Roller Shutter Costs UK — What to Charge to Supply and Fit Roller Shutters in 2026

Quick Reference: Roller Shutter Prices UK 2026

Use these as a starting frame, not a fixed price list. Aperture size is the single biggest driver, so always measure before you commit. The per-m² figures are for the curtain alone — endplates, the box, motor, guides, controls, access and electrical connection all sit on top.

The Main Types of Roller Shutter

Before you price anything, you need to be clear on which product the job actually calls for. The right specification depends on what the customer is protecting, how often the shutter is used, and whether thermal performance or fire resistance is required.

Manual vs Electric

Manual shutters are operated by a chain hoist, a spring-assisted (counter-balanced) mechanism, or a simple pull-up on smaller domestic units. They are cheaper, have no electrical requirement, and suit low-use openings or customers on a tight budget. Electric shutters use a tubular motor in the barrel and are operated by a key switch, push button, remote fob or, increasingly, a smartphone app. Electric is now standard on anything larger than a small shopfront because chain operation on a big, heavy curtain is slow and hard work.

The jump from manual to electric typically adds several hundred pounds for a small unit and more on larger apertures where you need a heavier-duty motor. It also brings in the electrical connection and the safety obligations that come with a powered door — covered below.

Single-Skin vs Insulated Double-Skin Lath

Single-skin lath (sometimes called aperture-filled or solid lath) is a single roll-formed steel or aluminium profile. It is the cheapest and most common choice for security on shopfronts and garages where insulation is not a concern. Insulated double-skin lath is a twin-walled profile filled with polyurethane foam, giving thermal and acoustic benefits and a smoother, sturdier feel. Insulated lath is the standard for heated industrial units, temperature-controlled warehouses and anywhere the customer wants to reduce heat loss through a large opening.

Insulated lath costs noticeably more per m² than single-skin — often 50–100% more on the curtain alone — so confirm the customer actually needs the thermal performance before you quote the dearer product.

Perforated / Punched Lath

Perforated or punched lath has holes or slots pressed into the profile so the shutter provides security while still allowing ventilation and visibility through to the shopfront behind. It is popular for retail units, shopping centres and car parks where the customer wants the window display visible after hours, and for plant rooms or units that need airflow. Brick-bond and vision-grille variants sit in the same family. Expect a premium over solid single-skin lath, and remember that perforated lath gives less weather protection — flag that to the customer.

Built-On-Face vs Built-In

A built-on-face installation mounts the box, guides and barrel on the outside (or inside face) of the wall, around the opening. It is the simplest and most common method and works on most existing structures. A built-in installation conceals the box and barrel within the reveal or a recess in the structure for a cleaner appearance — usually specified on new builds or higher-end shopfronts. Built-in is more expensive because it needs the structural opening to be prepared with the right headroom and side room for the box and guides. Always confirm whether the opening can take a built-in box before quoting it.

What Drives the Cost

Two identical-looking shutters can differ by thousands of pounds. These are the components and factors that move the number:

• Aperture size (width × height): The dominant driver. Curtain is effectively priced per m², and bigger openings also need heavier laths, stronger guides, a larger box and a more powerful motor — costs compound rather than scale linearly.
• Lath type: Single-skin is cheapest; insulated double-skin and perforated lath both carry a premium.
• Operation: Manual chain or spring is cheapest; tubular-motor electric adds the motor, wiring and controls.
• Controls: A basic key switch is cheap; push button, remote fobs, photocells and smart/app control each add cost.
• Endplates, guides, box and fixings: The hardware around the curtain. Heavy-duty or galvanised components cost more.
• Finish and colour: Mill/galvanised is cheapest; powder-coated to a specific RAL colour adds a meaningful amount, especially on large curtains.
• Security rating: Higher-security and tested products (e.g. to recognised loss-prevention standards) cost more.
• Fire shutters: Fire-rated curtains cost substantially more, require certification and integration with the fire alarm, and are a specialist install — do not treat them as a normal shutter with a markup.
• Access: Working at height, structural fixing into the right substrate, and preparing or making good the opening all add labour.
• Electrical connection: A powered shutter needs a fused spur or supply within reach. If the customer's electrician (or yours) has to run a new circuit, that is an extra cost — price it in or quote it separately.

Safety and Compliance — Read This Before You Quote Electric

Powered industrial and commercial doors are classed as machinery. They fall under the Machinery (Safety) Regulations and a powered door installation must be CE/UKCA marked, force-tested and fitted with the right safety features. In practice this means:

• Force testing: The closing force of a powered shutter must be measured and kept within safe limits to prevent crushing injuries. Keep the force test record.
• Safety edges and photocells: Safety bottom edges and photocell beams stop or reverse the shutter if it meets an obstruction. These are not optional extras on a commercial powered door.
• CE/UKCA marking and documentation: The completed door is a machine. It needs the right declaration, marking and handover documentation.
• Regular servicing: Powered doors should be serviced and force re-tested periodically. Offer a service contract — it protects the customer and gives you recurring revenue.

If you are not set up to force-test and certify, either get the training and equipment or partner with someone who is. Selling an uncertified powered industrial door is a liability you do not want.

What's Included in a Supply-and-Fit Price

Be explicit about what your quote covers so the customer is not comparing your full job against a competitor's supply-only price. A typical supply-and-fit quote should include:

• Survey and accurate measurement of the aperture
• The shutter curtain, box, barrel, endplates, guides and fixings
• The motor and chosen controls (or the manual mechanism)
• Delivery, installation labour and any access equipment
• Connection to an existing local power supply (state if a new supply is excluded)
• Force testing, safety edge/photocell commissioning and handover on powered doors
• Making good around the opening and removal of waste

Spell out exclusions clearly — for example a new electrical circuit, structural alterations to the opening, or scaffolding for high-level work — so there are no surprises mid-job.

Worked Example — Commercial Electric Shutter

A retail customer wants an electric, single-skin security shutter over a shopfront opening measuring 3.0m wide × 2.6m high (7.8m²), powder-coated to a RAL colour, with a key switch and remote, built on the face of the building.

• Curtain, box, barrel, guides and endplates (single-skin, ~7.8m²): £950–£1,400
• Tubular motor and controls (key switch + remote): £350–£600
• Powder coat to RAL colour: £250–£450
• Installation labour (two fitters, access, fixing, making good): £450–£800
• Electrical connection to existing local supply, force test and commissioning: £150–£350

That lands the job around £2,150–£3,600 supplied and fitted before VAT — comfortably inside the typical shopfront/commercial range and toward the top once you add powder coating and electric operation. Switch the curtain to insulated or perforated lath, add a larger aperture or a new power supply, and the number climbs quickly.

Practical Pitfalls to Avoid

• Measure the aperture accurately: Width and height at multiple points — openings are rarely square. An undersized order is scrap; an oversized one fouls the reveal. Never price off a customer's rough figures.
• Allow for the box and headroom: The rolled-up curtain needs space above the opening for the box, plus side room for the guides. On built-in jobs check the structure can take it before quoting.
• Confirm the power supply: For electric shutters, verify there is a suitable supply within reach. A new circuit is an extra cost that customers forget about — flag it early.
• Force test every powered door: Measure and record the closing force, fit the safety edge and photocells, and hand over the certification. This is a legal and safety requirement, not a nice-to-have.
• Service annually: Sell a service-and-force-test contract. It keeps the door compliant, extends its life and gives you a recurring revenue line that smooths your cash flow.
• Price fire shutters as specialist work: Fire-rated curtains, certification and fire-alarm integration are a different job entirely — never treat them as a standard shutter with a markup.