson PVC Strips & Rolls, Smooth Anti-Static – Clear with Blue Tint — ESD-safe PVC for static-sensitive environments.

Step 2: Choose Your Kit Format

Standard Hanging Kits (Fixed Mount)

Standard kits include a mounting plate and pre-cut strips sized to your opening. Strips hang vertically from the plate with an overlap of roughly 50% — enough to maintain a seal while allowing easy passage. These are the most common format for pedestrian and forklift doorways.

Byson standard kit sizes:

• 3ft × 7ft — ideal for standard personnel doors and small equipment openings.
• 4ft × 7ft — suits wider personnel doorways and small pallet jack openings.
• 6ft × 7ft — for wider forklift or equipment openings at standard door height.
• 8ft × 8ft — suits larger forklift openings and taller doorways.
• 10ft × 10ft — for large warehouse openings and dock doors.

Sliding PVC Strip Curtain Kits

Sliding kits mount on an overhead track, allowing the entire curtain to be pushed to one side — similar to a sliding door. This is ideal for openings where you need to fully clear the doorway for large loads, wide equipment, or periodic cleaning, without removing the curtain entirely.

Best for: Openings that need to be fully cleared periodically, or where a swinging curtain would be impractical.

• Byson Sliding PVC Strip Curtain Kit – 3ft W × 7ft H
• Byson Sliding PVC Strip Curtain Kit – 8ft W × 10ft H
• Browse all sliding PVC strip curtain kits →

Open Cooler / Merchandiser Kits

These kits are specifically designed for open-front refrigerated display cases in grocery stores, convenience stores, and food service environments. They reduce cold air loss from open coolers, cutting refrigeration energy costs significantly.

Best for: Retail refrigerated display cases, open merchandisers, and grocery cooler aisles.

• 72" W × 66" H
• 98" W × 66" H
• 150" W × 66" H

Commercial Roll-Up Door Kits

Roll-up door kits are designed to hang inside the frame of a commercial overhead roll-up door. They provide a barrier when the door is open during loading and unloading — keeping insects, dust, and weather out while maintaining forklift access.

Best for: Loading docks, warehouse roll-up doors, and any commercial overhead door that stays open for extended periods.

• Byson Strip Curtain Kit for Commercial Roll-Up Door – 10ft × 10ft
• Byson Strip Curtain Mounting Kit for Commercial Roll-Up Doors — the hardware kit for mounting strips to an existing roll-up door frame.
• Browse all roll-up door curtain solutions →

Bulk Rolls

If you have multiple openings to cover, or need to replace individual strips rather than a full kit, bulk rolls are the most cost-effective option. Available in standard smooth, ribbed, polar grade, and anti-static formulations.

• Byson PVC Strip Full Bulk Rolls (160ft) – Various Types & Colours

Step 3: Mounting Hardware

Every strip curtain needs a mounting plate or bracket to hang from. Byson offers dedicated hardware for standard and roll-up door applications:

• Byson Strip Curtain Plate Packs — mounting plates for standard doorway installations.
• Byson Strip Curtain Plates — individual plates for replacement or custom configurations.
• Byson Strip Curtain Mounting Kit for Commercial Roll-Up Doors — purpose-built hardware for overhead roll-up door frames.

How to Size a PVC Strip Curtain

Measure your opening width and height from the inside of the frame. The curtain should cover the full opening with strips overlapping by approximately 50% of the strip width — this overlap is what creates the seal. For a 3" wide strip, each strip overlaps the next by about 1.5". Most Byson kits are pre-configured with the correct overlap built in.

Strip width guide:

• 2"–4" wide strips — pedestrian doorways and light traffic.
• 6"–8" wide strips — forklift and pallet jack openings; fewer strips to push through.
• 12" wide strips — large vehicle openings and roll-up doors; maximum coverage per strip.

Quick Selection Guide

Installation Tips

• Mount the plate above the opening, not inside it. The top of the strips should overlap the top of the opening by 2"–3" to eliminate the gap above the curtain.
• Allow strips to hang freely before trimming. PVC can have a slight curl from packaging — let strips hang for 24 hours before cutting to final length.
• For freezer applications, install at ambient temperature. Polar-grade strips are easier to handle and hang before the space is cooled down.
• Replace worn strips individually. You don't need to replace the whole curtain — individual strips can be swapped out using the same mounting plates.

Shop PVC Strip Curtains at Byson

Byson stocks a complete range of PVC strip curtain kits, bulk rolls, and mounting hardware — available for fast shipping across Canada and the US.

• Sliding PVC Strip Curtain Kits
• PVC Curtain Solutions for Commercial Roll-Up Doors

Not sure which kit is right for your opening? Contact the Byson team — we're happy to help you spec the right curtain.