Roller door types

Manual roller garage doors

A manual roller garage door is a roller door you open and close by hand, with springs inside the barrel balancing the weight of the curtain so it lifts without a motor. Because there's nothing to power, it needs no electrics at the garage. Manual operation suits narrower, lighter doors, and the manual doors in our price list use single-skin aluminium laths.

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Guide price: from £895 inc VAT
First step: Free survey
Covers: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

White manual roller garage door with a centre lock on a detached brick garage at the end of a gravel drive

Computer-generated image

In short

Springs in the barrel balance the curtain for hand operation
No motor, remotes or power supply needed at the garage
Best suited to narrower, lighter single-skin doors
Secured with a bottom-rail lock when closed

How does a manual roller garage door open and close?

A manual roller garage door opens when you lift the bottom rail and the springs in the barrel help wind the curtain up into the box, and it closes when you pull it back down.

The springs balance the weight of the laths, so you aren't lifting the whole curtain on your own. When the door is open, the curtain sits coiled in the box above the opening, leaving the full height clear apart from the box itself. When it's closed, the bottom rail rests on the floor and is held by the lock.

With no motor, there are no remotes to lose, no control box on the wall and nothing to stop working in a power cut. The trade-off is that someone has to get out of the car and open the door by hand every time, which matters more if the garage is used daily.

Is a manual roller door suitable for a wide garage?

A manual roller door is at its best on narrower openings, because the wider the door, the heavier the curtain you're lifting by hand.

Spring assistance takes much of the weight, but a curtain spanning a double opening is a very different lift from one on a single garage. Our manual price list runs up to 4 m wide, and beyond that an electric door is the practical answer. For bigger openings, see our page on double and wide roller garage doors.

Think about who will be opening the door, too. If anyone in the house would find lifting and pulling down a garage door hard work, an electric door makes more sense even on a single garage. Manual doors suit garages that aren't opened several times a day, such as a detached store or a lock-up in a garage court.

How much does a manual roller garage door cost?

A manual single-skin roller garage door costs £895–£1,295 inc VAT for an opening up to 2.4 m wide, supplied and fitted.

Wide single, 2.4 to 3.0 m: £1,095–£1,545 inc VAT
Double, 3.0 to 4.0 m: £1,395–£1,995 inc VAT

These prices include the door, fitting, and taking away your old roller or up-and-over door, with VAT at the standard 20%. A RAL colour or woodgrain finish adds £95–£245 inc VAT, and vision or vent laths add £145–£345 inc VAT.

Manual doors are the lowest-cost way into a roller garage door, partly because there's no motor and no electrical work to pay for. If you'd like insulated laths, the insulated doors in our price list are electric, so compare the two on our prices page. Structural work, such as a new lintel, is priced on survey and shown separately in your quote.

How is a manual roller garage door locked?

A manual roller garage door is locked with a bottom-rail lock, which secures the bottom of the curtain once the door is closed.

With the lock engaged, the bottom rail is held in place so the curtain can't simply be lifted from outside. Keep the spare keys somewhere sensible, as the lock is the main thing holding the door shut.

If the garage is attached to the house, or holds tools, bikes or equipment you'd hate to lose, think about security alongside price. Some insurers ask about garage security, so check with yours what they expect. A manual door isn't security-rated just because it locks: ratings such as LPS 1175 belong to specific manufacturer models that have been tested, and the security-rated doors we price are insulated and electric.

Look after the lock as you would any other. Keep it clean, and don't force the key if it sticks. If the lock no longer engages properly, ask for a repair visit, which is priced and agreed before anyone comes out.

What happens at the survey and fitting of a manual roller door?

The free survey for a manual door measures the opening and checks the wall, lintel and floor, and fitting day ends with the door balanced, locked and handed over to you.

At the survey we measure the width, height, headroom above the opening for the box, and side room for the guide rails, which is typically about 75 to 100 mm each side. We look at the lintel, the floor level and access. There's no power supply to plan, which keeps a manual survey simple. A written quote follows, and after you've accepted it we give you the fitting date in writing, set by when an installer is free.

On the day, the installer takes out the old door, fits the box and guides, and hangs the curtain. They check that the door lifts and lowers evenly and that the lock engages, then show you the easiest way to open and close it.

Guide prices for manual roller garage doors

Guide prices for homes, supplied and fitted, including removal of an old roller or up-and-over door. The written quote after your free survey is the price.

Item	Guide price (inc VAT)	Ex VAT
Manual roller door, single opening up to 2.4 m	£895–£1,295	£745.83–£1,079.17 + VAT
Manual roller door, wide single 2.4–3.0 m	£1,095–£1,545	£912.50–£1,287.50 + VAT
Manual roller door, double 3.0–4.0 m	£1,395–£1,995	£1,162.50–£1,662.50 + VAT

Guide prices for homes, last reviewed 25 October 2026. Your written quote is the price. See the full price list.

What happens after I ask for a price?

STEP 01
Guide price
Answer four quick questions online and see a price range for your opening.
STEP 02
Free survey
We measure the opening, headroom, side room, lintel and power, and talk through options.
STEP 03
Written quote
You get the price inc VAT, what is included and the payment stages in writing.
STEP 04
Fitting day
Old door out, new door in, commissioned and handed over with the paperwork.

Questions about manual roller garage doors

Can a manual roller door be converted to electric later?

Only if the existing door is right for it. A manual-to-electric conversion needs the curtain, barrel, box and guides to be sound and compatible with a tubular motor, and a power supply has to be added near the box. We check all of this at a free survey. If the door isn't suitable, we'll tell you plainly and price a new electric door.

Do manual roller doors need servicing?

They need less attention than an electric door, but basic care still helps. Keep the guide rails free of leaves and grit, and only use the lubricant the manufacturer recommends, as many doors shouldn't have oil on the guides. If the door becomes heavy to lift, drops on its own or runs unevenly, stop using it and ask for a visit, priced and agreed beforehand.

Can I fit a manual roller door to a garage with no electricity?

Yes, and that's one of its main advantages. A manual door needs no motor, no control box and no power supply, so it suits detached garages, lock-ups and outbuildings without electrics. If you want an electric door there later, a qualified electrician would need to provide a fused spur, which adds cost and depends on getting a supply to the garage.

Can I have insulated laths on a manual roller door?

Our manual doors use single-skin aluminium laths, and the insulated doors in our price list are electric. So if a warmer, quieter garage is what you're after, you'd be looking at an insulated electric door. Compare the two price bands for your width and think about how you use the space before deciding whether the extra cost is worth it.

Is a manual roller door a good fit for a garage court or lock-up?

Often, yes. Manual roller doors are practical for private garage courts and lock-ups owned by landlords, residents' associations or management companies, especially where individual garages have no power. We can survey and price several doors together, and each opening is measured separately so every door is made for its own opening.